Category: Wellness

Local Doctors Ask Community Members to Stay Home

3/28/2020

County of Ventura Doctors:
Daniel Cox, MD, Palliative Care
Nessa Meshkaty, MD, Infectious Disease
Melissa Barger, MD, Infectious Disease

In the near future, we are going to experience a coronavirus surge here in Ventura County. We don’t know exactly what it will look like or feel like, but it will affect all of us.

Here’s what we all need to understand: this virus is dangerous. For many of us – including younger people who are indeed contracting the virus at a high rate – coronavirus will feel like a bad flu. With luck, rest, and fluids, one could ride out the fever, cough, and body aches and start to improve over a period of weeks. However, if our experience in Ventura County is similar to other areas, up to twenty percent of confirmed cases will have a different experience.

Let’s put this in perspective for our county, population ~850,000. In a worst-case scenario, 1 in 5 confirmed cases of COVID-19 will progress to serious illness requiring hospitalization. One quarter of those hospitalized patients with COVID-19 will further decline to the point where they need a ventilator and life support to survive. Using an epidemiologic model recommended by the California Department of Public Health, we find that without strict social distancing, we will need 18,000 ventilators to take care of the sickest patients at the peak of the surge on day 58 of the outbreak. Yet we have only an estimated 180 ventilators across the 8 hospitals in Ventura County. Hospitals in Italy, Iran, and now New York City have been overwhelmed when the infection rate spiked, and many have died that would otherwise have had a chance at surviving.

We realize that what we are saying is difficult to hear, but we also want to be very clear. These patients are not going to remain abstract statistics. This may well be someone you love, someone you know. Nonetheless, as your community health care providers, we wish to share this message: we are here for you. We are preparing for the surge every second of every day. We will care for you. We take our responsibility to the community seriously. But you have a responsibility to our community as well. Ultimately, despite our best efforts, we cannot adequately care for a sick population that exceeds our capacity. If the rates of coronavirus spike and our county residents all need acute care simultaneously – there will not be enough beds, and many will be denied the care that we would all expect to receive, leading to loss of life.

We understand why most people struggle with the idea of sheltering in place. It imposes limits on our basic freedoms. We are social animals by nature and our joy is tied to our interpersonal connections. Layer on top of that the real need to earn a living to support our families and it can feel like an impossible ask to stay at home. And yet human interaction is the fuel that spreads this virus. Everything we do and everywhere we go – the sum of our normal activities – are like dry brush in a forest fire for coronavirus. But by staying home – when we deny the virus pathways and carriers to spread – the virus starves. Ironically, after weeks of sheltering in place, if we see that nothing much has happened – that’s when we’ll know that our sacrifice made all the difference.

So here is the good news. If we are able to sustainably reduce social contact by 60%-70% and improve testing and treatment, the aforementioned epidemiologic model suggests we could improve from that worst-case scenario of 18,000 ventilators needed on day 58 to a much more manageable peak of 475 ventilators on day 170 of the outbreak. That extra time is critical for our hospitals to build ventilator capacity and allow for the development of novel treatments. Thousands of lives would be saved. The key is sustaining the recommended reduction in social contact for that prolonged period of time.

As your physicians in Ventura County, we care deeply about our community and providing the best care possible to our patients. That is why we are asking you to honor Governor Newsom’s order to stay home. Each week that we shelter in place gives our health care system a chance to adapt and build our defenses to better prepare for the coronavirus surge. Your efforts and sacrifice now will save lives of people you know and love in the future. We thank you.

Ashley Bautista
Public Information Officer
County of Ventura, CEO
Office: 805-654-2640
Cell: 805-212-9484
www.vcemergency.com

A message from your priest, Fr. Patrick

3/26/2020

Dear Parishioners,

This is a long one, but I have a number of important items to pass on to you. The first is that I am praying for you, for your patience, for your confidence and fearlessness, for your generosity of spirit, and for your health and safety.

