And so, this October, I invite all Catholics to think about building a culture of life in terms of radical solidarity. We are the Church. Our prayers, witness, sacrifices, advocacy, and good works are needed now, more than ever. We are the hands and feet of Christ in the world today and we each have a personal responsibility to care for one another.

The visionaries were two poor and uneducated children. They were entrusted with a beautiful message of reconciliation with the self, others, nature and God. God calls us back to Him. When we sin, He is generous with his forgiveness. But we must also be willing to reconcile with others and extend the forgiveness God has extended to us, as illustrated in the Gospel parable this weekend. To refuse to forgive those who have sinned against us would be to exclude ourselves from receiving God’s forgiveness for our own sins.

You may have already noticed by now that the theme for this year’s Parish Annual Report and Harvest Festival is the same: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” In the context of the Annual Report, the theme invites us to remember the many blessings the Lord has given us, both personally and communally. The Lord has been so good to us that he has allowed us to achieve many great things as a church. In the context of the festival, it invites us and all people to see the goodness of coming together, playing together, eating together and creating beautiful memories together. These are good things that can only come from the Lord, for He is a God of unity, and not of division.

We are called to examine ourselves: Do I have enough faith to offer up a genuine sacrifice for the sake of Christ and his Kingdom? Am I willing to sacrifice my time, talents and treasures for the missionary activities of the Church?

Thank you for your loving service to the Church. May God continue to bless you abundantly in your journey! Congratulations on your 11th Anniversary as a Priest!

“Taste and see that the lord is good..." best captures what this year’s parish report wants to convey. The number of people coming for mass and services as well as our ministers and volunteers have been steadily increasing.

On August 4th, Father Mike Maher, SSCC, was called to eternal rest. Fr. Maher began the parish of St. Paul the Apostle, Chino Hills, in 1986, starting with only 200 people. He noted his time at the parish as "the best experience of his life." After 15 years of service at St. Paul the Apostle, he was assigned to St. Louis, Cathedral City, where he served for ten years until he stepped down due to illness.

...The Shocking Truth!

Sunday has traditionally been a day of rest. However, the concept of a day of rest may seem odd in a world that runs 24/7, where we are tethered to our jobs by a variety of electronic gadgets, where businesses run as normal no matter what the day of the week, and where silence seems to be an endangered species.

The celebration of Mass is an act of the whole assembly gathered for worship. In the Mass, the Church is joined to the action of Christ. The Liturgy is designed to bring about in all those who make up the worshiping assembly a “participation of the faithful, namely in body and in mind, a participation fervent with faith, hope, and charity” (GIRM, no. 18).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church” (No. 2182).

In the coming months, you will see more of our plans unfolding. In this whole month of July, I will offer a series of catechism (adopted from the USCCB website) on the Eucharist and how to meaningfully participate in it, beginning with the question: Why Sunday?

We celebrate our country’s Independence Day on July 4th. We remember how in 1776, the Second Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence, effectively establishing the United States of America. Lest we forget, we also are called to remember and celebrate the people who formed the US into the country that it is today, including American Catholic saints.

As a Church community, we need to encourage and support men to follow the example of St. Joseph and embrace their various roles as father. Even if a man is not a parent, he is still called to spiritual fatherhood - a fatherhood that fosters others’ relationship with God, protecting them from evil and providing an example of Christ’s love.

Our Catechism tells us that “the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the ‘hierarchy of the truths of faith.’"

In this Easter Season, you may have noticed some special elements in the mass. Most notable of which is the Sprinkling Rite, replacing the usual Penitential Rite as a reminder of baptism. “It is a wonderful way to reinforce the initiatory quality of Easter, and serves to tie the dying and raising of the faithful in the waters of baptism to the dying and rising of Christ.”

Ordination is the sacramental ceremony in which a man becomes a deacon, priest, or bishop and enabled to minister in Christ's name and that of the Church. The ordination ceremony includes various rituals, rich in meaning and history, but the essential rite of the sacrament is the laying on of hands and prayer of consecration. By this ritual, the ordaining bishop and the other priests invoke the Holy Spirit to come down upon the one to be ordained, giving him a sacred character and setting him apart for the designated ministry.

This weekend, as we pay tribute to all mothers, biological and spiritual, living and deceased, we also reflect on the Church as our Mother. In the weekly catechesis of Pope Francis on September 18, 2013 entitled “The Church is our Mother,” he shared that “among the images that the Second Vatican Council chose to help us understand the nature of the Church better, there is that of “mother”: the Church is our mother in faith, in supernatural life.” He asks, “In what sense and in what way is the Church Mother?”. Allow me to share an abridged version of his reflection.

“What is Eucharistic Adoration?” This is a question we often hear from those new to the faith or searching for ways to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that, “Adoration is the first attitude of man acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator. It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made us and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from evil. Adoration is homage of the spirit to the “King of Glory,” respectful silence in the presence of the “ever greater” God. Adoration of the thrice-holy and sovereign God of love blends with humility and gives assurance to our supplications.” (CCC 2628)

Holiness is our common goal. It is everyone’s primary vocation. Holiness means trying to be like Jesus. It means being a “whole” person: striving for virtue, avoiding sin, and living a life of love. After the decision to follow Christ and seriously pursue holiness, your vocation is the most important decision in life.