FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
Many of the words in our vocabulary name or imply the interconnectedness among us. Words such as family, coworkers, teammates, peer groups, partners, colleagues, associates come immediately to mind. Today’s Gospel raises a point of interconnectedness that we seldom consider—we are connected by our sinfulness! The story begins and concludes with the woman’s sin, but sandwiched in the middle, Jesus calls the people to consider their own sinfulness before condemning her. All of the characters in the story are transformed in and through their encounter with Jesus. The community’s condemnation would have led to the woman’s death. Instead, Jesus leads her and the community to new life. What begins with the exposition of an individual’s sin ends with the exposition of the sinfulness of all. What begins with a deadly accusation ends with divine mercy. What begins as a human testing of the divine ends with a divine invitation to repentance. Jesus calls all of us to that same repentance and experience of divine mercy. Jesus’ desire for us is not death, but new life.

PASSION / PALM SUNDAY
Reading I: Isaiah 50:4-7; Reading II:
Philippians 2:6-11; Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:56
The Passion narrative in Luke’s Gospel pulls together many of Jesus’ teachings. The Last Supper recalls meals Jesus shared with outcasts and sinners. Jesus uses this meal and the cross as the entry to the fullness of the heavenly banquet where we will eat again with him and with each other. On the way to Calvary, he continues to call the people to repent, to change their hearts. Jesus continues to reach out and forgive, even from the cross. He forgives his killers and offers salvation to the repentant thief. Jesus dies as he lives, the obedient and faithful servant of God. Because of this he is raised up in the kingdom. How could you be Christ-like in your daily persecutions? In what way do the people who make you unhappy affect your being a Christian? How do you see God or not see God in your trials and difficulties?

STEWARDSHIP: FAITH IN ACTION
March 21st $10,129.00
Universal Church Combined Appeal $1,354.00
Thank you for your continuing generosity!

Don’t forget to use your contribution envelopes.

PARISH CALENDAR
March 30 Lenten Small Church Communities
March 31 Taize Prayer Around the Cross, 6:30 PM
Adult Confirmation Process, 7:30 PM
April 2 Stations of the Cross, 12:00 Noon
April 6 Communal Sacrament of Reconciliation
Liturgy, 7:00 PM

ROSARY FOR PEACE
Saturday mornings after the 7:30 AM Mass.

TOGETHER IN MISSION ANNUAL APPEAL
While the Together in Mission Appeal has been going on over the past six weeks, Saint Barbara Parish has collected only 50% of its Parish goal of $60,807. We look to those who have not yet responded to this Appeal to kindly consider doing so today. Remember those 32 parishes and 46 schools in the Archdiocese that are in most need of your support. Together in Mission envelopes are located in the pews and at the back of the Church. Many thanks to those who have already responded with a donation or a pledge.

YOUTH MINISTRY AND CONFIRMATION
Confirmation
On Sunday, April 4th, meet in the hall at St. Raphael’s at 5:00 PM, followed by Mass, dinner, and classes until 9:15 PM.

Senior High Youth Ministry:
Meets Tuesday evenings from 7:15 – 9:00 PM in the St. Raphael Parish Center. All high school age youth are welcome. Come join us!

Junior High “Tobiah Club” Youth Ministry:
Our next meeting is Thursday, April 1st from 7:00-8:45 PM in the St. Raphael Parish Center.

GET ON THE BUS, A MOTHER’S DAY EVENT
Help bring children to see their mothers at the State Prisons for Women in Chowcilla and the Ventura Youth School for Girls with Get on the Bus on Friday May 7th. Please call Catherine Conneally-Salazar, Catholic Chaplain, Ventura School for Girls at (805) 278-3746 for more information.

ADVERTISING IN THE PARISH BULLETIN
The St. Barbara Parish bulletin you are reading is changing publishers and will be increasing from 4 to 8 pages in May. Advertisers are still needed for the new bulletin which will have two pages of ads. Ads in the new bulletin will be both larger and less expensive! Please contact Allen Corn at Mission Fundraising and Publishing, (888) 253-4358, for more information.

