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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 - 2022Dear friends on the journey, Recently I was inspired to reflect on Vincent Van Gogh’s 1888 painting, Sower at Sunset, as a metaphorical image for my walk of faith and vocation that has led me to this very special day. Today at the 11:00 am Mass Bishop Marc Trudeau will commission me as a Pastoral Associate for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for the service of Padre Serra Parish. In looking back on my journey, I can see where God, our good and gracious sower, has been planting mustard seeds of faith. After my infant baptism, the first seed I recall was at age four and, throughout my childhood, teen years and adult life, God has been planting, watering, tending, and guiding my faith. Along the way, there have been some significant encounters and moments, like today. In general, though, the deepening of my faith and progression of my vocation has grown in the simple and unexpected, in the humble witness of God’s hand at work around me, because of people’s generosity and influence, in suffering and healing, and in formation and my academics at St. John’s Seminary. My ecclesial roles have included altar server, Eucharistic minister, volunteer, administrative staff, catechist, master catechist, business manager, and faith life minister. For 31 years, I have been living out my vocation of motherhood and marriage. Today all of these roles, experiences, growth, skills, talents, gifts and charisms come together. Today God’s call to the vocation as Pastoral Associate comes to fruition. By no means did I do this on my own. I simply could not. This journey has been filled with God’s grace, the Holy Spirit, the love and encouragement of family and friends, the influence of lay teachers and mentors, religious, and clergy who showed mercy and empowered me, most especially Fr. Patrick who has given me more than I deserve. And all of you parishioners and leaders who have inspired, encouraged and celebrated me.
Dear Faith Family, This weekend’s Gospel is obviously very challenging. It always is when there is a discussion of the afterlife. Lazarus, the poor man, was more open to the idea of heaven than the rich man who lived an extravagant life. While this is a message that we often hear about in scripture, there is one line that really stuck out to me regarding our lives as Catholics. At the end of our Sunday’s Gospel, the rich man implores Abraham to send a message to his brothers to avoid “this place of torment.” He claims that if a ghost appears to them, it will scare them straight and convince them to live holy and humble lives. Abraham’s reply is quite powerful: “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded should someone rise from the dead.” Is Abraham’s statement true for us at times? I think so. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have the urge to rely on a personal miracle for me to change or understand God’s will for me. When we rely only on personal miracles, we forget about the most important message. Jesus is the Resurrected God and we need to let people know. Through the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, we sometimes forget to be persuaded by God’s rising from the dead. Yes, we can experience miracles and intercession from the heavens, but they mean nothing unless we get to know who Jesus is. This is why our parish motto of “Encounter Jesus, Be Disciples” is so powerful. Without that encounter of Jesus, even the most groundbreaking miracle can mean nothing to a person’s life. This rings true on the other hand, as well. Our goal of discipleship is not to meet a quota. While it would be nice to have an official number of souls that we have impacted, we will never know the number of people we have evangelized. We have to remember that we are simply planting seeds and those seeds are the message of the Resurrection. While we may be prophets, our work means nothing until they are persuaded by it.
Dear Parish Family, This weekend we celebrate in a special way the individuals who have said “YES” to God’s call to serve his people, through the ministry of Catechist. They will be called forward, blessed and sent out to minister to the children, youth and adults of our parish community. Pope Francis describes the role of the Catechists as “witnesses who live from the celebration of the Eucharist and place themselves at the service of the Christian community, to support the deepening of faith in the concreteness of daily life.” They tirelessly proclaim the Gospel of mercy, create the necessary bonds of welcome and closeness to better appreciate the Word of God and to celebrate the Eucharistic mystery by offering the fruits of good works. Who did this for you? Who was instrumental in your encounter with Jesus? How do you do this for others? Our theme this year focuses on the Eucharist. The source and summit of our faith, the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This year’s theme will help us focus on our Mission; to bring others to an encounter with the living God. Jesus gives himself to us at every liturgy. He patiently waits for us to come to the table and receive him. He is the Bread of Life. It is the only thing that will quench the hunger of our soul. In the gift of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist we come into a transforming intimacy with him. This is sanctifying Grace. As Faith Formation ministers this is the goal, to bring others to this encounter. The Children’s Faith Formation ministry is only possible by wonderful volunteers: Moms, Dads and other loving adults, just like you. This is a beautiful ministry, where it’s not always about having the answers to the kids’ questions but an opportunity to hear how God works and speaks through the mouths of the children as well. No experience is required. Our coordinators will prepare all the lesson plans and supplies needed. This year more than ever we are in need of Catechists, as many children are once again returning to in-person sessions. We are limited to the number of centers we can offer based on the number of volunteers we have.  Do you feel God calling you to journey in faith with the children of our parish? Help us not to turn away any child seeking to encounter Jesus.
