A New American Saint! Fr. Junipero Serra

09-27-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Over the years, millions of Catholics have visited the 36 missions on the California coast. Very popular missions include San Luís Obispo, San Juan Caistrano and San Luís Rey. The history of the California Missions are connected to a Spanish Franciscan Missionary priest named Fr. Junípero Serra. Serra was canonized by Pope Francis last Wednesday in Washington D.C. as our 11th American saint!

It is interesting that when Father Serra founded California's first mission in 1769, he wasn’t exactly a robust figure. He was 56 years old and an asthmatic with a chronic sore on his leg, the result of a bug bite. Fr. Serra was small in stature, a mere 5 feet, 2 inches. But despite his small frame, Fr. Serra, was a spiritual giant known as the Apostle of California.

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Adoration and Sanctification

09-20-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Pope St. John Paul II, of blessed memory, has left us a beautiful opportunity to grow in our love for Jesus Christ Our Eucharistic King. During his time as our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II blessed a number of Eucharistic Thrones (monstrances) that are to be used around the world for the faithful people of God. These monstrances that are circulating around the world are sent to various parishes for a short span of time to be used for adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

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That Man is YOU!

09-13-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to invite the men of our parish to prayerfully consider becoming a part of a wonderful men’s group called “That Man is You!” Last year, 30 to 40 men gathered in Santa Maria Hall every Saturday morning at 6:45-8:15am to learn how to be real men in the modern world. Our first session is September 19th. They were exposed to some amazing research from science and the teachings of the Catholic faith. They learned about the wisdom of the Saints. They were able to develop a vision of authentic men who are now capable of transforming themselves, their families and greater society.

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Back to School

09-06-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It has been an interesting August. Many families and students have kept me apprised of their return to school on all levels—grade school, high school and college. Some students asked for special blessings for safe travels and a good year. Let us pray for all our students in school and in religious educa- tion. May they make holy decisions that will help them grow closer to Jesus.

As we begin this new school year, I have been thinking about education and catholic education in particular. In general, my thoughts return that baptismal rite of children in the Catholic Church when parents commit to the Christian education of their children. The rite reminds parents of their duty to bring their children up by teaching them the law of Christ and His Church.

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Prayer for the Conversion of Planned Parenthood

08-30-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Lord, for whom all things are possible,

We are confronted once again today With the evil of the abortion industry And the corruption found In the world's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood.

Lord, we pray for all who plan to be parents, And we ask your mercy on those Who teach others to reject parenthood.

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Jesus Christ - Yesterday, Now, and Forever

08-23-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Father James Gilhooley has collected some powerful details about Our Lord that are worth sharing. He acknowledges that few of the lines that follow are original and that the majority of these thoughts belong to those writers known as Author Unknown. Where possible, he identified the artist. He begins:

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The Feast of the Ascension

08-16-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven. It is usually a holy day of obligation. However, when it falls on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass is abrogated (that is, the observance is typically held during the weekend services in the weekends where these days fall). For instance, the Feast of the Assumption fell on Saturday in 2009, Monday in 2011 and Saturday in 2015; in these cases, Catholics in the United States were not required to attend Mass. That being said, this feast day is meant to give us hope. We can always look to Our Blessed Mother as the beautiful woman of faith who inspires us to grow in holiness and God’s grace. She shows us how to be open to God’s will and to offer our lives to God through sacrifice and penance so that we too will enjoy everlasting joy in heaven.

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Do You Know Your Faith?

08-09-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is a tragic reality that many young people do not know the faith given to us by Christ and therefore do not know Christ. Tragically, many adults aren’t much better! For these reasons, we are offering classes for parents in the Religious Education program. We cannot give what we don’t have. To share the faith, you need to know the faith. Teaching your children (or other’s children) the faith is primarily the work of the parent. If parents are unable to do their job in teaching children the faith, then grandparents must step in to help. The Church is here to support you, not to do your job.

