St. Monica Catholic Church
1001 Camino Pablo Moraga, CA 94556 Phone
925-376-6900
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8/01/07 Goodbye Carrie! After four years as Youth Minister at St. Monica, Carrie Rehak will now be Director of Campus Ministry at Holy Names University. Goodbye, Carrie, we wish you well! Church of Rock members sang their own farewell to Carrie at the farewell dinner and celebration. We are still putting together a scrapbook for her. Blank scrapbook pages are available for anyone who would like to contribute to this farewell gift. You can pick them up at the Parish Center. See the church bulletin for details. Father Paul says "Goodbye" Last Sunday, Father Paul announced that he will be leaving St. Monica Parish at the end of June. The response to the news was an audible gasp from parishioners in the pews. He explained Bishop Vigneron's invitation for him to be provost of Oakland's new cathedral. As he described the nature of his new assignment and his own vision of the task ahead for him, St. Monica parishioners applauded. Next Sunday is his last weekend. There will be a reception after the 11:00 AM Mass. Father Paul's farewell message is in the bulletin and is also here for you to read. St. Monica responds to Pope Benedict XVI Over the last year, a group of parishioners from St. Monica wrote a response to Pope Benedict XVI after he issued his letter to the whole Church on love – Deus Caritas Est. While we wait for a response from the Vatican, we thought the time has come to share the content of our letter with the parish at large. Click here to read the letter. Many thanks to all who helped craft the letter. It’s worth a read! 5/01/07 A NEW "New Fire" for Easter
Vigil This year, the "new fire" of the Easter Vigil services will ignite in a new vessel outside St. Monica Church as we intone the phrase, "Christ the Light." The new vessel, a 7-foot brazier is built of half-inch plate steel welded together to support a hand spun stainless steel bowl almost four feet in diameter. It will hold the new fire until the Easter candle is lit.The brazier, designed by Sacramento artisan Marirose Jellicich, is a gift from several generous donors. (More about this new addition to the St. Monica campus in Father Paul's Pastoral Corner in the Easter Sunday bulletin.) A New Ministry Is Born at St. Monica In January, Monica Matrix invited J.C. Orton to talk about his ministry at People's Park in Berkeley. Inspired by his commitment, a group of St. Monica parishioners asked him what they could do to help. It took about one month to organize a group, Soup to Serve, who now meet every Friday morning at 9:30 AM to chop and cook and stir --and "laugh a lot!" They deliver the big pots of soup to J.C. for the homeless people in People's Park. "We find that during our time together our hearts are warmed more than the soup!" says one of the participants. There are many ways to serve …see details on the Soup to Serve page. Monica Matrix
Coming April 22 J.C. Orton from Berkeley Catholic Worker/ Night on the Street program returns to St. Monica for another visit. He will bring friends who have benefited from our parish outreach efforts. Join in this intergenerational event where there will be: Ministry opportunities, Activities & Kids Care, Sharing community, Q & A time, Hearing the stories of people and their various invovlements. After J.C.'s first visit, St. Monica adults and youth responded by starting two different ministries: Soup to Serve and Cookies With Compassion. 5/01/07 High School Siena Program Support the SIENA program. Purchase this CD for $10. Contact Carrie Rehack at highschool@stmonicamoraga.com Youth Sevice Immersion thru Education N' Action, our Youth Outreach, whose recent service in New Mexico is reflected in the cover photo on this collection of original music by our own Ashley Coull. St. Monica Women's Guild Day of Recollection The Women's Guild invites all women of their parish and their guests to a lenten retreat to be held at San Damiano Retreat House, Danville, on Thursday March 15, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The day, entitled "The Scripture of Our Lives: Finding God in Our Lives, Messengers