Monday Evening, October 12th, 2020:
MEMO
TO: Parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo
FROM: Fr. Kwame Assenyoh, Administrator
DATE: October 12, 2020
RE: Ms. Margaret Riley
Dear St. Charles Borromeo family,
Greetings to each one of you, and I hope that you and your families are keeping safe, healthy, and faith-filled.
By now, I am sure some of you have received word and a video recording from Ms. Margaret Riley informing you about her withdrawal from rejoining the Staff of Saint Charles Borromeo.
In this memo, I present to you, not a counter-argument, but the context within which Ms. Margaret’s withdrawal developed in order to help you make meaning of it.
Here are some of the realities that shape the context of Ms. Margaret’s withdrawal: Before covid-19, the parish ran a budget deficit of over $100,000, which we determined to be caused by a combination of decreased donation income and a gradual explosion of staff salaries in the faith formation ministries: grades pre-K through 12, sacramental preparations, VBS, RCIA, and small Christian group facilitation.
In addition, I was consistently informed by Karen Miller that the Youth Coordinator’s salary raise was due since he had completed his master’s degree. Moreover, Ms. Margaret also alerted me, at least once, on the disparity between her salary and that of another employee vis-à-vis the volume of work each one was doing.
Given that situation existed even before covid-19, we already considered doing the following: First, a stewardship drive to increase revenue; Second, a gradual restructuring of St. Charles' leadership and responsibilities - particularly staff hours - to correspond to our “small-to-medium” size parish within the diocese.
Therefore, covid-19 forced us to do that long-overdue restructuring in the faith formation area. For a parish of our size, the segments of faith formation cannot justify a full-time job during these times when all is virtual. Thus, we cannot revert back to pre-covid-19 staff hours.
After one interview with a search committee followed by two negotiation meetings with me, Ms. Margaret is withdrawing her bid for the covid-19 restructured job to coordinate the faith formation of grades K-5, preparations for First Eucharist, and VBS, for 15-hours with the same hourly-rate as before covid-19. However, I received her own non-negotiable job proposal and terms that upended our offer, so I rescinded sending our offer letter.
Please note that this development has not prevented our faith formation program from taking place. Our dedicated catechists have met with me, prepared, and started classes on Zoom. I have had three Zoom meetings with over 100 parents to discuss and encourage their role. Our plan is to hire a Director of Learning, who would assist with the hiring of coordinators.
Finally, I affirm and appreciate Ms. Margaret’s gift for ministry with children, but there are other important administrative factors, we cannot ignore, to guarantee both the sustenance of her ministry and our community in these challenging times.
Going forward, I wish for Margaret's success in her new endeavors, which are mentioned in the endearing video of gratitude she has made for all of us to see.
May God’s spirit continue to assist us as we continue to renew our ways to learn, worship, and serve.
I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Kwame
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Friday, October 16th: RECONCILIATION (Ten Minute Appointments)
Friday Individual Reconciliation - Outdoor West Lawn Area
10:00 - 10:10 AM Reconciliation Appointment
10:10 - 10:20 AM Reconciliation Appointment
10:20 - 10:30 AM Reconciliation Appointment
10:30 - 10:40 AM Reconciliation Appointment
10:40 - 10:50 AM Reconciliation Appointment
10:50 - 11:00 AM Reconciliation Appointment
We Have a New Option for Attending Mass...
Saturday 4:00 PM In-Person Mass, October 17th - Outdoor Seating on West Lawn
This in-person Mass will consist of Sunday's liturgy, and will not be live-streamed. Please arrive no later than 3:45 PM.
Saturday 4 PM Mass
Our Sunday 9:30 Option Remains the Same...
Sunday 9:30 AM Mass, October 18 - Outdoor Seating on West Lawn
Please arrive no later than 9:15 AM to view the live Mass video.
Sunday 9:30 am Mass
All are Invited to Receive Communion in the Church -
Sunday Mornings Between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM.
Interfaith Interconnect
Please join us at our first virtual Interfaith Interconnect Religion Chat!
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
5:00 PM – 6:15 PM Online via Zoom:
Topic: How does your congregation help to bridge the different political or social justice views within it?"
Speakers: Rev. Steve Wilde, First Presbyterian Church, Livermore, and Rev. Kathy La Point-Collup, Asbury United Methodist Church, Livermore.