THE SACRED THREE DAYS: THE TRIDUUM
Holy Week at Old Mission Santa Barbara

Holy Thursday, April 8th
7:30 AM Morning Prayer
7:00 PM Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Good Friday, April 9th
7:30 AM Morning Prayer
12:00 Noon Outdoor Stations of the Cross
3:00 PM Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion
The Church will remain open for veneration until 8:00 PM
Holy Saturday
7:30 AM Morning Prayer
8:00 PM Glorious Easter Vigil (Choir and Brass)
Easter Sunday Masses of the Lord’s Resurrection
7:30 AM (Cantor)
9:00 AM (Choir and Brass)
10:30 AM (Choir and Brass)
12:00 Noon (Schola)
With a Special Children’s Liturgy of the Word
and an Easter Egg Hunt following Mass

ATTENTION LECTORS AND EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS
Please disregard the scheduling for the weekend of Easter Sunday, April 10-11, that was inadvertently included in the first copies of the new ministry schedule. As in the past, Eucharistic Ministers are invited to sign up for Easter and Holy Week in the sacristy, and lectors will be notified by mail. Thanks for bearing with us!

LILIES FOR THE CHURCH
Everyone is invited to donate Easter lilies or Boston ferns in the name of a loved one, living or deceased, which will be used to decorate the church and the Serra Chapel during the Easter season. Please bring the plants to the Parish Office by noon on Friday, April 9th. Thank you for your generosity!

BREAD FOR THE WORLD ACTION ALERT
Hunger and poverty are on the rise in the United States: nearly 35 million people live in families that struggle to put food on the table, an increase of l.3 million in the last year. Please contact Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein and Representative Lois Capps via the Capitol switchboard - (202)224-3121 - and ask them, as they develop the budget for 2005, to work to maintain and strengthen the nutrition programs that low-income people rely on: food stamps, the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program (WIC), school lunches and breakfasts and summer programs.

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
On Saturday, April 17th, at 2:00 PM, two youth, Neils Thorlaksson and Greg LaPaglia, and four adults, Gina Zondorak, Chad McClintock, Gary DeSantis, and Etienne Terlinden, from St. Barbara Parish will be Confirmed at St. Raphael Church. Please pray for these Confirmandi that they may always remain in Christ and be guided by the Holy Spirit.

HELP PREPARE THE CHURCH FOR EASTER
Join with us in a special labor of love! Many volunteers are needed on Holy Saturday morning to transform the Church for the most glorious solemnity of Easter. Please call Carol Parkus, 569-5639.

ROOM FOR ONE MORE WOMAN TO JOIN THE PILGRIMAGE
WITH FATHER VINCE AND FATHER DANIEL
A woman from Fr. Vince’s parish in Phoenix who would love to go on the pilgrimage needs a roommate. If you can manage to get away from April 27th through May 11th, please contact Bernice Anfuso at 569-7005.

CALLING ALL STUFFERS!
This Wednesday, from 2:30-4:30 PM in the Parish Social Rooms, we will be folding, stuffing and sealing into envelopes the Easter letter going to all registered parishioners of St. Barbara Parish. Many thanks to Ruby Fedaleo who has already stamped and labeled all 1,050 envelopes for us!! Come lend a hand, and bring a friend. The more volunteers the faster to the finish!

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
“Come home. Please...just come home. Forget the transgressions and the mistakes you have made along the way. Let them go. Don’t let them separate us anymore. I want you home.” What parent, who deeply loves his or her child would not echo this sentiment of the prodigal father, who heartily welcomes the return of his wayward son? Jealousy and resentment lock up the older son, who has generously given so much to his father in daily fidelity. But the father sees the errant young man and simply goes to the heart of the issue: welcome home! We resonate with different characters of this story throughout our lives. In youth, we may understand the gambling young man who experiments with life and risks it all. Later on, after years of toil and sweat, we identify more with the older son, critical of the behavior of others. Finally, in our elder years we stand in the shoes of a seasoned parent, who puts aside obstacles and merely wants loved ones close. God asks us to love always, regardless of circumstance. Our experience of God may go through similar transitions. Our images of God can become transformed gradually in our human encounters throughout life. Gradually, we discover the generosity of God, the hospitality of One who yearns for us to come home. This can affect the way we treat ourselves, too. Slowly, if we let it, the experience will bring us gradually to forgive ourselves for shortsightedness in our choices, of resistance to reconciliation, and of distance from God. What is important changes. We want to rest in the arms of our Father. This is what matters. All we desire is to be at home with God.