of God, and Looking Back and Forward," will be led by Fr. Declan Deane, All Saints Church, Hayward. Women's Faithsharing Women's Faithsharing lenten series, A Pilgrim's Journey of Conversion, continues with the theme for the day: Journey to Jerusalem. The reflection of the day centers around the timeless mixture of celebration and pain common in all human lives. The last session will be held on Mach 27 at 9:30 AM in the Peace Room of the Parish Center. The women of Chiara's Lantern, a group of trained spiritual directors from San Damiano Retreat Center, are presenting the series.The four sessions are meant to delve deeply into the challenging aspects of our daily lives and how they are "filled with God's gracing presence." All parishioners are welcome and babysitting is available. At Monica Matrix Kids DO Outreach For these kids, Monica Matrix means DOING something for someone else. While adults, middle school, and high school teens met in other rooms in the Parish Center, the Kids Care group was doing its own thing--making Valentines for St. Anthony School. 3/01/07 Town Hall Meetings Only THREE more opportunities left to participate in Town Hall Meetings. WE NEED YOUR INPUT! The first round of Town Hall meetings were held in 2005. We looked
at the parish's strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities
and threats to be confronted. NOW we want your input on a
proposed vision and mission statement and on startegic goals. With
your input, we can make necessary adjustments and press forward
with an ever broadening concensus. Every contribution from you will
be an essential tool to evaluate and shape the processes that will
assist us to achieve each strategic goal. 2/01/07 Wearing Hearts Children preparing for their First Communion are in our hearts and minds. But they are also visible to the eye. First Communion candidates made hearts that they will wear to Mass to exhibit their love and desire for the Sacrament. Watch for them in the pews. 1/01/07 Have a Little Reindeer Food? Sprinkle on the lawn at night; The moon will make it sparkle bright. Faith Formation 4th graders sold Magic Reindeer Food to raise money for their outreach project. Packages of a special recipe, glitter and a magic verse brought in $200 dollars for their Advent project. The 4th graders decided to buy sleeping bags for homeless people in cooperation with A New Image Our Lady of Guadalupe, an icon for Advent, stands peacefully solemn behind our altar. The framed picture is a life-size duplicate of the famous image from Tepeyac. Father Hugo Hernandez, from St. Bede, Hayward, presented the enduring history of this miraculous apparition of the Mother of God at the Monica Matrix event Sunday, December 3. Mark your calendar! February 11 is the next Monica Matrix gathering for our parish
community. Introducing St. Monica's Pastoral Council The new and returning members of St. Monica's Pastoral Council are currently drafting vision and mission statements for the parish community. With the involvement of parish ministries, groups and individuals, the Council will initiate a revised parish plan by the latter part of 2007. (See Father Paul's description of the work of the Pastoral Council in the bulletin for Dec. 3.) 12/31/06 CONGRATULATIONS! 25th Anniversary
of Ordination Father Ray Zielezienski has served St. Monica as Sacramental Ministry Support at masses, funerals and reconciliation services. He is a resident of Santa Maria Parish in Orinda and serves as Director and Vicar of Priests for the Diocese of Oakland. St. Monica parishioners have grown accustomed to his easy smile, affable manner and a genial "Whatever!" in answer to almost any request. Monica Matrix Advent Fair St. Monica Community is holding a Monica Matrix event! It will
be an intergenerational event where all ages are welcome and all
ages will participate in educational, social, and spiritual experiences
in preparation for the Advent Season. Dia de los Muertos St. Monica's middle school youth decorated the church for a celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). See their creative rendering of a unique Halloween celebration. Photos of the event are on the middle school youth page.
