Monday, March 8th, 2021
Dear St. Charles Family:
As many of you will remember, our Communications Manager - Kelsey Szenderski - has chosen to leave her post at St. Charles to stay at home to be with her young children. I would like to thank Kelsey for her dedicated service to our community, as she most importantly developed the new St. Charles website, which was launched in November of 2019 and provided us with an updated and modern online appearance.
After a considerable search for Kelsey's replacement, and based on the recommendation from our interview committee, I am pleased to announce that we have hired Holly O'Hagan as our new Communications Manager.
After a considerable search for Kelsey's replacement, and based on the recommendation from our interview committee, I am pleased to announce that we have hired Holly O'Hagan as our new Communications Manager.
Please join me in offering prayers to Holly, as she will be utilizing her unique gifts to aid in our evangelization work. Today was her first day in the office, and you can welcome her via e-mail at holly@stcharlesborromeo.org.
In the near future, Holly will be introduced more formally, and I am sure she will provide a flocknote article that will describe her plans for a new St. Charles Communications Ministry going forward. Feel free to contact Holly if you are interested to join her important ministry.
-- Fr. Kwame
In Case You Missed our Lenten Mission Sessions
Here are Links to the Videos and Handouts:
Jesus Boost Podcast
Listen for reassurance, strength, and reduce anxiety by building your life on the foundation of rock; faith in the steadfast love of Jesus.
Be inspired and empowered each week! Jesus Boost invites you to connect with and tap into the infinite strength and unconditional love of God, available to everyone. There is so much beauty, joy, and power in knowing you are never alone and that Jesus is by your side on this journey. Jesus Boost is your reminder with honest, insightful commentary about modern-day situations, supported by scripture and words of wisdom from renowned leaders. Come away with a fresh perspective, a smile, and a wonderful, unique spiritual lift to help you greet life with renewed hope and strength.
Mar
9
COME and See on ZOOM
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No
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going.
not going.
might be going.
Adult Faith Formation Zoom Meeting
"COME AND SEE"
We welcome all who are interested in walking with Jesus
Tuesday Evenings at 7:00 PM
This Week's Topic:
This Week's Topic:
STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH
Each meeting lasts about 40 minutes and includes a brief discussion on a topic basic to the Catholic faith. You don't have to go to one meeting to be able to go to another. The meeting format will accommodate discussion, so please bring your questions.
If you have a friend or family member who wants to learn more about the Catholic faith we invite you all to “come and see”.
To Join Zoom Meeting, Click HERE
Meeting ID: 321 832 6812
Password: Jesus2020
Meeting ID: 321 832 6812
Password: Jesus2020
We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information, contact
Daniel Goodman at gotfordtires@gmail.com.
For more information, contact
Daniel Goodman at gotfordtires@gmail.com.
Interfaith Interconnect
Religion Chat - All Are Welcome!
Wednesday, March 10, 2021, 5:00–6:15 p.m. on Zoom
Topic:
How does your community provide
for those who come in need of forgiveness?
How does your community provide
for those who come in need of forgiveness?
Speakers:
Jim Ghilardi, Catholic, and Parima Shah, Jain.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84549376829
The meeting room opens at 4:45 pm, and the Program begins at 5:00 pm. After the presentations, there will be time for questions, followed by optional participation in break-out groups.
Interfaith Interconnect comprises over twenty Tri-Valley congregations, including St. Charles. Its mission is, “To enrich, inform and educate ourselves and others about the great diversity of faiths and cultures in our valley.”
All are welcome
to tune in!
to tune in!
Questions:
Janet Schott
925-373-9346
or
Cindy Kline
925-724-7636
View Our
PRESENTATION SCHEDULE
PRESENTATION SCHEDULE
Mar
11
WINGS on ZOOM
Our Session Begins at 9:45 am
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This Week With WINGS
Guest Speaker:
Margaret Zhao
"My Life in Communist China"
"My Life in Communist China"
Margaret Zhao is an award-winning author, motivational speaker, Taiichi/Qigong teacher, and stand-up comedian.
Margaret was born in China in 1958. In 1966 when she was in the 3rd grade, the Country Cultural Revolution led by Chairman Mao Zedong began. The revolution was conceived to rid China of any remnants of its capitalist past and to preserve communist ideology. As former owners of a cooking oil business in Hubei province that was confiscated during the communist takeover of 1949, the Zhao family was ostracized and unfairly labeled as an enemy of the state.
Margaret co-wrote a memoir with Kathleen Martens, a Bay Area-based author, about her haunting experiences growing up in China entitled “Really Enough: A True Story of Tyranny, Courage, and Comedy.” The book won the award for “Best Biography/Memoir” from Smart Writ Book Awards in 2012.
