St. Robert's Catholic Church Bulletin, March 21, 2004

St. Robert's Catholic Church

1380 Crystal Springs Road, San Bruno, CA 94066

Tel: (650) 589-2800

PARISH BULLETIN
March 21, 2004
Fourth Sunday of Lent

Dear Parishioners,

Remember when this Sunday used to be called "laetare" meaning "be joyful"? In the "olden days," when Lent was more penitential, we needed to know that we were more than halfway there, that we'd make it to Easter with our difficult practices of giving things up. These days, we might ask ourselves, "Am I ready to renew my commitment as a Catholic Christian?"

It might be helpful to take half an hour of quiet, at home or in church or in the park to look over your life since last Easter. Have you lost a loved one? Have you lost a job or changed jobs? Welcomed a baby or a frail parent into your home? Made some new friends? Been diagnosed with a serious illness? Returned to church or begun to pray more? Imagine all the experiences which you've had since last year! Has it been a good year? A difficult year? How have these experiences changed you? If we believe that God speaks to us through our experiences, what might God be saying to you through yours?

Most of us don't like change, yet it is a part of life. I've had a couple of changes imposed on me and yet, looking back, I realized that they were necessary and growth-producing. I wouldn't have chosen them, but God knew that I needed them.

Can you see God's hand at work in the events of your personal history? Sometimes, as in the case of Jesus' curing the man born blind, God's power works quickly and dramatically. Other times, his Spirit changes us slowly. When I renew my commitment at Easter, I'm promising to be open to the Spirit in whatever way the Spirit chooses to work in me. May the Spirit keep changing us these coming weeks and always!

Peace,
Sr. Sheral

CHILDREN'S LITURGY

Children's Liturgy will be holding Good Friday services for children 4 years and older. Doors will open in the auditorium at 1:15 p.m. We ask that you pick up your child immediately after the church services end. If you would like to pre-register your child, kindly call 589-2000 and leave your name, your child's name, age and phone number. Drop-ins at the door will be accepted.

Monday - March 22 Readings: Is 65:17-21 Jn 4:43-54
Mass Intention	6:30 8:30	Mary Stapleton † Maria Flores †
7th Gr. Cheerleaders Passion Play Rehearsal Harms Way Grownups	1:30p 7:00p 7:00p 7:30p	Hall Church Hall Library
Tuesday - March 23 Readings: Ez 47:1-9,12 Jn 5:1-16
Mass Intention	6:30 8:30	Special Intention/ In Thanksgiving Jean M. Gonnella †
Lenten Small Group Religious Education Legion of Mary Religious Education Choir Lenten Small Group Teens	9:15a 3:30p 6:30p 7:00p 7:00p 7:00p 8:00p	Mary's Chapel Hall/Church Library Church Hall Convent Chapel Hall
Wednesday - March 24 Readings: Is 49:8-15 Jn 5:17-30
Mass Intention	6:30 8:30	Walter Moniz † Giuseppe Marrali †
Grownups Religious Education Choir Practice Bible Study Lectors	3:00p 6:30p 7:00p 7:30p 7:30p	Hall 6th Gr. Classroom Church Convent Chapel Church
Thursday - March 25 Readings: Is 7:10-14,8:10 Heb 10:4-10
Mass Intention	6:30 8:30	Michael Mahoney † Frances Friedman †
Religious Education RCIA Religious Education Passion Play Rehearsal School Board Meeting	3:30p 7:00p 7:00p 7:00p 7:30p	Hall/Church Convent Chapel Church Hall Mahoney Room
Friday - March 26 Readings: Wis 2:1a,12-22 Jn 7:1-2,10,25-30
Mass Intention	6:30 8:30	Thomas Hekle † Roman Echeviria †
8th Gr. Cheerleader Stations of the Cross Lenten Soup Supper	3:00p 6:00p 6:30p	Hall Church Hall
Saturday - March 27 Readings: Jer 11:18-20 Jn 7:40-53
Mass Intention	8:30 4:30	Rose Hollenbeck † Bill Wilson †
Sunday - March 28 Readings: Ez 37:12-14 Rom 8:8-11 Jn 11:3-7,17,20-27,33b-45
Mass Intention	7:30 9:30 11:30 5:00	Irene Mocelin † James Linehan † People of St. Robert's Ceillie & Jack O'Shaughnessy †
Fil/Am Choir Practice Passion Play Rehearsal	10:00a 7:00p	Library Churcb

As a Parish Community, We Pray...the people of God...may Jesus open our eyes that we might see our sins and be truly sorry for them...may the light of Christ shine through us to all the world.