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
Reading I: Isaiah 43:16-21; Reading II:
Philippians 3:8-14; Gospel: John 8:1-11
The Gospel story of the woman caught in adultery shows Jesus’ concern for women put down and exploited. Those who accused the woman were using her to trap Jesus. If he says to let the woman go, he has no regard for the law that says she should be stoned to death. If he agrees that she should be stoned, he goes against his own gospel of compassion. Jesus says nothing; he stoops and scribbles in the sand. He says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” The crowd, understandably, drifts away. Jesus is left alone with the woman. He treats her as a real person, with respect. He refuses to condemn her. He tells her to go, but from now on, to avoid this sin. Imagine this scene happening in your life. Who are you in this picture? How is Jesus guiding you toward forgiveness and compassion? Recall a time when your mistakes were not held against you. What do you do to keep from judging others as less than yourself?


STEWARDSHIP: FAITH IN ACTION
March 14th $9,567.00
Thank you for your continuing generosity!

Don’t forget to use your contribution envelopes.


PARISH CALENDAR
March 21 Collection for the Universal Church
March 23 Lenten Small Church Communities March 24
Taize Prayer Around the Cross, 6:30 PM
Adult Confirmation Process, 7:30 PM
March 26 Stations of the Cross, 12:00 Noon
March 31 Memorial Mass for Frank Eckebrecht


ROSARY FOR PEACE
Saturday mornings after the 7:30 AM Mass.


STEWARDSHIP: TIME, TALENT & TREASURE
It seems to be true everywhere that when it comes to the work of volunteers, the work of few serves many. Two of the most thankless volunteer tasks for St. Barbara Parish are the stuffing of parish bulletins with fliers and the preparation of mass mailings. Help is needed with both. Please call Andrew in the parish office at 682-4151, or email stbabs@yahoo.com, if you can help out with the preparation of the Easter letter for mailing, or in the stuffing of bulletins as needed.


TOGETHER IN MISSION ANNUAL APPEAL
Together in Mission will provide financial support to the 32 parishes and 46 schools in most need within the Archdiocese this year. Many thanks to those who have already responded with donations or pledges. Our fundraising goal for this year’s appeal is $60,807 of which $27,316 has been collected. If you have not yet made a donation or pledge, please prayerfully consider doing so. Thank you for your generosity.


MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER RETREAT
Come experience a Marriage Encounter Weekend! The next weekend in Ventura County is April 23-25. Contact Amber and Felix Masci at (805) 581-1670.

LENT: THE HOLY SEASON OF RENEWAL “Each year, you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery with mind and heart renewed. You give us a spirit of loving reverence for you, our God, and of willing service to our neighbor.”
(From The Lenten Preface)

FAITH SHARING GROUPS Tuesday mornings from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM, and evenings from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. The six-week Lenten Small Church Community reflections on the Sunday Readings invite us to grow in our ability to see ourselves, one another, and our world through the eyes of God. Call the Parish Office if you are interested in participating.

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS prayed each Friday during Lent at 12:00 noon, beginning February 27th. Join us as we recall and meditate on Jesus’ journey from his condemnation to his burial in the tomb.
TAIZE PRAYER AROUND THE CROSS: Join us on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for Taize. This type of contemplative prayer and song leads us to God in and through the image of Christ crucified.

GET ON THE BUS, A MOTHER’S DAY EVENT
Help bring children to see their mothers at the State Prisons for Women in Chowcilla and the Ventura Youth School for Girls with Get on the Bus on Friday May 7th. We are looking for people who will sponsor a family or who can help with the hospitality committee, gathering medium sized Teddy Bears to be given to the children on the way home, donating $ for lunches for the bus trip home, donating $10.00 for the fee to get a birth certificate for a child who needs one, putting together bags with things to entertain the children on the bus, and/or donating funds for the rental of the buses. If you wish to send a check, please make it out to: Get on the Bus, 3424 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010. For more information call: Catherine Conneally-Salazar, Catholic Chaplain, Ventura School for Girls at (805) 278-3746.


COLLECTION FOR THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
One human family caring for those in need.
In more than 80 countries worldwide, Catholic Relief Services focuses on improving the lives of those in need by working with local communities and partners overseas in agriculture, community health, HIV/AIDS projects, Education, Emergency Response, Peace Building, and Microfinance (Village Banking). Please give generously to today’s collection for the Universal Church and American Bishops Overseas.