Please reach out to me tere@padreserra.org Siempre Adelante! Blessings, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister  After a well-deserved summer break (after singing a full year, and 2/3 of that timemasked!) the choirs are returning to ministry soon, and we are recruiting! What we’re looking for in choir members:
Do any of these describe you? • I play (played) in the band or orchestra in school We want you! • I sing (sang) in the choir at school or at church We want you! • I take (took) music lessons (vocal or instrumental) We want you! • I’ve never played or sung a note We might want you LOL I’m interested. What do I do next? Come in for a quick, private vocal checkup and we’ll see if it’s a good fit. Contact Dominic MacAller dominic@padreserra.org 805-482-6417 ext. 327 and/or stop by the choir table at the Ministry Fair in the courtyard on Sunday 9/11.  Today’s responsorial psalm says
“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.” Music ministry in a choir is a great way to do that! Siempre adelante, Dominic MacAller Worship Minister Dear friends on the journey, Two weeks ago visiting priest Fr. Pat Travers shared about the Tijuana Mission Outreach program. Something he said about the readings struck me deeply. He said, “Salvation depends on the favor of God and the honest struggle to follow his ways.” Honest struggle. This got me thinking. Taking seriously our Christian life and discipleship involves honest struggle. Today’s gospel from Luke in which Jesus outlines the radical cost to be his disciple. Simply put, Jesus is telling us we are to put our relationship with him above all other earthly relationships, accept our crosses of human suffering as well persecution for our faith, and surrender our possessions. This is a lot to understand, process, and live out. Frankly, this is a lot to ask of us. We have two options upon receiving Jesus message: • Hear it and move on with our day and week, or • Listen and really absorb it, chew on it, pray on it, and struggle with it. The great thing about the parish family is that we can struggle together, not only with scripture but also with spirituality, our individual faith and life journeys, and our Catholic tradition. A gift of the pandemic was the increased use of technology to keep us connected. Born in July 2020 was Gospel Hangout: two weekly one-hour virtual hangouts on Zoom (Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings) where the previous Sunday’s gospel is proclaimed and then discussed. We are not scripture experts but each of us share our learnings, experiences, trust in the Holy Spirit’s guidance and honest struggle because we genuinely desire to be better disciples. We sign off with more insight, something new to reflect on, a challenge, and oftentimes a new viewpoint. I love these people and they have enriched my faith journey. Please join us or let me know how I can help you begin your own Gospel Hangout. Our parish is blessed to have other opportunities to understand scripture as food for our discipleship journey: Monday’s Bible Faith Share, Tuesday’s Living Liturgy with Paul Ford, Wednesday’s deanery Bible study. Plus many other ministries provide the space for honest struggle: spirituality groups for men and women, prayer opportunities, support groups, service ministries, fellowship activities, formation events and much more.  The next three Sundays is our Ministry Fair. Stop by after Mass to discover all we have to offer you and all that can be enriched by your presence, your honest struggle.
We are better together. Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Faith Life Minister Our first reading has such a pithy ending, and is so pertinent for those of us who live in California. The double threat of wildfire and insufficient water constantly confront us. If only our careful husbanding of water in our homes, even if it’s only a small portion of the overall water use in the state, could preserve us from wild fires into the future. But that’s off message. The real point here is the effect of water on burning flames, blotting out access to oxygen and extinguishing the fire, while dissipating its lingering heat. It’s a lovely metaphor for the parallel effects of the generous support of the poor blotting out, literally wiping away our offenses. What a gift it is to have God’s pardon. What could we possibly do to earn it? In Sirach’s time, sacrifices were possible if sins were committed unwittingly (Lev 4), but there was no confession or reconciliation, no rituals for the forgiveness of deliberate sin, except to stone the sinner. Even Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Lev 16), seems directed at ritual impurity, rather than moral offenses. So what is a poor sinner to do? – Well, give alms. So, as we now have the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the forgiveness of sins, should we still give alms? Absolutely! Many passages in the New Testament actively encourage almsgiving. When speaking on the value of doing good acts and praying in secret, Jesus simply presumes we are giving alms for the poor (Matt 6:2-4). When addressing the evils and bad inclinations that can pour forth from the heart, He directs us, “Give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41). When encouraging us to rely with greater trust on God, He instructs us to sell our belongings “and give alms” (Luke 12:33). In Acts 10:2, Luke recounts for us a story about a good man, Cornelius, a Gentile who is judged devout and God-fearing, in part because of his generous distribution of alms (Acts 10:2). Later in Acts (24:17), Paul defends himself to the governor, Felix, detailing his motive for returning to Jerusalem, which was to bring alms. There are so many ways to give alms. The parish’s special collections all aim at the care of different poor populations. Giving to the United Way also counts, as does supporting health care exploration – I’m thinking breast cancer research, in particular, but there are many other worthy efforts.