Margaret has entertained and delighted audiences of all ages with her great sense of humor and inspirational life story at the Hollywood Laugh Factory, comedy clubs, schools, churches, fundraising events, and many other venues
Join Our Zoom Meeting at 9:45 am:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81805811981?pwd=VWxIRy9KelRzT2RnNnJLR2NFWTkyUT09
Meeting ID: 818 0581 1981
Passcode: 487766
Dial by phone:
+1 669 900 6833
Mar
11
Thursday Evening Adult Bible Study on Zoom
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going.
not going.
might be going.
Fr. Kwame's Adult Bible Study Program
Thursday Evening at 7:00 pm on Zoom
Topic:
The Sermon of Jesus (continued)
(A link to the handout will be included in Thursday's flocknote.)
Join Our Zoom Meeting at 7:00 PM
(New link as of March 11th):
Meeting ID: 892 4670 2088
Passcode: RXQrm2
Dial by Phone
+1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 892 4670 2088
Passcode: 262997
Watch Videos of Fr. Kwame's Previous
Adult Bible Study Sessions
Adult Bible Study Sessions
Young Adult Ministry
The St. Charles Young Adult Ministry
welcomes all young adult parishioners
from 18-35+ to come and discuss topics
in the faith, get to know each other and
Jesus better, and make the St. Charles
community a bit more personal.
We’re currently holding events via Zoom
on the second and fourth Fridays of each month:
Friday, March 12th - 7-8 pm:
Video Talk and Chat
Each month we pick a topic we're interested in, find a video talk that helps the dig into it from a Catholic perspective, and then discuss our understanding and reactions to the subject. This month: reserved, selection in progress Next month: We're taking suggestions!
Zoom URL:
Friday, March 26th - 7-8 pm:
Bible Sharing
Break out those bibles and bring some passages to the group for us all to discuss. Personally meaningful verses are appreciated, as are confusing or challenging ones. Let's see what God is telling us!
Zoom URL:
As always, people are welcome to follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/LivermoreYoungAdult.
Questions? Feel Free to Contact Me at Any Time:
Mar
15
Monday Evening - WALKING WITH PURPOSE on Zoom
Are you going?
Yes
No
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going.
not going.
might be going.
Walking with Purpose
Bible Study Program
Opening Your Heart
by Lisa Brenninkmeyer
Questions? Contact:
Angela Layton
602-799-6648
wwpstcharleslivermore@gmail.com
Mar
20
Men of Faith on Zoom
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going.
not going.
might be going.
Attention Men!
The Men of Faith group is hosting Boy’s Night Out on Saturday, March 20th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Enjoy a large Papa Murphy’s pizza free on us as we gather as a group to watch a movie and then discuss it from a faith perspective. The movie is “The Dawn Wall,” and is set in Yosemite. Come as early as 5:00 p.m. We will begin airing the film at about 5:30 p.m. so cook your take-n-bake pizza by that time.
To register and arrange for your free pizza click HERE and complete the form. If you encounter difficulties, contact Jim Lucas via email: gojimlucas@gmail.com
Our Zoom Meeting begins at 5:00 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85475837425?pwd=L0pPOWltTGtCVSs3U2F6V284TW1qQT09
To make a free-will donation to support Men of Faith Programs any time of year, please click HERE. Please take care to use the drop-down menu to locate: Men of Faith (Free will Donation).
Meanwhile, if you don’t care for pizza, please join us anyway with the meal of your choice!
Regards,
Jim Lucas
(925) 980-7871
gojimlucas@gmail.com
God loves the Sinner, Not the Sin
One of the bigger misconceptions I have had in my spiritual life is that I would have to change before approaching God. I personally felt I wasn’t worthy to approach God and I thought to myself “What do I need to do before I can relate to God?” I eventually realized that I didn’t have to do anything because God meets us where we are and accepts us as we are. But remember - God is constantly calling us to conversion.
Deacon Gil Pesqueira
It doesn’t do us much good to be loved only if we are perfect. We need to be accepted and loved precisely as sinners. God’s way of relating to us often depends on where we are in our lives. We see this in the first reading. In spite of the grumblings and ingratitude of the people, God didn't give up or abandon his people, God showed his love for them by providing water for them in the desert. St Pauls’ message is beautifully stated in the second reading, Paul says God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. And we see compassion and acceptance in the actions of Jesus in his interactions with the women at the well.
One theme is common to all three of today’s scripture readings. It is a very important and comforting theme. You could say that it is the heart of the good news. That theme is God’s compassion for sinners.
In today’s Gospel Jesus and the Samaritan woman seem to be talking about drinking water but it’s about more than that. The conversation we overhear is not just about her but very much about you and me as well.
The woman was a Samaritan and there was a deep-seated resentment between the Jewish people and the Samaritans that was already centuries old in Jesus' time. Secondly, she is a woman and repressed for her gender. Finally, she was known to be a sinner because of her multiple marriages, and she was probably shunned by the neighborhood. She was a person on the margins of society. She experienced discrimination, she experienced fear. I think it is safe to assume that her soul was thirsting for justice.