The second is that I and the parish pastoral team and staff are fine. The seniors have all gone home to work from a safe place, and most of the staff do as much from home as possible, which is quite a lot. We had some confusion as our first round of responses, limiting exposure, have all been undone by subsequent instructions, eliminating exposure. Sigh.

Dominic MacAller and I are working on next week’s liturgy. Be there at 10:00 am on Sunday.

Brett Becker, our youth minister, is doing amazing things online in Zoom meetings and the like with the teens. If you have a lonely teenager twiddling her thumbs, suggest she look in on Brett’s online gatherings (brett@padreserra.org). Guys too!

Tere Delgado is working with her lovely team to get lessons home to all the children in faith formation, to do with their parents. This will be a team effort, parents. Do your best!

Among Teresa’s goals at this time is to keep people in ministry connected to each other. If you belong to a parish ministry that needs to meet, please contact her (teresa@padreserra.org) and ask how we can help set up a Zoom meeting. It’s fairly easy, even for this 60 year old who never attended a Zoom meeting until this last week.

Among the parish ministries that deserve particular praise is St. Vincent de Paul and members of the Young Adult Ministry, who are working very creatively to take care of households in financial crisis. Now would be a very good time to consider a donation to St. Vincent de Paul!

On that point, the parish collection this last weekend was under 1/5th of what we would normally receive. I know that many people have financial stresses. If you can contribute to your parish, now would be a very good time. Checks can be mailed or online offerings can be made at: www.osvonlinegiving.com/4191
Appointments with me:

I will be accepting online appointments with Zoom, Skype, or by phone.
They don’t need to be emergencies. They just need to be important to you.
Please, contact my assistant, Barbara at (babara@padreserra.org)
She is working from home, so be patient

Parish Seniors

If you are homebound with no family or friend support and need help with grocery shopping, please contact Teresa at (805) 482·6417 x322 or by email at teresa@padreserra.org

Moral concerns:

You may wonder if there are any moral consequences to getting sick. Not in general, but if you get sick because you have been careless, in a time when the disease is deadly…then yes, there can be moral responsibility. This is because
your own life is of value (and even the young have gotten very ill or died from this coronavirus);
you may infect others;
your caregivers are also put at risk;
your sickness stresses an already overwhelmed healthcare system, taking sparse medical resources away from others.
- The moral implications are that we should do our very best to avoid getting sick, and that we are to follow the advice of the experts: stay home, maintain at least 6 feet, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, etc.
Regarding hording, we are as important as others. However, we aren’t more important. Don’t let irrational fear drive you, especially when it may leave others at a disadvantage.
- The moral implications are that we should obtain, in as safe a way as possible, what we need, but that we should not horde.
We have to treat every stranger as someone at risk. You don’t know when the person you see, who looks young and healthy, is actually compromised because of
- their smoking,
- a genetic disability, of which they might not even be aware,
- their health history, which you simply cannot know.
  - The moral implication is that we are maintaining all of the recommendations given by the health community because our faith instructs us to have a general concern for everyone, including those who look healthy, but aren’t.

The sacrament of reconciliation / confession:

The archbishop has suspended all confessions except for people in extreme danger.
I cannot hear your confession over the phone or computer; priest and penitent must be physically present to each other. The archbishop told us specifically not to do drive by confessions.
In the absence of the opportunity to go to the sacrament, please do as Pope Francis has instructed:
- make your confession directly to God,
- trust in God’s mercy,
- and make use of the first opportunity you have when the crisis passes, to make a sacramental confession with a priest.

