 On Saturday, October 15, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles presented Mrs. Catherine Shadduck with the Excellence in Catechetical Service Award for the Santa Barbara Region. Rev. Leon Hutton, Episcopal Vicar for the Santa Barbara Region and Pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Church, presented the award. This award recognizes catechists in the various deaneries who have served their parishes with marked excellence, dedication, and passion for their ministry. Individuals whose service and teaching have left an indelible imprint on the spiritual life of the religious education program and parish at large. One of my favorite moments was to see the excitement of the children and their families greeting her on Sundays during their dismissal sessions. More than just teaching about the faith, she has the unique gift to make others feel welcomed and be met where they are in their faith journey — patiently encouraging and accompanying them, helping them receive their sacraments, and come into full communion with the Catholic Church — encouraging families to become involved in parish life and ministries. She is a fountain of information and is always willing to share her knowledge with all of us. We are all so proud of Catherine, who is so deserving of this award in recognition of over 28 years of her service in Catechetical Ministries. During her time at Padre Serra, she has held many positions within the religious education program; Children’s Catechist, First Communion Coordinator, and Director of Religious Education. She recently retired as the Coordinator of Initiation for Children and Adults and the Adult Confirmation Coordinator. In this capacity, she directed the processes through which school-age children, teens, and adults are baptized, adults become Catholic, and adults receive Confirmation. This work has given her much happiness and fulfillment. Catherine plans to continue to be actively involved in the parish; she asks the Holy Spirit to direct her where she can best serve the Body of Christ. Our motto at Padre Serra is “Encounter Jesus, Be Disciples.” I truly believe she embodies it, and it is evident in the fruit of her labor. Those of us who have had the honor to be mentored and ministered alongside her have seen her in action. Seeing her joy and tirelessly giving her time and talent. It is inspiring to witness the connections she has made with those who have come through the Initiation and Adult Confirmation programs.  Congratulations Catherine! May God continue to pour out his blessings on you. Siempre Adelante,
Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister My journey to serving in Catholic schools began 35 years ago under the watchful eye of my first- grade teacher. Miss Vera Flynn – all five feet and five inches of her with fiery red hair and Irish brogue – she taught forty-two six-year-olds how to read, write, and do arithmetic, but much more than that, she taught us to know and love Jesus. She taught each one of us that we had value because we were made in the image and likeness of God. Her classroom was a place of grace. As principal and also a parent at St. Mary Magdalen School, I now continue to be blessed with the opportunity to witness more places of grace. Both of my sons started their St. Mary Magdalen journeys in our transitional kindergarten program. Our teacher, Ms. Schuberg, creates an environment where students can flourish and grow. She guides them in coming to know and love God even more deeply while also teaching little minds how to explore the worlds of numbers and words. And every time a student (or principal) leaves the room, they depart to a chorus of little voices saying “God bless you”! This is most certainly a place of grace. These are scenes that are replicated on a daily basis throughout our campus home. Whether it be a second grader joyfully learning about their upcoming sacraments or an eighth grader deepening their faith life through an off-campus retreat. It may look like a fourth grader talking to her teacher about how to navigate the everchanging landscape of fourth grade friendships or a seventh grader walking past a poster of Catholic scientists on their way to enjoy a hands on lab in their advanced science class. It most certainly looks like the entire campus – students, teachers, parent volunteers, and visitors – pausing wherever they are and whatever they are doing to pray the Angelus immediately following lunch. The list goes on, but one thing is abundantly clear to me – when our students step on campus at St. Mary Magdalen School, they are able to enter into a different space – “a new environment, one illuminated by the light of faith...an environment permeated with the Gospel spirit of love and freedom.” It truly is a place of grace.  I invite you to come and visit our place of grace for our Open House on Sunday, November 6 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm, and if you have a school-aged child, to prayerfully consider giving them the gift of a Catholic education at St. Mary Magdalen School.
