Monday Evening, June 22nd, 2020:
Dear St. Charles Family:
For those who wish to attend Mass in person, I will send links later this week for making reservations for services beginning July 4th, along with pertinent details and our new protocol that has been developed to reduce the risk of disease transmission.
Although Bishop Barber has just approved our protocol, COVID-19 continues to spread in Livermore, and attending in person is not the safest option. Be assured that dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Masses continues until further notice. You are encouraged to continue viewing our live-stream Mass at 9:30 AM on Sundays and may come to the Church at 11:00 AM for Communion. However, I advise those who are at high risk (the elderly or persons with underlying health conditions) to stay at home.
Although Bishop Barber has just approved our protocol, COVID-19 continues to spread in Livermore, and attending in person is not the safest option. Be assured that dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Masses continues until further notice. You are encouraged to continue viewing our live-stream Mass at 9:30 AM on Sundays and may come to the Church at 11:00 AM for Communion. However, I advise those who are at high risk (the elderly or persons with underlying health conditions) to stay at home.
Because each service will be limited to 100 attendees, we are reinstating our Saturday 5:00 PM Vigil Mass, which will not include music and will not be live-streamed.
Meanwhile, Communion services will now be held on Mondays at 9:00 AM and also will not be live-streamed.
However, our Daily 9:00 AM Mass will continue to be live-streamed and will now be held Tuesdays through Fridays.
Also on Fridays, Reconciliation will be available by appointment and occur from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
All-Day Exposition / Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be held on the first Friday of each month from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM., with Benediction. You will be able to make reservations for personal prayer.
In addition to finding links to this week's Zoom meetings below, I encourage each father who missed Sunday's Mass to read my bulletin message (also below), as it is important to know that each one of you is called upon to become a prophet!
Blessings,
Fr. Kwame
PS Would you be willing to help? Volunteers are needed to help sanitize the church before and after Masses. If so, please contact Mary Hengl at Mary@stcharlesborromeo.org. Thank you!
Jun
23
TUESDAY Evening Q&A w/Fr. Kwame
Fr. Kwame's Q&A Zoom Meeting
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Jun
24
WEDNESDAY Evening: "Come and See"
Adult Faith Formation Zoom Meeting
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
"COME AND SEE"
Adult Faith Formation Zoom Meeting
We welcome all who are interested in walking with Jesus
Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM
These meetings will be held every Wednesday at 7:00 pm. You don’t have to go to one to be able to go to another. Each meeting will last about 40 minutes and includes a brief discussion on a topic basic to the Catholic faith. 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”-Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM...
To Join Zoom Meeting, Click HERE
Meeting ID: 321 832 6812
Password: Jesus2020
Password: Jesus2020
Questions? Contact Daniel Goodman at gotfordtires@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Jun
25
THURSDAY Evening Adult Bible Study
Adult Bible Study Zoom Meeting
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Fr. Kwame's Adult Bible Study Program
"The Book of Judges - Part II"
Thursday, June 25, 2020, at 7:00 PM
Meeting ID: 885 6442 5164
Password: 0sByFJ
Regular Telephone? Dial: +1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 885 6442 5164
Password: 608699
VIEW PREVIOUS BIBLE STUDY VIDEOS HERE
(Session #8 was added on Saturday. Session #9 will be added by Thursday)
(Session #8 was added on Saturday. Session #9 will be added by Thursday)
Jun
25
THURSDAY Morning WINGS on Zoom
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
WINGS – Women in God’s Spirit - Presents:
THE BOOK OF RUTH
A Story of Love, Loyalty, and Transformation
Guest Speaker:
Jan Stegner
Spiritual Study Leader
Thursday, June 25th at 10:30 AM on Zoom
Download Handout HERE
To Join Zoom Meeting, Click HERE
Meeting ID: 831 5395 4363
Password: 617604
Regular Telephone? Dial:
+1 669 900 9128
+1 669 900 9128
(Use the same meeting ID and password #s)
Jun
29
MONDAY Morning - Walking with Purpose
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Angela Layton's Zoom Invitation:
Walking with Purpose
Monday Mornings at 10:00 am.