Pastoral care of the sick
(Please read even if no one in the household is sick yet)

Apart from emergencies, the situation does not permit me to make communion or confession visits, though I will certainly speak to the sick over the phone. Please, arrange this by emailing my assistant, Barbara (barbara@padreserra.org), who is working from home.
If the sick have a severe case of the coronavirus, you need to tell me that before I come. I will not be able to touch them or stand close to their head. This means, to give them the sacrament of the sick, I will need:
- to wear a mask, goggles and gloves (I will bring them);
- to stand at their feet, one of which will need to be uncovered;
- to anoint them with a Q-tip or some other distancing mechanism.
If there is a realistic fear of death from any disease or age related weakness, please call the parish emergency number, (805) 512·3208, and I will do my best to come.
- Please don’t wait to the very last moment, as it’s always better to care for the conscious, who may well desire to go to confession if they can.
- If you can call in daylight hours, please do so. In an emergency do what you need to do.
- Please hear this: In my experience, the dying most often know that they are dying (dementia aside), and though they may not want to make you uncomfortable by talking about it, they often will be very free to have a comforting conversation with me, discussing their fears and hopes – because they often have both. Don’t deny them that chance by waiting till they are unconscious.

Sunday and weekday Mass

The current restrictions against saying Mass with a community present extend through April 18, the Sunday after Easter. This is following the request of the governor of California and the archbishop of Los Angeles.
My guess is, having observed the crisis in other places, that this shut down will probably be extended, rather than shortened. Whatever the governor says, I believe the archbishop will follow.
We will continue to livestream Mass. We will always maintain a link on the home page of the parish. So you will be able to find our livestream at
- www.padreserra.org
- The actual page will be www.padreserra.org/mass
- The best streaming experience can be found at www.youtube.com/psptv/live
- We will try to have a worship aid, if possible. I received some pictures in which people watched the Mass on their TV, while following the worship aid on their iPad. If you have to choose one or the other, I recommend the Mass livestream.

Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross Garden is available for those who agree to maintain a 6 foot distance from others. If you come as a family, please respect the 6 foot distance others need and allow them to pass.
Please do not use the plastic sheets containing the text of the stations. We have no one to sterilize them at this point and they could become a source of contagion.
Instead, use the online versions, found at www.padreserra.org/stations. They work really well with your smartphone.

Holy Week and Easter

We will be trying to observe a simplified, yet prayerful Holy Week / Triduum. This will include:
- the Chrism Mass, where the oils used in anointing the sick, baptism, confirmation and ordination are blessed;
  - this will be streamed by the archdiocese, not the parish, and probably at lacatholics.org/tag/liturgy -- the actual URL has not been released yet.
- the Mass of the Lord’s Supper,
- the Good Friday service,
- the Easter Vigil,
- the 10:00 am Easter morning Mass.
  - The parish will stream them on the same channels as the Sunday Mass, above.

Baptisms, weddings and funerals

Baptisms, apart from danger of death, and baptismal classes are postponed indefinitely.
Weddings are permitted with restrictions.
- The couple must have obtained a marriage license.
- With priest or deacon presiding, the couple may only have 7 guests, who must observe the 6 foot distancing.
- Only the brief wedding ceremony may be done, without the Mass and without instrumentalists or cantor, unless they are included among the 7 guests.
Funeral Masses are replaced by the simple rites at the grave with a maximum of 10 attending, including the priest or deacon.

If you have general questions, email the parish (parish@padreserra.org) or call the parish number (805) 482·6417 and Jane will direct your question to the right person.

In everything, we have to keep seeking those ways in which we can experience Jesus, even in a more constrained environment, and be His disciples in these troubled times.

Love from your priest,
Fr. Patrick

Padre Serra/COVID-19 Updates

It takes a parish!

3/25/2020

We are currently considering how to connect people at particular risk, who have no family or friends nearby to shop for them, with parishioners who would be willing to do these tasks for them. We are just in our earliest stages of trying to set up a way to respond in a Christian manner.

St. Vincent de Paul is continuing their assistance to those in need via phone calls and email. Healthy volunteers under the age of 60 are needed as “runners“ to deliver paperwork and groceries, especially as these days and weeks of isolation continue. Training and support will be provided.