ORGAN RECITAL
St. Barbara Parish’s Music Director, Dr. Keith Paulson-Thorp, will present a lunch-hour organ recital on the recently enlarged and refurbished pipe organ at First United Methodist Church (Anapamu and Garden Street in Santa Barbara), on Wednesday, March 24th. The forty minute program begins at 12:15 PM. The recital is free, and the public is cordially invited.


ATTENTION YOUNG ADULTS
Bridge Building of Santa Barbara, a spirituality program for young adults, invites you to think about “The Passion” and the Death Penalty and then come to a presentation by Deacon Jim and Mary Ellen Farley on Monday, March 22 at Bishop Diego Center at 7:00 PM. The last chance to gather for Lenten “Soup at Six” at Bishop Diego Center will be Friday, Match 26. RSVP to (805) 682-1508, or email dugancsj@aol.com.


ADVERTISING IN THE PARISH BULLETIN
The St. Barbara Parish bulletin you are reading is changing publishers and will be increasing from 4 to 8 pages in May. Advertisers are still needed for the new bulletin which will have two pages of ads. Ads in the new bulletin will be both larger and less expensive! Please contact Allen Corn at Mission Fundraising and Publishing, (888) 253-4358, for more information.

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
We presume great generosity and forgiveness of God with regard to our weakness and ignorance, but, in turn, what should God be able to presume from us? Does God’s generosity of heart require something from us? Perhaps the most challenging aspect of today’s parable is the demand placed upon us that we repent and bring about change. Our fruitfulness must be displayed, first of all, in repentance that reflects a personal commitment to turn our faces toward God. God’s desire for us is a personal engagement in relationship with God, but the fruitfulness does not remain strictly on the personal level. This change of heart must display itself in the ways we live out our daily lives. How does a renewed relationship with God manifest itself in our relationships with family and those closest to us? Will it be reflected in a new awareness of our Christian call to work for a more just society? In time, we will be called to account for our gifts and the contributions we made toward making the world a better place, one that is more humane and just.


FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
Reading I: Joshua 5:9, 10-12; Reading II:
2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
The parable of the prodigal son is one of the best known of all the stories Jesus told. The parable is about divine mercy and the desire “to return to the father.” Luke has in mind tax collectors and sinners who were “drawing near” to Jesus. The group of Pharisees and scribes, represented by the elder son, only complain and criticize. According to the way they see it, they have served God and obeyed the Law. They don’t understand how sinners can also be sons and daughters of God. For Luke, the religious leaders who keep all the rules and think they can earn salvation by their own efforts are farther away from God than the sinners. Was there a time when you were away from God? How did you find your way back? What brought you back? How did you feel? How do you handle resentment in your own life experience? What words of advice to deal with resentment could you offer the older brother? The father shows loving patience. Speak of an experience from your life when you had to wait patiently. How did that make you feel? Describe a situation in your life when you found it difficult to ask for forgiveness. Who would you have a difficult time letting back into the Church or the family? Why?


STEWARDSHIP: FAITH IN ACTION
March 7th $11,743.00
Thank you for your continuing generosity!

Don’t forget to use your contribution envelopes.
If you are not receiving envelopes, call 682-4151.


PARISH CALENDAR
March 13-14 Catholic Charities Food Drive
March 16 Lenten Small Church Communities
March 17 St. Patrick’s Day Mass and Dinner
March 19 Stations of the Cross, 12:00 Noon
March 31 Memorial Mass for Frank Eckebrecht


ROSARY FOR PEACE
Saturday mornings after the 7:30 AM Mass.


ALWAYS OUR CHILDREN!
Parents and families of gay and lesbian Catholics are invited to a support group meeting Thursday, March 25th, at 7:30 PM in Santa Barbara. These meetings are informal and confidential. For more information and/or directions, call Kathie and Joe at 687-4338.


TOGETHER IN MISSION ANNUAL APPEAL
Together in Mission will provide financial support to the 32 parishes and 46 schools in most need within the Archdiocese this year. Many thanks to those who have already responded with donations or pledges. Our fundraising goal for this year’s appeal is $60,807 of which $24,604 has been collected. If you have not yet made a donation or pledge, please prayerfully consider doing so. Thank you for your generosity.