Siempre Adelante, Michael Ronan Principal St. Mary Magdalen School Dear friends on the journey, Being a parish staff member collaborating with our formation and liturgical staff for yearly calendaring and working with over 65 ministries and activities, I have a bird’s eye view of all that our parish has to offer to encounter Jesus and be disciples. We now embark on a season of holidays, festivities, and family but can also agitate wounds, magnify grief, and complicate relationships. This season is a good time to retreat inward on our personal relationship with Jesus, to heal, and make amends. Conversely, these coming weeks can be a time to turn our attention outward to the needs of others. In the coming months, consider how these events and activities might draw you into a deeper communion with God and community: For Giving Adopt-A-Family for Christmas Bundle Sunday October 23 LifeCenters Poinsettias November 6, 13 Keep Christ in Christmas cards November 6, 13 Concern America Crafts November 13 Angel Tags for Christmas November 19-December 11 Thanksgiving Day Mass November 24 Blood Drive December 11 For Receiving Adult Formation with Dr. Ford October 18, 25 All Saints Day – Holy Day November 1 Mass of Remembrance November 1 Adult Formation with Sr. Carol on Advent, November 9 Women’s Fall Retreat November 18-19 Family Dinner & Reconciliation Service, November 29 Immaculate Conception Holy Day December 8 Advent Reconciliation Service December 14 St. Vincent De Paul See’s Candy December 17-18 For Community Cana in the Courtyard October 21 Trunk or Treat October 28 Fall Concert November 19 Las Posada December 5 The Chosen Christmas December 9 Our Lady of Guadalupe December 12 Seniors Christmas Luncheon December 14 Christmas Concert & Dinner December 16 Simbang Gabi Mass & Reception December 17
1943 - 2022Funeral Liturgy (Cremains)
Friday, November 11 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish 1964 - 2022The question of racism will always be a hot button moral topic in these, our beloved United States. Our history is difficult, but I live in hope that we can have a better future than either our past or present. There has been a lot of anger expressed recently about racial injustice. My own sense is that while anger can motivate change, it can also entrench people in the worst thinking and actions. With that in mind, I worked with our fellow parishioner, Cynthia Jones-Campbell, to set up an evening, entitled “Our Truths,” where three parishioners, all mothers, all people of color, all well-educated and ably expressive, spoke from their own experiences raising their children in our shared world, here in Camarillo. It had been my hope that in their sharing, other parishioners could have a window into the concerns of our fellow parishioners of color where there has been a lot of pain. Our speakers included Cynthia, who is black, Dr. Martita Martinez-Bravo, a Latina, and Nirmala Bheemisetty, who was born in India. Due to the requirements of the time, they delivered their presentation on Zoom. A healthy number of parishioners and guests from neighboring parishes participated on-line. It was a powerful evening, in which they shared their dreams for their children, the events that frightened them and hurtful things that occurred. They shared moving stories, grit and determination. I found it very moving, myself. As that evening was taking shape, during July of 2020, Cynthia and Martita helped form the parish’s racial justice ministry. It began encouraging a number of parallel efforts to help people engage in the subject of racism in a constructive manner in a broad number of settings. In the same year, 2020, the parish PAX Christi group used the Ignatian Examen, in which the participants take a magnifying glass to daily life, seeking to have an encounter with God, as a lens for discussing racism and reconciliation from August to November of 2020. Parishioners also participated in the Just Faith modules that focus on racial justice. There were two groups, one of which did all three eight-week modules on this challenging topic. In the last two years, during the Lenten season, parishioners have been invited to participate in “Stations of the Cross: Overcoming Racism” at Padre Serra. In Lent of 2021 the stations needed to be virtual, but in 2022 they were in person. From August to December of 2020, our wonderful Seeds of Faith women’s ministry, in which Cynthia was part of the leadership team, jumped into a deep-dive of the American bishops’ pastoral letter against racism, Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2018). If all this wasn’t enough, Cynthia has also been on the leadership team of the Parish’s Divorce Support Group, and was a Women’s Retreat Team member in both 2019 and 2020. She has also served as a Eucharistic Minister at St. John’s Regional Hospital, and as an advanced directive notary. In the fall of 2020, she was also a founding member of the Ventura County Chapter of Catholic Relief Services. On the last Monday of September, I drove down to the cathedral in Los Angeles for a gathering of all the priests of our archdiocese. Cynthia Jones-Campbell, who had been serving on an archdiocesan committee examining racism, came with me. The archdiocesan committee had heard of all the initiatives that Cynthia had spearheaded here at Padre Serra Parish, and wanted to use our efforts as an example to other parishes. We were invited to give a brief summary of what had happened here at Padre Serra before the assembled priests of the archdiocese, asking us to serve as a model for other parishes. It was an amazing moment!
1959 - 2022Funeral Liturgy (Cremains)
Friday, December 2 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish Reception San Juan Capistrano following Mass 1933 - 2022Memorial Mass
Saturday, November 5 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish Burial Mass Saturday, October 29 1:00 pm Mission San Fernando 1932 - 2022 |
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