11/30/06 St. Monica Women create a variety of engaging programs FIRST, the Women's Faithsharing group has already posted a year's schedule of speakers that includes a series on Mary and a lenten series. With the theme, "What does it mean to be a Catholic woman today," the group explored women's spirituality and women mystics during the month of October (see bibliographies and list of future speakers on their web page). SECOND, tune in on the Women's Guild and their social activities for the coming year. Their goal to deepen friendships and build community is off to an enthusiastic beginning. Upcoming events, including a luncheon, speaker, retreat and fashion show, promise to engage women in a variety of ways (click here to see the Women's Guild web page). THIRD, the Book Review Group promises "pleasant afternoons of up-to-date, engaging, conversation-starters." The upcoming review by Norma Davidson will be a "virtual trip" through Bella Tuscany using the book, A Year in the World, by Frances Mayes. The Book Review Group will meet on Tuesday, November 28. Bishop's Appeal: We're half way to our goal! "Proclaiming the Message," the 12th annual Bishop's Appeal, is critical to sustaining the day-to-day operations of the Catholic Church in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. St. Monica's goal is to raise $33,742 for this campaign. So far, 119 donors have contributed $19,218 (about 57% of our goal). To learn more about its programs and ministries visit the Diocese of Oakland website from our links page or go directly to the Bishop's Appeal site at http://www.giving-in-gratitude.org/ appeal.htm. 04/20/05 A Special May Day: St Monica Sunday, May 1, will mark two more milestones in the history of St. Monica Parish, and two special back-to-back celebrations will be held to honor them. The first, a noon Mass featuring Bishop John Cummins, will signal the ceremonial beginning of construction for the PEACe education and activities center. St. Monica received the final go-ahead from the Moraga Design Review Board, and on April 29 it is anticipated that final building permits will be issued. The May 1 groundbreaking and Mass will signal one of the final hurdles crossed as the four-year project heads for reality. The second activity that day, a family picnic for all members of
the Parish community, will be held following the Mass at Rancho
Laguna Park. From 1 to 5 p.m., St. Monica's 40th anniversary will
be celebrated with food, games and music. For more information,
read the flyer here. 10/12/04 PEACeGoing the Final Mile: A Team Sprint to the Finish Line It has been a six-year race… Of designs and presentations and permits Of feasibility studies and fund-raising and generous gifts Of neighborhood challenges and delays and appeals Of redesigns and town approvals And today, St. Monica can proudly announce: The Parish Education and Activity Center Will Be Built, Beginning in 2005! Read More Women’s Faithsharing Presents 10/20/04
HE'S GONNA'SAVE IT! 09/07/2007
may be for You. 9/2/2004 07/18/04 9/7/2004 Senior Bus Trip 7/20/04 7/7/04 Two neighborhood appeals of the Moraga Design Review Board's initial approval of the St. Monica plans to construct the Parish Education and Activities Center (PEACe) are scheduled to be heard by the Moraga Planning Commission. All interested parishioners are encouraged to attend! The appeals had been scheduled to be heard at the Commission's June 7 meeting but, with a near-capacity audience looking on, the planners deferred the discussion for a month to give parties additional time to resolve differences and concerns. Much to the frustration of parishioners who attended the public hearing on July 6, the Planning Commission did not have sufficient time to address the appeal of the PEACe project Design Review Board approval due to a lengthy hearing on the Orchard Hardware application. If all goes according to plan, the PEACe project will be ultimately considered and voted on by the Moraga Town Council at its July 28 meeting, also at Joaquin Moraga at 7:30 p.m. 7/7/04
5/21/04 05/05/04 A large, attentive crowd, most of them St. Monica parishioners,
turned out Monday night (May 3) to see two Moraga town commissions
formally endorse the church's proposed Parish Education and Activities
Center (PEACe). By the time the four-plus-hour meeting ended at
Joaquin Moraga School, the town's Planning Commission had approved
St. Monica's request for a conditional use permit to construct the
new building, and the Design Review Board approved, with a few contingencies,