THE SEASON OF LENT
“Each year, you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery with mind and heart renewed. You give us a spirit of loving reverence for you, our God, and of willing service to our neighbor.” (From The Lenten Preface)

FAITH SHARING GROUPS Tuesday mornings from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM, and evenings from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. The six-week Lenten Small Church Community reflections on the Sunday Readings invite us to grow in our ability to see ourselves, one another, and our world through the eyes of God. Call the Parish Office if you are interested in participating.

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS prayed each Friday during Lent at 12:00 noon, beginning February 27th. Join us as we recall and meditate on Jesus’ journey from his condemnation to his burial in the tomb.

TAIZE PRAYER AROUND THE CROSS: Join us on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for Taize. This type of contemplative prayer and song leads us to God in and through the image of Christ crucified.


CATHOLIC CHARITIES FOOD DRIVE
Help support Catholic Charities food bank! Catholic Charities will be outside after Mass today to accept your donations to their food pantry. Thank you for giving generously.


DEAR PARISHIONERS
Those of us who attended Fr. Richard’s Masses last weekend were treated to an explanation and a delightful demonstration of the bow of the body (a bow from the waist) and the bow of the head (a bow of the head and shoulders) that we use at liturgy. As you recall, we are working toward all of us incorporating the bows called for in the new General Instructions for the Roman Missal (GIRM) into our celebration of the Mass. Bowing is an outward sign of our internal disposition of reverence and awe in the sight of God; bowing is a humble acknowledgement of our dependent creature/creator relationship with God; and, bowing orients our whole selves toward the mystery of Christ’s real presence among us. We bow from the waist upon entering the church or our pew. We bow from the waist again during the Creed at the words, “…by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became [hu]man.” At communion, we make a bow of the head before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. It works well if you wait to bow until the minister says “The Body of Christ,” or “The Blood of Christ.” Also, if you are unable to receive either the Body or the Blood of Christ, please bow from the head as you pass by.
This Wednesday is our celebration of the Feast of St. Patrick! We begin with a beautiful Mass at 5:30 PM in the church. An Irish dinner at Serra Hall will follow the Mass. We ask for a donation of $5.00 at the door. Some good news: in keeping with our long-standing Catholic Tradition of the Communion of Saints, we are planning to have a St. Joseph’s Table filled with baked goods for you to purchase, with the proceeds going to the poor. Some bad news: you will be the bakers! Some more good news: we will have Irish Soda Bread with our dinner and available for purchase. Some more bad news: you will be the bakers! Seriously, we truly need your help. We would love to have all of our Irish friends and friends of the Irish bring soda bread to share. We also hope that everyone will bring something to add to the St. Joseph’s Table. Thanks for your help. By the way, don’t forget to wear green!

Irish blessings!
Love, Pat


BEREAVEMENT MINISTRY
Over many months, the Pastoral Council has been looking into establishing a bereavement ministry in partial fulfillment of our stated parish objective to establish a “Service in Time of Need” ministry. We now come to you to ask those of you who feel called to this ministry to step forward. We are in need of an overall coordinator(s) and volunteers willing to make pastoral visits to those grieving the loss of a loved one. Please call the Parish Office if you are interested.


ANNUAL FOURTH OF JULY ART FESTIVAL
You may think it’s a little early to be worrying about the Fourth of July Arts and Crafts Festival, but it’s really not! Our wonderful parishioners, John and Amy Greening, who coordinated the food booth for several years, have moved back to Wisconsin. So, this is where you come in…we know you are out there somewhere. If you have ever given even the slightest thought to coordinating the food booth, or even if you have never thought about it before, we need you! The show can’t go on without you. Please call the Parish Office to volunteer your time and talent ASAP. Thanks a million!


GET ON THE BUS, A MOTHER’S DAY EVENT
Most incarcerated women never see their children. Help bring children to see their mothers at the State Prisons for Women in Chowcilla and the Ventura Youth School for Girls with Get on the Bus on Friday May 7th. We are looking for people who will sponsor a family or who can help with the hospitality committee, gathering medium sized Teddy Bears to be given to the children on the way home, donating $ for lunches for the bus trip home, donating $10.00 for the fee to get a birth certificate for a child who needs one, putting together bags with things to entertain the children on the bus, and/or donating funds for the rental of the buses. If you wish to send a check, please make it out to: Get on the Bus, 3424 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010. For more information call: Catherine Conneally-Salazar, Catholic Chaplain, Ventura School for Girls at (805) 278-3746.


KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS SCHOLARSHIPS
The Knights of Columbus, Council 1684, will award four scholarships of $2,000 each to Bishop Garcia Diego High School students, and one scholarship of $1,250 each for Notre Dame School and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School students for the 2004-2005 academic year. Applications are available at the school offices. The completed application should be turned in to the school faculty no later than March 26th. Winners will be invited to the annual Scholarship Awards Dinner at Serra Hall on May 26th.

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
The Transfiguration is an incredible blessing, filling Jesus with the support, grace, and inspiration he needed to walk those difficult final days. Jesus is affirmed by the great figures of his tradition, who represent the law and the prophets. Even though he will be rejected by the representatives in his day of religious and civil law and the prophetic tradition, he is held up by the wisdom figures of ancient times. This illumination will have to carry him through the dark days of confusion, insecurity, and terror that will begin as soon as he comes down from the mountain. Each of us needs touchstones or graced memories to return to when we face the crosses in our journey. These “God-moments” may be more subtle than a transfiguration on a mountaintop, but their impact can help sustain us if we recognize them. These touchstone events may be recalled when we reflect on the ways in which we have been inspired at other times of trial. Personal “transfigurations” may reveal themselves when we begin to share our story of struggle and faith. What has sustained us in trial can continue to do so if we allow ourselves to savor them later on! God’s revelation continues in each re-visitation of gratitude and marvel.


WELCOME TO ST. BARBARA PARISH!
In imitation of Jesus Christ, we welcome all people to worship and celebrate God’s all-inclusive love with us. Whoever you are, wherever you are in your life, we thank you for choosing to be here with us today.


THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
Reading I: Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15; Reading II:
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Gospel: Luke 13:1-9
The fig tree in the parable in today’s Gospel represents Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the center of God’s chosen people. He loved and cared, cultivated and fertilized. It is time for Jerusalem to bear fruit, but Jerusalem failed. The coming of Jesus as the “sign” of God’s love for people can be seen as an extra time of grace given to Jerusalem. But by the time the Gospel was written, Luke’s audience would know that Jerusalem had been destroyed. The parable carries a caution for us: Unless we reform, we too will perish, just as Jerusalem did. Tell how God’s calling caused you to look inward and make positive change in your life. You have been asked to speak to a group of teenagers. What experience would you share about how you examine your relationship with God, spouse, friends, colleagues, etc.? Throughout our lives, we are faced with situations like the man with the fig tree. When were you recently faced with a challenging situation that required your patience and nurturing? How did your faith see you through? What are some “fruits” you need to cultivate more carefully in your life? What is keeping you from being productive?


STEWARDSHIP: FAITH IN ACTION

February 29th $11,383.00
Thank you for your continuing generosity!

Don’t forget to use your contribution envelopes.
If you are not receiving envelopes, call 682-4151.


PARISH CALENDAR
March 7 Rite of Sending, 10:30 AM Mass
March 9 Lenten Small Church Communities
March 10 Taize Prayer Around the Cross, 6:30 PM
Adult Confirmation Process, 7:30 PM
March 12 Stations of the Cross, 12:00 Noon
March 13 First Reconciliation, 10:00 AM
March 13-14 Catholic Charities Food Drive
March 17 St. Patrick’s Day Mass and Dinner


ROSARY FOR PEACE
Saturday mornings after the 7:30 AM Mass.


LENT: THE HOLY SEASON OF RENEWAL“Each year, you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery with mind and heart renewed. You give us a spirit of loving reverence for you, our God, and of willing service to our neighbor.” (From The Lenten Preface)

FAITH SHARING GROUPS Tuesday mornings from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM, and evenings from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. The six-week Lenten Small Church Community reflections on the Sunday Readings invite us to grow in our ability to see ourselves, one another, and our world through the eyes of God. Call the Parish Office if you are interested in participating.

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS will be prayed each Friday during Lent at 12:00 noon, beginning February 27th. Join us as we recall and meditate on Jesus’ journey from his condemnation to his burial in the tomb.

TAIZE PRAYER AROUND THE CROSS: Join us on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel for Taize. This type of contemplative prayer and song leads us to God in and through the image of Christ crucified.