Zoom host: Muslim Community Center, Pleasanton.
We are looking forward to meeting again and hope to see you on October 14!
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.”
For more information, contact Marcia at 925-321-0730,
Oct
14
Wednesday Evening: "Come and See"
Adult Faith Formation Zoom Session
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Adult Faith Formation Zoom Meeting
"COME AND SEE"
We welcome all who are interested in walking with Jesus
Wednesday Evenings at 7:00 PM
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.
"Come and See" sessions are provided for everyone who is interested, including the following:
"Come and See" sessions are provided for everyone who is interested, including the following:
- Catholics who feel their spiritual formation has stopped and are not sure how to get it growing again
- Non-Catholics who are curious about our faith
- The first step for those who wish to explore becoming Catholic
- Those Catholics who wish to complete the sacraments of Eucharist and/or Confirmation.
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”.
For more information, contact Daniel Goodman at gotfordtires@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Oct
15
Thursday Morning WINGS
9:45 am on Zoom
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Our theme: Faith, Hope, and Harmony
This Week's Special Guest
One of the outstanding portrait photographers of our time:
Michael Collopy
Michael has gained worldwide recognition for his commissioned portraits of hundreds of public figures. As a young adult, Michael connected with some of his most admired arsts to probe work in various creative media. Under the mentorship and encouragement of Ansel Adams and Richard Avedon, Michael was inspired to focus on Photography.
Michael has photographed the world’s greatest peacemakers. His 15-year photographic documentary “Works of Love are Works of Peace” profiled the work of Mother Theresa and her Missionaries of Charity. In 2008, Michael founded the Architects of Peace Foundation-to inspire personal transformation and social change through illuminating the lives of world peacemakers.
ZOOM Invitation:
Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, at 9:45 am
To Join Zoom Meeting, Click Below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89546109348?pwd=SkZ1aGZTKzZZRzdyNHZUNzF4SlpzZz09
Meeting ID: 895 4610 9348
Passcode: 094319
Meeting ID: 895 4610 9348
Passcode: 094319
Regular phones may dial:
+1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 895 4610 9348
Passcode: 094319
Passcode: 094319
WINGS, a faith enriching ministry for women of all ages and life stages meets Thursday mornings on Zoom. Enjoy engaging speaker presentations and small groups sharing with women in your faith community.
Questions? Contact:
Janet Schott 925-373-9346, or:
Cindy Kline 925-724-7636
"Heaven's Angels" to Ride Again!
Hello, Riders of St. Charles,
The Men of Faith ministry at St. Charles and the Heaven's Angels are excited to announce our next ride on Saturday morning, October 17th, 2020, when we will travel to San Gregorio on the Pacific coast.
We will meet at the church from 7:30 to 7:45 AM for a route overview, safety talk, and blessing of our bikes by Father Kwame. “Kickstands Up” will occur promptly at 8:00 AM.
We will take a halfway break near Stanford University for gas and coffee before heading towards the coast.
Please forward this invitation to others who might be interested.
If you have questions, please contact Sunil Assao at sunil.assao@gmail.com or 408.472.4938.
Oct
19
Monday Evening - WALKING WITH PURPOSE on Zoom
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Walking with Purpose
Bible Study Program
Opening Your Heart
by Lisa Brenninkmeyer
Monday Evenings, 7:00 to 9:00 PM
Questions? Contact:
Angela Layton
602-799-6648
wwpstcharleslivermore@gmail.com
Oct
19
Monday Evening - MEN OF FAITH on Zoom
7:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Are you going?
Yes
No
Maybe
going.
not going.
might be going.
Rediscover Jesus
Check-In ZOOM ENCOUNTER
Date: Monday, October 19, 2020
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Meeting ID: 846 1844 5457
Steve Campbell
(925) 858-3833
steveplants@gmail.com
ADULT BIBLE STUDY SESSIONS
TO RESUME ON ZOOM
ABS @ SCB
2020-21 Topic:
The Gospels: What Would Jesus Do?