Meeting ID: 782 7094 3952
Password: jesuslives
In Case You Missed Sunday's Mass...
Bulletin Message from Fr. Kwame for
Sunday, June 21, 2020:
“Fear Not”: Fathers are Prophets
On Mother’s Day, I encouraged everyone to see mothers as shepherds who lead us with compassion. On this Father’s Day, I suggest that we see and celebrate fathers as prophets in light of the word of God on this 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time. But, why? What benefit or relevance do we get from associating those two words?
When I say fathers are prophets, I am not implying that fathers are interchangeable with prophets. Instead, “Fathers are prophets” is an aspirational statement… I’m hoping and praying that fathers will increasingly adopt a prophetic role in our world.
Given the problems we face in the world today, I am suggesting that fathers would be – and some of them already are – effective in fulfilling their responsibility if they adopt the character of the biblical prophets. Moreover, although we celebrate our individual human fathers – men with biological or adopted children – we must go beyond them and celebrate “fatherhood” itself, which is the God-given gift to humanity and a role that can be exercised by every human being.
Fathers are prophets in the sense that both thrive by adopting Jesus’ call to “fear no one” and “what I say to you in darkness, speak in the light” and “what you hear in whispers, proclaim on the housetops” (see Matt. 10:26-27). What Jesus tells the disciples here is what prophetic life is all about. A prophet like Jeremiah in the first reading is one who should not fear anyone but speak the truth, whether or not it is convenient.
In the Bible, a prophet is simply someone who speaks in the name of God. The Greek word “prophetes” comes from “proph-eime” which means “in the stead of”. So, a prophet speaks in the stead of God and is, therefore, God’s spokesperson. This is why the biblical prophets always prefix their preaching with “thus says the Lord.”
Now, since the word of God is challenging to worldly people, cultures, nations, and individuals, being a prophet or speaking God’s word is a dangerous business or lifestyle. A prophet is not popular or famous. Instead, a prophet is alone because people don’t want to hear the truth about their own lives and to change to bring about a better world.
A prophet is someone who shakes the foundation (not the roof) of the problems in life; s/he disturbs people who have stopped living and are stuck in their comfort zones. One could say that a prophet is a “professional trouble-maker” for people who refuse to confront the hard questions and change our systemically unjust world. However, although a prophet afflicts the comforted, a prophet also comforts the afflicted!
Fatherhood is a divine gift that ensures that all human beings are protected and provided for. Fathers guarantee the security of humanity. This role goes beyond a mere biological fathering of children by providing their needs and protecting them. More deeply, fathering ensures that their children are good in themselves and develop into being good and peaceful with all other human beings. In this way, effective fathering produces a world full of people living in harmony, justice, love, and peace.
The problem of race and division we face in our world today also reflects a failure of fatherhood. If we have a set of human beings who discriminate against “other” human beings and refuse to honor the humanity of those who look different from them, this is because no one had the "guts" – prophetic enough – to provide for them and protect them.
Fathers would help heal our world if they were fearless like the prophets. With courage, fathers must find out the truth of what is wrong with our society, country, political parties, cliques, families, and world. And, without fearing anyone - be it their own child, spouse, political party, church, bishop, or president - fathers must speak God’s word: the truth that gives justice, love, equality and life to all humans.
We celebrate all of you who are fathers, as you are our prophets! As we do so we pray that the courage of the prophets may inspire you to help move our world, Church, country, and families out of the tribulations we face. We also pray for all who are denied the benefit of fathers and children who are fatherless because of the failure of other fathers.
Happy Father’s Day!
-- Father Kwame
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Community
1315 Lomitas Ave.
Livermore, CA 94550