FAST AND ABSTINENCE: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of Fast and Abstinence. All Catholics 14 years and older abstain from meat and eat sacrificially on those days. Each Friday during Lent is a day of abstinence on which Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are asked to eat sacrificially.

COMMUNITY KITCHEN DONATION BOXES are available in the church today. Community Kitchen is a non-profit organization that exists solely to feed the hungry and homeless of Santa Barbara. Every year, more than 350 volunteers serve over 110,000 hot, nutritious meals. Try the “Community Kitchen Diet:” fill your donation box with the money you save by cutting down and simplifying your meals during Lent.

TOGETHER IN MISSION, the annual appeal to help support the poorest parishes and schools in the Archdiocese needs your support (envelopes in the pews).


CATHOLIC CHARITIES FOOD DRIVE
Help support Catholic Charities food bank! Catholic Charities will be here after the Masses next weekend, March 13-14th. Any and all non-perishable food items you can donate will be greatly appreciated. Please plan to give generously.


DEAR PARISHIONERS
At the 10:30 AM masses during Lent we will celebrate particular rites from the Rite of Christian Initiation. And so, at the 10:30 AM masses on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays, the readings will be from the A cycle of readings, while at the other masses the readings will continue in the C cycle. More noticeable is that the Church chooses to celebrate Initiation in several steps leading up to the Easter Vigil. We have become so used to having everything in one package, except batteries sometimes, that total packaging has become something of a value for us, so much so that the idea of “stages” or “steps” always implies imperfection or immaturity. I’m sorry 'bout that. Jesus does ask you to take up our cross daily. Just as Easter is a constant process in our lives, so is conversion. Our ritual and our liturgy often separates moments (Easter and Pentecost for example) so that we can experience and savor the flavor of God’s relationship with us. It’s rather like sampling food. It’s not always helpful to make a stew of everything. So relax and enjoy the many flavors of our Lenten repentance and keep the adults and children who are preparing for the Easter Sacraments in your prayers.
Regarding the movie…. Because of all the brouhaha I felt compelled to see “The Passion,” and probably with a more critical eye than I would have normally had. Some moments were very moving, for example as Mary watches Jesus fall under the cross there is a flash back to Mary seeing him trip and fall as a child. So there may be some useful images for your own meditation on the meaning of Jesus’ passion. If you see the movie you will certainly come away with a real sense of horror at Jesus’ suffering, “graphic” doesn’t begin to describe it. I felt a sense of the terrible evil and suffering that a leader (symbolized by Caiphas) can work with a “crowd” when reason and due process are dismissed.
-Fr. Richard


BEREAVEMENT MINISTRY
Over many months, the Pastoral Council has been looking into establishing a bereavement ministry in partial fulfillment of our stated parish objective to establish a “Service in Time of Need” ministry. We now come to you to ask those of you who feel called to this ministry to step forward. We are in need of an overall coordinator(s) and volunteers willing to make pastoral visits to those grieving the loss of a loved one. Please call the Parish Office if you are interested.


ANNUAL FOURTH OF JULY ART FESTIVAL
You may think it’s a little early to be worrying about the Fourth of July Arts and Crafts Festival, but it’s really not! Our wonderful parishioners, John and Amy Greening, who coordinated the food booth for several years, have moved back to Wisconsin. So, this is where you come in…we know you are out there somewhere. If you have ever given even the slightest thought to coordinating the food booth, or even if you have never thought about it before, we need you! The show can’t go on without you. Please call the Parish Office to volunteer your time and talent ASAP. Thanks a million!


CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORDWe will not have a separate Children’s Liturgy of the Word on March 7th, 14th, 21st, or 28th so that the religious education families can support our children Alex, Anjuli and Tara in the Rites of Christian Initiation.


RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
At the 10:30 AM Mass our three catechumens, Alex Das, Anjuli Das and Tara Pedersen, will be sent forth from our community to the area-wide Rite of Election in Ventura. Bishop Curry will receive them as the “elect” in the name of Christ Jesus, and call them to the Easter sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist. Our candidate, Matt Mason, who is already one with us in baptism, will also be received in preparation for the sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist. On the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent, the “elect” will partake in the Rites of Scrutiny at which they pray that their hearts will be open to receive the gifts of the Savior. It is our responsibility and privilege, as their community of faith, to pray for these individuals and support them on their journey. You are invited to pick up a picture prayer card at the back of the church and pray for that person during Lent.