We practice social distancing and all prevention methods. We are using the same guidance required by the Department of Public Health and the CDC.

If you are unable to volunteer but would like to help families in need, please consider donating.

Donate

If you are a healthy person who is willing to volunteer to help someone who is at risk, would let us know?
If you are at heightened risk and need assistance shopping, could you let us know?

Mass Schedule

3/24/2020

We will have an online liturgy on Sunday at 10:00 am. You can also watch the Mass through YouTube. Please subscribe.

Watch Sunday Mass

With the deepest regret, but hoping to preserve our parishioners’ health, at the recommendation of the civil and health authorities, Archbishop Jose Gomez has asked all parish churches and chapels to close and remain locked.

Reconciliation
The archbishop has suspended all confessions except for people in extreme danger.
Fr. Patrick cannot hear your confession over the phone or computer; priest and penitent must be physically present to each other. The archbishop told us specifically not to do drive by confessions.
In the absence of the opportunity to go to the sacrament, please do as Pope Francis has instructed:

make your confession directly to God,
trust in God’s mercy,
and make use of the first opportunity you have when the crisis passes, to make a sacramental confession with a priest.

Parish Office is Closed.
For both security and sanitation, the restrooms will remain locked.

Padre Serra/COVID-19 Updates

Making a Spiritual Communion

3/23/2020

Dear Parishioners,
Some of you have asked how to enter the moment of Communion, when our current circumstances make it impossible for you to receive. The centuries-long practice of making a spiritual, rather than physical, communion while sick certainly applies here. The essence of it, as St. Thomas Aquinas puts it, is to express “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in communion at Mass, and to lovingly embrace him as if we had actually received him” I have a few options for you to consider. The first, which allows you a lot of freedom to say what you need to the Lord, is good for those whose words come easy to them. Some more traditional versions give a tried and true approach for those for whom that’s helpful. Be free to do what you want here…so long as you do something at that moment.

Four worthy steps for a deep spiritual communion, to do in your own words:

Consciously state to the Lord your belief about his presence in the Eucharist.
Speak of your gratitude and love for the Lord.
Acknowledge your need and hunger for him in your life.
Invite him, with a humble heart, to come to you.

A traditional spiritual communion suggested by Pope Francis (only slightly altered by me):
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire you with all my heart. Since I cannot receive you now sacramentally, I ask you to come into my heart spiritually. I embrace you as if you were already in my heart, and unite myself to you completely. Please do not ever let me be far from you. (St. Alphonse Liguori, (1696-1787)

A spiritual communion suggested by Archbishop Gomez:
I wish, my Lord, to receive you with the purity, humility, and devotion with which your most holy Mother received you, with the spirit and fervor of the saints.

The prayer (taken from Matt 8:6) in the Mass just before Communion can be enough:
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

A final suggestion from me is to pray Psalm 63, vv. 2-9:
O God, you are my God — it is you I seek!
For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts,
In a land parched, lifeless, and without water.
I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory.
For your love is better than life, my lips shall ever praise you!
I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands, calling on your name.
My soul shall be sated, as with choice food, with joyous lips my mouth shall praise you!
I think of you upon my bed, I remember you through the watches of the night
You indeed are my savior and, in the shadow of your wings, I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me.

I hope you find this helpful! You are always in my prayers.

Love from your priest,
Fr. Patrick

A personal message from Fr. Patrick

3/20/2020

So...I’m certainly having a different Lent than the one I set my mind to those days before Lent. You too? The governor’s announcement has thrown my plans for keeping the parish open into complete disarray. I accept what Gov. Newsom is hoping to accomplish (flattening that curve of infections / not overwhelming the medical personnel and facilities).

As we move into this odd Lent of restrictions on our movements, and our current inability to work and support ourselves, I remember the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Ash Wednesday: “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you” (Matt 6:16-17).