1945 -2022Funeral Liturgy
Tuesday, September 13 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish Mortuary Pierce Brothers, Westlake Dear Parish Family, Many years ago, I was asked what seemed to be a very simple question with a logically simple answer: Do you consider exercise to be important and valuable to maintain good health? My imitate response was, yes, it’s very important. Then came the follow-up question, which I still to this day continue to discern. If I consider exercise important, as I say, then is exercise part of my daily life, a Value (I make time for it, regardless of what I have going on in my life), or is it an Ideal (As long as I do it once a week/month/year, it is good enough; if I’m in the mood; in a few years when I really have the time)? This subject of this question can be substituted by any other topic which we can consider important to us. However, the underlying question is the same. I think our Gospel reading this week is asking us a similar question. Do we wish to enter into God’s kingdom? Do we want God’s Salvation? The invitation is there for all of us; however, the response to this invitation, only each one of us can answer for ourselves. Is it a value or an ideal? How important is our relationship with our God, and how much time do we dedicate to him? Do we know about him, or do we Know him? We do not want to reach the gates of heaven and have our God say he doesn’t know us. We must strive to always be recognizable to our Lord. How do we do this? In love, prayer, and action, as we go out into the world and all our daily activities. As we truly “Put On Christ” (Romans 13:14), all will recognize us as followers of Christ (Christian) and to whom we belong. No matter where we think we may be in this faith journey, there is always room to grow. Here are a few suggestions to consider:
1971 - 2022Funeral Liturgy
Saturday, September 3 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish Mortuary Santa Clara Cemetery Dear Faith Family, Today’s Gospel is one of my favorites. When a pregnant Mary encounters Elizabeth, the latter is overjoyed and her son (the unborn John the Baptist) leaps with joy because of the encounter. At surface level, this is a cute story about family reuniting and celebrating the upcoming birth of the Savior of the World. While it is indeed true (it’s pretty darn cute), it also is a strong callback to the Old Testament. What John the Baptist does, closely resembles how King David would act in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. In the book of Exodus, when David would “dance before the LORD with all his might,” the Ark of the Covenant was believed to have contained the living God. Jesus, present in Mary, the New Ark, received a similar reception from John the Baptist. We are also blessed to have Arks scattered around in parishes across the world that hold the living God. What does this mean for us? While I may not be advocating for a dance session in front of the tabernacle, I do believe that it is vital for us to look at God with a joyous heart. If we truly believe that God opened the gates of heaven for us, how can we not be joyous? If we truly believe that God wants to encounter you, simply because He loves you, how can we not be moved? Sometimes when we think of the disciples of the New Testament and various saints, we think of solemn people who kept their emotions in check. People that were beyond human inclination and had a hyper fixation on God. The reality is, these holy men and women were joyous, first and foremost, even in the face of fear and persecution. The joy that God brings truly can overcome all things. Our faith is quite unique. We have a God who was willing to become man, just to be with us. I truly believe a proper response to this love, is joy. This obviously may look different for each person, but I know it’s a common denominator for all those who pursue the living God. If you struggle with understanding the joy that God brings, I invite you to spend more time with Him. Add more intentional time to pray and listen to God.
Vigil
Friday, August 26 7:00 pm Funeraria del Angel Funeral Liturgy Saturday, August 27 10:00 am Padre Serra Parish Mortuary Funeraria del Angel Our home, our parish, flourishes as much as it does because of the many people who very quietly do all manner of activities, with big hearts and an attitude of genuine service. I am hard pressed to think of any couple who have done more, for as a long a time (at least within my assignment as pastor) as have Pam and Neil Kingsley. When I arrive to vest for my weekday Masses at 7:30 am, Pam is already on our beautiful campus and has unlocked the church doors, greeted the weekday sacristans, made the day’s fresh coffee for the staff’s many caffeine devotees, and begun her work in the office. She works patiently and quietly for a very long day, carefully managing donations, accounts and bills. In this interval without a parish business manager I have shared some of those responsibilities with her, and been blessed by her willingness. People who enjoy her good company, her kindness and her very good will frequently stop by and spend time with her. She ends up staying long beyond eight hours because, she says, that she enjoys the interruptions, and wants them to continue, while also working a full day. She does at least that much. Her husband, Neil, one of our parish deacons, works for the parish overseeing all the maintenance and grounds, managing almost twelve acres, with its gardens, parking lots and some $30 million dollars’ worth of buildings. I have learned that there is no such thing as “normal upkeep” for our parish plant. Predicting when plumbing is going to head south, or sound systems fail, is not a precise science. When a sprinkler fails in a spectacular way (always in the middle of the night, it seems) the local water company contacts Neil. When the security alarm sounds (because the absent-minded pastor forgets to turn it off before going into his office), Neil fields the call from the security company whether it’s a workday or not. At any given point, there is the work that Neil intended to do, along with the crises that spring up organically because there are gremlins in the air ducts. Neil’s job encompasses so many tasks that it causes me to wonder how he can hold it all together. After everything else that Pam and Neil do, their truly special gift for us comes to the fore in their volunteer work with the environment. Has there ever been any parish more blessed with talent than Padre Serra? The freshness of their ideas, responding to guidance from the parish liturgy committee amazes me at the changing of each liturgical season. They go the extra mile taking the environment into each corner of the church, so that everyone can feel a part of it all. Their creativity ensures that each season will have both continuity with the past and something new and uplifting. They work flexibly with new circumstances as they arise. For example, the live-streamed Mass needed a clear view across the church, which means they couldn’t use the tall banner poles for the Easter season – and yet it was still spectacular. They combine this with a lovely ability to gather volunteers to work alongside them on the big projects, and to maintain the plant throughout the season. Everything attest to their goodness and generosity.
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