WE CONGRATULATE THE NEWLY BAPTIZED

Frankie Louis Pellegrini,
Jeremy Alexander Craib,
Dennis Douglas Revelo &
Briauna Patricia Adan

SICK RELATIVES AND FRIENDS

We pray for the ill: Sharon Aiello, Gloria Alchera, Marilyn Arancibia, Gabrielle Ausiello, Brady Avery, Robert Bacci, Genaro Badiable, Lito Badiable, Marcia Bourne, Ann Burns, Maricris Candelaria, Arthur Candia, Carmen Capella, Josie Clarke, Nan Connolly, Ana Cosgaya, Walton & June Dickhoff, William & Sandra Dill, Carl Edwards, Joyce Flax, Adela Florez, Henry Fosson, Jesse Grube, Denise Hawald, Dominique Hauscarriague,Jr, Viko Ivancich, Joanne Johnson, Koret Koelman, Muriel Krause, Sisilia Langi, Shirley Latham, Josephine Lavoie, Austin Lehman, Marky, Michael Martinez, Kathryn McCann, Daniel McHale, Rosemary McHale, Terry McLeod, Josie Mercado, Thomas O'Brien, Lara Pinten, Jason Pimentel, James Piazza, Bill Reilly, Mary Shick, Pauline Speranza, Ron Stern, Justo Tan, Mafi Tukumoatu, Gene VanSlett, Kristi Varni, Don Vickery, Diana Walter, Jennifer Westbrook & Frank Wright.

Dear Parishioners,
Please notify the priesthouse (589-2800) if a loved one is either sick or in the hospital and would like to be visited.
-The Parish Priests and Staff

Our sincere sympathy to the families of
Vincenzo Noe and
Margaret Lucchesi
who died recently.

YOUR EMERGENCY PRAYER NETWORK IS HERE

The "Emergency Prayer Network" will pray for your specific intentions whenever some crisis arises in your life. If you call, our group will pray fervently for three days for you and your special intention. Call Michele Pipinich. Let us know how things turn out so that we can praise God for His faithfulness.

by Sister Sheral

"I've always had trouble understanding why God the Father would have Jesus die for us," a member of our Lenten scripture group asked. We're dealing with a great mystery, of course, so no explanation adequately explain our salvation through Jesus' death. Most of us were reared with the idea that since God was an infinite being, offended by Adam and Eve's sin (and our own), it required an infinite being (Jesus) to pay the price for our offence before God's sense of justice could be satisfied. Many of the writings of St. Paul present this view of salvation, referring to sin as a debt to be paid.

Medieval Friar John Duns Scotus and the Franciscan school of thought present another view of salvation. What if Jesus would have come anyway, even if our parents hadn't sinned? What if Jesus came to show God's love for us, regardless? What if he came to show us how to live and that, ultimately, if one loves, one lays down his/her life for those we love? When we care for a sick friend, when we give way beyond, when it hurts for our children or our parents, when we do the right thing at work or at school or in our neighborhood, we are laying down our lives a little. Jesus puts no limits on his love, he loves us to the end, even forgiving those who cause his death. When we suffer emotionally or physically, we can unite our sufferings with those of Jesus because he's been there. There's nothing we are asked to endure which he hasn't already experienced. If we reflect upon his life, death and resurrection, it might sink into our bones how very much we are loved as we are, right now, not at some far-off future time.

The Church Is Open
St. Robert's is open from before the 6:30 am Mass until 5pm. As you're going from work or school or are on your way to the park, why not come in and thank the Lord for the gift of life and the beauty of these days? God's peace will refresh you.

CONSOLATION MINISTRY
(Grief Support Group)

This month's Grief Support Group will take place on March 27th at 3:00 p.m. (before the 4:30 p.m. Mass) in the Convent Chapel. Anyone who is suffering from the loss of a loved one-spouse, sibling, child, relative, or friend is invited to come and pray, share, comfort or be comforted. This month we will pray especially for Widowers who are struggling to cope with the loss of their spouse.

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted".

For more information: Call Sister Patricia 589-0104.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

March 28th after the 11:30 a.m. Mass

STATIONS OF THE CROSS AND LENTEN SUPPERS

On each Friday during Lent (except for Good Friday), Stations will be held in the Church at 6:00 p.m. A light Lenten Supper will follow in Hennessy Hall. This is an opportunity for us to pray together and for members of our Parish family to get to know one another. Please put in the basket in the hall what you would have spent on your usual Friday dinner. Your donation will allow our St. Vincent de Paul Society to feed our sisters and brothers who are in need.

Together we will celebrate the three Lenten practices:

PRAYER
Stations of the Cross

FASTING AND Abstinence
A light meal following Stations

ALMSGIVING
A donation to St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Friday, March 26th
6:00 p.m. Stations
presented by RCIA

6:30 p.m.Supper
prepared by RCIA, Children's Liturgy & Teen Club

Bring your family and friends.

GOOD FRIDAY WALK
April 9th

Join the members of 6:30 a.m. daily Mass on their 11th annual silent walk up to the top of Junipero Serra Park in San Bruno (weather permitting). Meet at 6:30 a.m. sharp in the south parking lot of St. Robert's. Wear layered clothing and sturdy shoes. All ages are welcome. Our approximate time of return to the parking lot is 8:30 a.m. Hope you can join us for this beautiful walk.