That has a renewed meaning for us as we deal with enforced enclosure, boredom, difficulties in shopping, loneliness etc., that we are to do it with good will, with calmness, and with a supportive attitude to others who will be having a harder time than we are.

Regarding the parish:

It looks like we will have a simple, heartfelt, online Mass on Sunday at 10:00 am. The archbishop limited the attendees to me and two others – for us, that will be a sacristan and a musician. Do not come to the church at that time, as the doors will have to be locked from 9:00 till 11:15 am or so. You can also watch them through YouTube.

The parish offices have closed to comply with the directives from the state of California and the city of Ventura. Staff will come only rarely and briefly to accomplish essential tasks.

We are answering messages left on the phone. So if you have a need, please call! But then be patient with us, as the staff are monitoring everything from their homes, and will be checking in occasionally, rather than being constantly at their desks. Non-emergency requests to meet will need to wait till after the crisis has passed.

Because walks have been deemed correct, but gathering of any kind incorrect, the church building will be open till 9:00 at night. Still, only ten people may occupy it at any given time, sitting only in the designated chairs that will be set at safe distances from each other, and sanitized nightly.

The Blessed Sacrament chapel will likewise remain open, but only two people may enter at any time.

Reconciliation / Confessions will be held outside in the courtyard, on Saturday from 3:00 pm till 5:00 pm (or until after the last person after that time has made their confession). Chairs will be set out at over 6 feet from one another. I must ask that everyone maintain safe distances, even from close friends. There will be no penance service this lent.

Parents of children making their first reconciliation! As we cannot pass anything from child to child, please bring the Act of Contrition with your children, and explain that the circumstances are unusual, but will work just fine.

At the archbishop’s directions, I will be visiting only the very sick, following the most stringent guidelines (mask and gloves). Call the emergency line for this, but please do not wait until the last minute. It is so much better to talk with someone who is conscious, who can make their confession if they want to, and who can pray along.

For both security and sanitation, the restrooms will remain locked all day.

I will leave you these words that have been attributed to Pope Francis:

“Tonight before falling asleep, think about when we will return to the street.
When we hug again, when all the shopping together will seem like a party.
Let’s think about when the coffees will return to the bar, the small talk, the photos close to each other.
We think about when it will be all a memory, but normalcy will seem an unexpected and beautiful gift.
We will love everything that has so far seemed futile to us.
Every second will be precious.
Swims at the sea, the sun until late, sunsets, toasts, laughter.
We will go back to laughing together.
Strength and courage.
See you soon!”

Love from your priest,

Fr. Patrick

Sunday Mass

Padre Serra/COVID-19 Updates

Psalm 91

3/17/2020

At this time, Fr. Patrick offers Psalm 91:

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shade of the Almighty,
Say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust.”
He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare,
from the destroying plague,
He will shelter you with his pinions,
and under his wings you may take refuge;
his faithfulness is a protecting shield.
You shall not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day,
Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,
nor the plague that ravages at noon.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
near you it shall not come.
You need simply watch;
the punishment of the wicked you will see.
Because you have the Lord for your refuge
and have made the Most High your stronghold,
No evil shall befall you,
no affliction come near your tent.
For he commands his angels with regard to you,
to guard you wherever you go.
With their hands they shall support you,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You can tread upon the asp and the viper,
trample the lion and the dragon.
Because he clings to me I will deliver him;
because he knows my name I will set him on high.
He will call upon me and I will answer;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and give him honor.
With length of days I will satisfy him,
and fill him with my saving power.

Also visit: PSP/COVID-19

Message from Fr. Patrick

3/16/2020

Dear Parishioners,

What challenging times!

As I hope you already know, Archbishop Gomez has waived the responsibility to attend Mass for the next three weeks, through the end of March. There may well be extensions of this decision.
I am the last person to suggest we take our liturgical obligations to God and each other lightly, but these are exceptional circumstance. We will continue to have Mass, but I ask you to consider the following concerns.