Whether we want to admit it or not we all have ingrained prejudgments or - if you like - prejudices and stereotypes. Inadvertently racial and cultural insensitivity has crept into all our lives. We see into today’s Gospel; Jesus went out of His way to break down racial barriers in his day. The racism he confronted was between Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles. There’s even a racial insensitivity among Jews, evident by how Nathaniel stereotype Jesus in the first chapter of the Gospel of John when he says: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He was biased against Jesus before he even met him, he had prejudged Jesus. Heck, Jesus even had to rebuke his disciples for their insensitivities.
The Church is pro-life; we believe all life is sacred from conception to natural death. Therefore, Racism goes against pro-life. Race should be neutral- we are all different, but the color of one’s skin should not make one’s life more susceptible to discrimination, harassment, arrest, or even death. Racism is using those differences to oppress or denigrate. Differences should not divide but add to our Church and society.
St Augustine teaches we can never be morally neutral, either we are growing in virtue or falling into vice. There is no moral neutrality. We live our lives as Jesus instructed by loving God and neighbor. We live our lives for God and anything we do in the name of God should reflect God.
Let us discern during this Lenten season if we will choose to live our lives in ways that reflect a commitment to the dignity and worth of all human beings without exception. If necessary, let us challenge ourselves to recognize and confront the things that are unhealthy in us and in our culture. Let us never forget God has no favorites.
Deacon Gil
St. Charles Social Concerns Committee
Lenten Collections - February 17 through April 1, 2021
One of the many important activities of the St. Charles Social Concerns Committee (SCC) is to sponsor the Lenten Collection starting on Ash Wednesday and continuing through Holy Thursday. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the collections in 2021will be monetary only. Parishioners have the opportunity to donate much-needed funding to the organizations supported by the SCC. 100% of your donation will support these agencies and directly benefit people most in need.
Receiving your support in 2021 through the Lenten Collection are:
- St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
- Livermore Homeless Refuge
- Interfaith Sharing Food Pantry
- Oakland Catholic Worker
- Tri-Valley Haven Food Pantry
- Open Heart Kitchen
- Elizabeth House
Monetary donations in the form of check or on-line donation can be made by mailing your donation to:
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church
1315 Lomitas Ave, Livermore, CA 94550,
or on-line at www.stcharleslivermore.org/give.
Please note: Checks payable to St. Charles designated “Lenten Collection” will be divided equally among the seven charities. If you wish to have your check go to a specific organization, please write the name of the organization in the memo line of your check. We cannot accept checks payable directly to the agencies.
If you have any questions, please call:
Linda Nidever-Galles
Lenten Collection Coordinator
(925) 443-4943
AED and CPR by Joanne Berven, RN
AED stands for “automated external defibrillator” and CPR is “cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
When someone collapses suddenly, is not breathing, and has no pulse, CPR is the immediate treatment, which helps keep blood flowing through the body.
You can save a life by doing the following:
- Shake and shout to determine responsiveness,
- If no response and no breathing, shout out for help.
- Remove/open clothing at the chest, if possible
- BEGIN HANDS-ONLY CPR: place the heel of one hand in the middle of the chest, put the other hand directly over the top of the first hand, straighten up so your arms are locked and directly over the chest, and start pumping. The number of compressions should be 100 – 120/minute, which is the same beat as the song “Stayin Alive”.
- When help arrives, have them call 911. Maintain chest compressions until paramedics arrive, or until you are too tired to continue and someone else is there to take over. If you work out and are interested there is a CPR playlist at AED.com.
The AED is an easy-to-use, small portable device that is programmed to recognize “shockable” heart rhythms. It has two pads with pictures to show where to place them on the body, and when turned on, provides audible directions on what to do. Importantly, everyone is to be CLEAR of (not touching) the victim when the unit is analyzing a shockable heart rhythm. Once a shockable rhythm has been determined, a charge will be given, and CPR should continue immediately. The unit will continue to analyze for a shockable rhythm every 2 minutes, which is a good time to cycle in another person, if available, to prevent getting tired. Continue CPR and AED as it will improve the outcome of a sudden cardiac arrest victim, and until paramedics arrive. Provide them with important information, such as what happened, time of occurrence, what you did, and what you might know about the victim.
We have an instructional video (see above), created by Jim Oliver and our Youth Ministry. We highly suggest viewing it so that you can be ready if CPR/AED is needed at church or in our community.
We now have two AEDs located at the parish (find them next time you are at church). These units were made possible by help from the Men’s Club. We have offered free CPR classes to St. Charles Borromeo parishioners and hope to continue once it is safe to do so.
Listen to the AED Music Playlist on Spotify HERE
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Community
1315 Lomitas Ave.
Livermore, CA 94550