MEMORIAL EASTER FLOWERS

Easter flowers will decorate the Church during the Easter Season. If you would care to make a donation of $10 towards their purchase in memory of a loved one, please fill out the form below and return it to the Parish Office by April 3rd. A memorial list will be published in the bulletin. Please make check payable to St. Robert's, Easter Flower Fund.

My gift in memory of:______________________

My gift in honor of:________________________

Given by:________________________________

"THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST"

The Office of Religious Education of the Archdiocese recently provided helpful comments about this movie.

1. Why the "R" rating?
This movie is rated "R" because of the violence. Death on the cross was violent and a brutal form of execution. The whipping, the crowning with thorns and the struggle to carry the cross are portrayed with an eye toward the viciously realistic.

Elementary students should not be encouraged to see this film. Parents and teachers need to be cautious about how we are introducing Jesus to them. The last thing we would want is for our children to be traumatized by watching a man who is beaten beyond recognition with leather straps that have bone and glass on them, and then nailed to a cross and finally dies by drowning on fluid from his lungs. Parents should be encouraged to see this film prior to making a decision to take their child.

2. Is this film anti-Semitic?
While early reviews seemed to a reach a general consensus that the film itself was not anti-Semitic some reviewers feared that the film retains a real potential for undermining the repudiation of classical Christian anti-Semitism by the church in the last 40 years. It must be emphasized that the main storyline presented Jesus as having been relentlessly pursued an evil cabal of Jews headed by the high priest Caiphas who finally blackmailed a weak-kneed Pilate into putting Jesus to death. This is precisely the storyline that fueled centuries of anti-Semitism within Christian societies. This is also a storyline rejected by the Catholic church at Vatican II. And modern biblical and historical scholarship has generally emphasized that Pilate was a horrible and powerful tyrant, eventually removed by Rome from his position because of his extreme brutality; a tyrant the occupied and politically powerless Jewish community was in no position to blackmail.

VELLA-DANKWERTH CULTURAL SCHOLARSHIP

The Maltese Cross Foundation is proud to announce its ninth annual Vella-Dankwerth Cultural Scholarship for students of Maltese descent in the San Francisco Bay Area. High school seniors, college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are eligible to apply. Completed applications are due by March 22, 2004. For more information please Jennifer Dankwerth-Stunk (650) 272-1356.

MARRIAGE IS A JOURNEY!!

A Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend can help you enrich your marriage and add some pizazz to your journey. Whether you've been married 1 year or 50, a Marriage Encounter Weekend may be just the thing you need to put a breath of fresh air into your relationship. Upcoming dates: April 16-18 in Burlingame. Call Dean and Calire Simonich at (650) 348-8957 or go to http://sanfrancisco.ca.wwme.org.

During Teen Room Office Hours, feel free to come to do homework, hang out, socialize, play a game or talk. I hope to see you at as many events as possible. Teen Room Office Hours are as follows:

Tuesday: 2:30 - 9:30 pm
Wednesday: 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Thursday: 2:30 - 4:30 pm

You can reach Juan our Teen Club director at 255-0791, or email him at JuanSantos@saintroberts.org or SRYouthminister@aol.com. Check out our link on the St. Roberts website www.saintroberts.org.

Thank you for your donation of $2,794.21 to our School, CCD & Confirmation programs.
Your generosity is greatly apprciated.

ARCHBISHOP'S ANNUAL APPEAL

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OUT OF HARMS WAY
Teaching Kids to be Safe and Strong

Monday, March 22nd at 7:00 p.m. in the Hall is our last scheduled opportunity of this school year. Please consider attending. A $10 donation is requested per family to cover expenses.

GROWNUP'S ANNUAL SOUP SUPPER
AND GENERAL MEETING

The Grownups's Annual Soup Supper and General Meeting will be held in Hennessy Hall on Wednesday, March 24th, at 6:00 pm. The supper will be followed by the meeting and we are pleased to have as our speaker Kevin Sweeney, a long time member of our parish. Kevin is noted for his book describing his life in San Bruno. Tickets may be purchased for $8.00 each after the 4:30 Mass on March 20th, and after the Sunday Masses on March 21st. Tickets also may be purchased by calling Dolores Johnson, Laverne Buller, Vera Hannon and Dolores Moynihan.

ST. ROBERT'S READERS

Robert's Readers next book is "The Accidental Pope" by Raymond Flynn and Robin Moore. It has been called "a globetrotting tale full of suspense, drama, and humor." There are several copies in the S.M. library system and is readily available on the used book sites.

Our next meeting is set for Tuesday, April 20th, 7:00 p.m. in the Convent Chapel. If you have any questions, please call Colleen Soracco, club moderator.

LEGION OF MARY

Praesidium Mater Ecclesiae
(Mother of the Church)

As a way of saying thanks, we cordially invite you to the Annual Function for Auxiliary Members, Saturday, April 3rd from 2-4p.m. in Hennessy Hall. For more information call Jo Yee or Manny Ortiz.

St. Robert's St. Vincent de Paul Chapter

NEEDS HELP

We will be giving out about 80 CANNED HAMS for Easter.
Please bring donations to the rectory before Friday, April 9th.