If you are over 60, you are considered particularly at risk to suffer very serious consequences if you contract covid-19 / the coronavirus.
To make a conscientious decision about coming to church these next weeks, you also need to consider who will be put at risk, if you get sick, because they will need to care for you. Please consider both family members and health care givers.
Please don’t consider this a weekend off from the Lord…with whom I hope you are growing closer year by year. Be determined, if you make the considered decision to bypass Saturday evening or Sunday morning Mass, to keep a holy hour at home:
- We haven’t set up live streaming at Padre Serra, though we may do so in the very near future. In the meantime, consider watching the 10 am Mass at the cathedral in Los Angeles at lacatholics.org/mass-for-the-homebound
- That may not work for you. So, either alone, if you are single, or as a family, read the weekend readings: www.usccb.org/bible/readings
- Pray for the country, the church, our parish, your family, those in the military and first responders, friends and neighbors, certainly the sick, our brave medical caregivers, and for the deceased.
- Give praise and thanks to God for every blessing, beginning with your health if you have that!
Keep in your heart the connections that we have with one another as fellow parishioners of Padre Serra. You are not alone! We belong to one another, even if the circumstances create barriers.
Can we say it enough? – Be overzealous about washing your hands after touching door knobs, railings on stairs, phones, etc. And, though I am finding this challenging too, do not touch your face, where we are particularly susceptible to infection.
Physical isolation is desirable, and for some, necessary, and if we all do this right, temporary. So it will be bearable. Choose to be of good will. Phone someone. Skype or chat with friends and family online. If your phone permits, use FaceTime.

Using every precaution possible, I will be continuing to visit the sick using the very best precautions asked from the medical profession.

I ask you to pass my thoughts on to whomever you know that might not be accessing Facebook or email.

Love from your priest,
Fr. Patrick

Also visit: Regarding COVID-19 at Padre Serra

Regarding coronavirus

3/6/2020

Regarding COVID-19 / the current novel coronavirus and Padre Serra Parish

Dear Padre Serra Parishioners,
Many of you have sent me emails regarding COVID-19, the current coronavirus.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention currently evaluates the risk of people living in the United States, at this time (5:30 pm on 3/6/20), as being low. That might change, but we’ll do best if we evaluate the risks calmly and act in reasonable ways.
I would like to make the following suggestions:

First, if at any time you feel ill, please remain at home. Do not come to church, work, or sports or send your children to school. To be clear, do not come to Mass while sick. Stay home, watch Mass on TV, and recover before returning.
Wash your hands, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds of vigorous washing and avoid touching your face.

For us here at Mass:

We will temporarily suspend the reception of Communion from the chalice. We will return to our normal practice as soon as it is deemed reasonably safe.
I ask that all those who receive Holy Communion on the tongue, to temporarily receive in the hand. If the minister’s hand touches anyone’s tongue or lips, that minister has to immediately step away from distributing communion any further.
Instead of holding hands at the Our Father, let’s simply hold our hands up in a prayerful position.
At the sign of peace, let’s offer each other, along with the prayer for peace, the warmest smiles, and the kindliest, respectful bows.
After Mass, for the time being, I’ll still be outside to greet you, but no hugs or handshakes.

All this is temporary. In the meantime, shall we not pray for the sick, the deceased, and the wonderful people who day-after-day work in the medical field for our well-being?

Siempre adelante!
Fr. Patrick

Padre Serra/COVID-19 Updates

The University Series

3/2/2020

In light of the well being of parishioners as a priority, The University Series has canceled all sessions for the remainder of the 2020 season. For more information, contact The University Series team directly at office@theuniversityseries.org

Adult education in Lent

The University Series offers sessions connecting faith with real life in areas such as current events, contemporary moral issues, evangelization, faith and science, marriage and family, church history, scripture, prayer, and other priorities set by the Los Angeles Archdiocesan Synod.
Sessions include multi-media presentations and always allow time for your questions.
$8/person, available at the door, includes a guest.