START DATE:
Thursday, October 22, 2020, at 7:00 PM
START DATE:
Thursday, October 22, 2020, at 7:00 PM
Adult Bible Study at St. Charles Borromeo (ABS @ SCB) is one of the learning or faith formation programs for adult Christians, who have been fully initiated in the faith by receiving the three initial sacraments: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist.*
ABS @ SCB is designed to help us grow and advance in our knowledge of Christ who is presented in the biblical stories. Here, we learn to be in a mature relationship with Christ because we study biblical stories through interpretation and not in a fundamentalist or literal way.
Bible study beyond an elementary faith formation is a must, not an option, for every member of St. Charles for two reasons. First, our mission statement says: “Together we share faith in Jesus, live the gospel, and care for others”. Second, in the fourth century, the greatest Catholic biblical scholar Saint Jerome said: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Therefore, it is through Scripture or Bible study that we can effectively fulfill our mission and calling in the world.
Our topic for October 2020 through June 2021 is “The Gospels: What Would Jesus Do? We will study the essential stories following the footsteps of Jesus in the four gospels. We will begin with the promise of Jesus’ birth and end in June 2021 with his last words and ascension.
Please note that the best bible versions suitable for an adult bible study are: New Revised Standard Version (Revised Standard Version); New American Bible or the Catholic Study Bible.
* If you are an adult but have not yet completed your initiation, we invite you to call Carmela Chy in our Learning Office (925-447-4549 x115) to sign-up for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program.
NEW PASTORAL COUNCIL
Fr. Kwame has set up a facilitating team of three parishioners to plan a process by which our parish would choose new members to reconstitute Saint Charles Borromeo Pastoral Council.
The selection team includes Julie Gallagher, Tim Gomes, and Mary Fair. When the process is ready, the team will inform the parish and facilitate nominations.
We expect to have the new council installed by Christmas 2020. Please keep the team in your prayers that their work may yield dedicated parishioners to fill the shoes of our equally dedicated former pastoral councilors.
I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life!
My name is Tree and I began in Liturgical Ministry at the ripe old age of four years old when I first joined the Children’s Choir in my home parish. At 12, I joined our Liturgy Committee as the ‘junior representative’, and by 2008, when I started my first job as a member of a pastoral staff in the Diocese of Oakland, I had tried on just about every liturgical job and position you can volunteer to do. My last professional ministry position was as Director of Liturgy and Sacred Music at St. John Vianney in Walnut Creek.
While I had long been building towards this kind of position, nothing had given me the scope to date to breathe into the Mass the way my new position allowed. I loved my job and my people. When I stepped away two years ago, one of the saving graces was that I knew, if I had to leave, at least it was a sort of coming ‘home’.
Since 2015, I have on and off called St. Charles my spiritual home. I love the visual, social, musical, technical, and most of all Spiritual language and aesthetics of our parish. I am passionate and energized about the Church and get really excited by geeky little things that most people never notice about the Liturgy or our many languages of worship.
I am coming on to the staff at St. Charles at an odd moment. We are here, but not gathered. We are praying but from a distance. We are holding one another in prayer, but not in arms. My hope is that with the Holy Spirit’s Inspiration, Fr. Kwame, the Liturgy Team, and I can find new ways to gather, pray, and hold one another until we can meet as before.
But, until then, our scriptures from today are a wealth of inspiration to me. The truth of my life is that as a Cradle-Catholic and a Minister in the Church I have been so blessed to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. I have lived on the mountain, and while I will never say my life has been without tears or sorrow or pain, I know that this “place” that is the people of God has caught and wiped every tear I have cried. I have been invited to the Banquet and I have never been hungry or wanting at the table of the Lord. Anyone who has ever worked in ministry will tell you that you are blessed far more than you ever have the opportunity to bless others. We are filled simply by being here to serve you most days.
My job, now more than any other time before, is to help get us all into the Liturgy, even when we cannot be physically present. My job, now more than ever, is to help facilitate hope on the mountain, structure for the house, and food at the table. Our table is now a picnic blanket more often than a pew. Our structure is the sky, a cup of coffee, and a laptop more often lately. But we hope in the Lord and hold that hope for one another when the burden feels too heavy.
If you are struggling with hope, structures, or being fed in the Liturgy right now, I pray you’ll contact me and see how we can find ways for Christ in the Church to fill you, with the help and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Tree Gorman
925-447-4549 x117
If You Missed Sunday's Mass...
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Community
1315 Lomitas Ave.
Livermore, CA 94550