So how well do you know the faith? Here are some questions a typical student in our Religious Education program needs to know how to answer:

  • WHY DO WE CONFESS OUR SINS TO A PRIEST?
  • DOES THE BIBLE TALK ABOUT CONFESSION?
  • WHAT IS A MONSTRANCE?
  • WHERE IS THE TABERNACLE?
  • WHY DO WE GENUFLECT AND MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS?
  • ISN’T THE EUCHARIST JUST A SYMBOL?
  • WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION?” (THE ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU!)
  • WHAT IS THE ACT OF CONTRITION?
  • IS MARY THE MOTHER OF GOD?
  • HOW OFTEN SHOULD I GO TO CONFESSION?
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Farewell to Deb Jones

08-02-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I want to take this opportunity to address some staff changes happening at St. Joan of Arc. After several years of joyful service to our parish, Deb Jones will be leaving St. Joan of Arc to be with her family in Florida. Deb has been a wonderful blessing to our community in so many ways; i.e., as our resident accountant and CPA, gift shop manager, fish fry organizer, volunteer coordinator, stewardship coordinator, and so much more, Deb has played a major role in leading our parish in many incredible ways.

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In the News: Planned Parenthood

07-26-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Planned Parenthood has been in the news a lot lately. I thought it might be a good idea to look at some of the roots of this very influential organization. Planned Parenthood was established by Margaret Sanger who held some very controversial views. Here is just one example: “The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.” - Margaret Sanger (editor). (The Woman Rebel, Volume I, Number 1. Reprinted in Woman and the New Race. New York: Brentanos Publishers, 1922.)

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The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (part V of V)

07-19-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our Lord has given us the greatest gift of Himself in the Mass. Of course He wants for us to receive Him in Holy Communion at every Mass. That needs to be the desire of our heart. That being said, the bishops have said that you and I are not the judges of those who come forward for Communion. For example, a couple may not be in a valid marriage, but they may have made a special pledge to live as brother and sister. That would be between them and their pastor and must be granted by the bishop. If one does have a concern about whether someone else should refrain from Holy Communion, the first thing to do is to pray. Maybe you are not the right one to approach that other person. Maybe God will send someone else on account of your prayer. And maybe he will open a door for you to gently guide the other person. It would be a great act of love.

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The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (part IV of V)

07-12-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Part of our problem - at least in the United States - is that many have lost the sense of connection between Holy Communion and the rest of their life. Here are some things that can exclude a person from Communion. For example, a couple living together in a union that is not recognized by the Church should not come forward to receive Holy Communion. If you have missed Sunday Mass without a sufficient reason, you should not receive Communion until you have gone to confession. The 1983 Code of Canon Law says this: "A person who is conscious of a grave sin is not to . . . receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession unless a grave reason is present and there is no opportunity of confessing; in this case the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible" (CIC 916).

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Real Freedom

07-05-2015Pastor's LetterFr. Don Kline

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Since the time of Christ, Christians and, specifically, Catholics have been under attack. You may have heard about the child being barred from performing a Christian song at a school for a talent show. Other examples of these attacks on Christian freedom include public spaces that have forbidden prayer. This past year the government has told pastors what they can and cannot say from the pulpit. Students are arrested for publicly expressing their views on abortion. Now government seeks to redefine marriage apart from God’s plan for marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Who knows, I may be arrested for writing this column since it could be seen by some people as “hate speech”?!?! These are just a few examples of how Catholics are under attack by those who wish to silence us!

As we observe Independence Day celebrations every year, we hear the word freedom being bantered around a lot. But the problem is, in our country today, our understanding of what freedom is and what it is supposed to be used for is dramatically disordered. That is, we see freedom primarily, often only, as “freedom from.” Ask many Americans today and they will most likely tell you that freedom means freedom from something or someone. Men and women have come to the United States for over 230 years to escape from tyranny and oppression—all good things.

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