Sessions at Serra Center
7:30 - 9:00 pm

Deep dive into Matthew
Fr. Patrick Mullen
4 Part Series
Monday:

March 2
Audio and notes available here
March 9
Audio and notes available here
March 23
March 30

This Bible study, beginning in The University Series, and continuing in the following months, will do a close study of the text, always asking, “How can we apply the teachings of this Gospel to our lives?” Bring your bibles, an open and inquisitive mind, your love for God, and your willingness to encounter Jesus. Come to one night, or come to all!
* The original published date of March 16 date was cancelled due to a parish event.

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Rekindling the Flame
Sr. Carol Quinlivin
Tuesday, March 3

The Celtic Christian motivation to find Divine in all created nature speaks with uncanny relevance to many of the concerns of our present time. The ancient wisdom, visual images, poetry, and prayers of Celtic Christian spirituality can re-ignite your imagination, restoring what you have neglected or forgotten. The stories and legends surrounding Sts. Patrick and Brigid of Kildare and their tireless evangelization can help you become a better friend to yourself and others. Come learn more about the Celtic tradition.

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Where is the Pope taking the Church-now?
John Allen
Tuesday, March 17

Will we have married priests? Women deacons? A Vatican bank free from scandal? A new slate of cardinals? What are we to make of the daily news from synods, papal trips, and competing factions? Hear the world’s foremost Vatican reporter and learn how to answer “What is going on in the Vatican?”

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Good Grief: Telling A Thousand Stories
Dr. Ross Porter
Tuesday, March 31

It has been said that grief ends when a thousand stories are told. Because this life is filled with loss, grief is an essential part of healing and growing, and a virtue everyone needs to understand. Dr. Porter will address the “why” and the “how” of good grief.

Fr. Patrick's Picks

How Do Other Faiths Love Their Neighbors? Part I
Linda Lowe and Panel
Tuesday, March 3, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Sacred Heart, Ventura
How Do Other Faiths Love Their Neighbors? Part II
Linda Lowe and Panel
Tuesday, March 10, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
St. Jude the Apostle, Westlake Village
The Three Expressions of Prayer According to the Catechism
Fr. Brian Humphrey
Wednesday, March 11, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
St. Mary Magdalen, Camarillo
Keeping Faith Alive in the Major Leagues: A “Press Conference”
Mike Scioscia
Thursday, March 12, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Westlake Village
Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship
Fr. Gregory Boyle
Wednesday, March 18, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Westlake Village

Lunchtime Food for Thought: Mass Exodus:
How do we bring people back to the Church?
Brett Becker & Adam Cross
Friday, March 20, 12:15 - 1:45 pm
St. Mary Magdalen, Camarillo
Lunchtime Food for Thought:
Grow in Wisdom, Age, and Grace
Sr. Gretchen Hailer
Friday, March 20, 12:15 - 1:45 pm
Holy Cross, Moorpark
Stay with Us: Why Young People Are Leaving the Church and How We Can Get Them Back
Bishop Robert Barron
Tuesday, March 24, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Our Lady of the Assumption, Ventura
Do Some Catholic Practices Contradict the Bible?
Fr, Felix Just, SJ
Monday, March 30, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Sacred Heart, Ventura
Christ is Alive!
Fr. Parker Sandoval
Thursday, April 02, 7:30 - 9:00 pm
St. Julie Billiart, Newbury Park

This program is presented by The University Series Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. Tax donation statements are available on request.

Also visit: Faith Formation for Adults, Lent, Regarding COVID-19 at Padre Serra

Seniors Adaptive Exercise Class

2/1/2020

Wednesdays
8:45 - 9:30am
Santa Barbara room

All seniors are invited to a weekly adaptive exercise class.
Contact: Marg (805) 405 · 9901

Also visit: Serra Seniors

Photography by Julius Acero

Meditative Movement

1/30/2020

Tuesdays
2:00-3:00pm
Santa Barbara room

Women and men of any age are invited to join instructor Sheila Montgomery for Tai Chi.