the building's design. 05/02/04 St. Monica will have a new pastor beginning June 12. 04/28/04 On Monday evening, May 3 2004, the Town of Moraga Planning Commissioners and the Town’s Design Review Board will meet at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School to consider our application for a conditional use permit based on the re-designed plan for our new Parish Education and Activity Center. This is the only topic on their agenda andthe meeting will begin at 7:30pm. 04/05/04 The transition to a new pastoral leader at St. Monica is expected to begin shortly with the selection announcement by Bishop Allen H. Vigneron of the Diocese of Oakland. The process began in March, shortly after the announcement by lay pastor Cath McGhee that she was retiring. The Diocese Pastoral Leadership Placement Board (PLPB) met on Monday, March 29 and reviewed input received from St. Monica, including results from visits to the parish and the information developed at the March 22 Town Hall Meeting. The 2 ½-hour PLPB meeting produced two candidates whose names, unknown at this time, were to be submitted to the Bishop on March 31 for his consideration in the selection of St. Monica's new pastoral leader. The Bishop was to interview both candidates, and a selection is expected to be announced "around Easter time." Watch this web site for final results. Links to the following stories chronicle the transition activities so far, including and question-and-answer document about the process. 03/23/04 3/28/04
Excellent Catholic Parish St. Monica receives Congressional Recognition
for Outstanding Public Service to the Community
01/28/04
The heart and soul of St. Monica for three decades, Pastoral Administrator Cath McGhee, announced on Sunday (Jan. 25) that she would retire from active service sometime this summer, "to take over my new role as parishioner." In a brief but emotional statement to the Masses, she said it was "time to take my leave" after 30 years serving the Parish, the last eight years as Administrator. "Be assured of my love and my prayers" in the coming years, she added. The grateful audiences at each service paid tribute to her with
prolonged standing ovations.
PEACe Center ready for next go-round with Moraga Council The proposed St. Monica Parish Education and Activities Center architectural plan is undergoing some changes in response to city and community input on the original design. With a new plan, St. Monica Pastoral Administrator Cath McGhee and Building Committee Chair Steven Doctors will lead the parish appeal to the Moraga Town Council, the town's planning committee and the design review board a second time in hopes of getting required approvals and permits for construction. If all goes well, groundbreaking for the PEACe facility will take place in the spring of '04. Dates and times of public city meetings on the issue will be posted
here. 1/25/04 "Last year, we had a development focus," she told the parishioners at Masses on Sunday, "and we had much success with the PEACe (Parish Education and Activities Center) project, but we had disappointments, too." Now the project appears to be back on track, thanks to a reworked design to accommodate neighbors' concerns and more than $3 million in donations and pledges from members. If all goes according to plan, a reapplication to the town of Moraga for a building permit will be filed by late February, and ground will be broken on the much-needed addition by late summer. McGhee said construction will take about a year. This year's parish focus, she reported, will be in the areas of reaching out and social gathering. She also pointed out an increased emphasis on communications, with the upgrading of the St. Monica Internet web site and some new initiatives to convey timely and important information to members. She especially complimented the Pastoral staff, which she described as "dedicated and hard-working." 01/28/04 For the third year in a row, the St. Monica parish budget is expected to include a deficit in 2004. But the projection comes amid optimism for a healthier economy and higher revenues through increased member giving. That was the outlook provided by St. Monica Financial Council Chair David Ash at the services on Sunday, January 25. In 2003, expenses again exceeded revenues, according to Ash. Thanks to a late surge in giving toward the latter half of the year, the deficit was reduced to around $31,000. Expenses had soared during the year, largely due to higher benefit costs for personnel, increase in workers' compensation insurance, and heater and furnace replacements. The '04 deficit projection is $38,000, Ash said, since insurance expenses are expected to go up even more. Offsetting that, he hopes, will be increases in donations from parishioners - he asked them to consider a 10% increase in giving, or $20 a month. "If all of our members gave $20 more each month, we could more than take care of the deficit," he told them. Total projected expenses for 2004 for the church is $823,590. One change that will make it easier for members to donate is anticipated
this spring - an electronic fund transfer program, in which contributions
can be taken directly from checking, savings accounts and credit
cards. St. Monica Finances Stretched; Members Asked
to Help
The St. Monica Parish Council has asked those who have not contributed in the past to consider a monthly donation of $20, and for those who regularly contribute to increase their donations by 10%. Financial projections for 2004 indicate a possible $30,000 deficit in church finances if level of support for all programs remains the same. Finance Committee Chairman David Ash will present his report at masses on January 25.
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