Bring your intentions as we pray through meditative movements. $5 donation /class.
teresa@padreserra.org

Also visit: Adults, Groups, Prayer

Teresa Runyon and Renee Ramonette
Photo by Julius Acero

Gluten Free

1/5/2020

If gluten affects your ability to receive the Body of Christ in Communion, contact Jane (805) 482·6417, jane@padreserra.org to give her your name and the mass you usually attend. Thank you!

Talk About Dating

8/12/2017

High school is a time when teenagers begin to think about dating, making communication between teens and their parents even more important.

Consider having an open, honest conversation with your teen about dating and appropriate relationships. Talk about what they want out of a relationship, and what their values are. Make sure they know how to communicate what they feel comfortable with, and what makes them uncomfortable. Talk with them about Catholic morals, and make sure they know you are always available.

To request a copy of the VIRTUS® article “Talking with Your Teen about Dating Safety” email jvienna@laarchdiocese.org

For specific questions contact brett@padreserra.org

Fire Safety

7/30/2017

Every home should have a fire extinguisher, and parents and older children should know how to use it. Small fires can escalate quickly.
Parents, familiarize yourself with the extinguishers in your home, and teach children where they are and how to use them safely. Use the PASS trick to help remember what to do: Pull the pin, Aim at the fire’s base, Squeeze the handle, Sweep from side to side.
To request a copy of the VIRTUS article “Fire Extinguisher Tips Everyone Should Know,” email jvienna@laarchdiocese.org.

News

Local Doctors Ask Community Members to Stay Home

A message from your priest, Fr. Patrick

It takes a parish!

Mass Schedule

Making a Spiritual Communion

A personal message from Fr. Patrick

Psalm 91

At this time, Fr. Patrick offers Psalm 91:

Message from Fr. Patrick

Regarding coronavirus

Regarding COVID-19 / the current novel coronavirus and Padre Serra Parish

The University Series

Adult education in Lent

Sessions at Serra Center
7:30 - 9:00 pm

Fr. Patrick's Picks

Seniors Adaptive Exercise Class

Wednesdays
8:45 - 9:30am
Santa Barbara room

Meditative Movement

Tuesdays
2:00-3:00pm
Santa Barbara room

Gluten Free

Talk About Dating

Fire Safety

NEWS CATEGORIES

News
ARCHIVES

Mass Schedule

Reconciliation (Confession)

Church Hours

Blessed Sacrament Chapel Hours

Office Hours

Telephone

For emergencies requiring
a priest after hours,
such as serious illness or death,
please call:

Email Us

Address

Guest WiFi

Staff Login

Contact Communication

At this time, Fr. Patrick offers Psalm 91:

Regarding COVID-19 / the current novel coronavirus and Padre Serra Parish

​Adult education in Lent

Sessions at Serra Center 7:30 - 9:00 pm

Fr. Patrick's Picks

Wednesdays8:45 - 9:30amSanta Barbara room

Tuesdays2:00-3:00pm​Santa Barbara room

NEWS CATEGORIES

NewsARCHIVES

Mass Schedule

​​Reconciliation (Confession)

​Church Hours

Blessed Sacrament Chapel Hours

Office Hours

Telephone

For emergencies requiringa priest after hours, such as serious illness or death, ​please call:

Address​

Guest WiFi

Staff Login​​Contact Communication

Adult education in Lent

Sessions at Serra Center
7:30 - 9:00 pm

Wednesdays
8:45 - 9:30am
Santa Barbara room

Tuesdays
2:00-3:00pm
Santa Barbara room

News
ARCHIVES

Reconciliation (Confession)

Church Hours

For emergencies requiring
a priest after hours,
such as serious illness or death,
please call:

Address

Staff Login

Contact Communication