St. Patrick Catholic Church

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Dear People of St. Patrick,

When the ashes were placed on our foreheads Wednesday, we heard the words, “Repent and believe in
the Gospel.” Lent is a time of conversion and repentance motivated by the life and teachings of Jesus in the
Gospels.
During this ‘Year of Faith’, each one of us is to renew our knowledge and true understanding of our
Catholic faith which comes to us from Jesus and His Gospels. We need to turn away from our sins, go to
Reconciliation, do penance for our sins and start over again to follow Christ as was professed for us on the
day of our baptism.
The 40-days of Lent should include Prayer, Fasting and Alms Giving.
Prayer - Daily Mass or when you can attend. Certainly Sunday Mass as required by the Ten
Commandments. Prayer is attending bible classes, praying the stations of the cross daily or at least on the
Fridays of Lent. Spending time talking to God on the way to and from work and just going about our daily
lives.
Fasting - Give up something to make up for our sins, less food, especially snacks and desserts. Fasting is
not to loose weight but to do something difficult for the sake of our sins and helping us to say no to the
temptation of the devil.
Alms Giving - Take the Rice Bowl box home and cut back on your favorite foods and drink and put the
money in the Rice Bowl to help the poor around the world.
This week and next week be prepared to give generously to the Bishop’s Appeal. Make that commitment
with prayer, love and genuine desire to help the church in the Diocese of Oakland to grow and lead others to
Christ.
As we grow in faith during Lent and this special time of grace, let us pray for each other, encourage each
other and try to make a difference in our world.

God Bless,
Fr. Larry Young, Pastor

Dear People of St. Patrick,

Today, the first Sunday of the new year, is the Epiphany of the Lord, the manifestation of the star pointing
to Jesus as the light of the world. Yes, Christ is our light who leads all people to his loving Father in heaven.
In the Diocese of Oakland, our Cathedral is named, Cathedral of Christ the Light, a light that shines in
Alameda and Contra Costa counties, calling each Catholic and those who profess to follow Christ to follow
Christ our light and to make Him known to all people. The Cathedral is an open door to people of all religions
and those who are willing to seek God in our world.
During this Year of Faith, we are calling on all Catholics to study their Catholic faith, to understand it and
lead others to Christ. We especially want to welcome back those baptized Catholics who have left the
Catholic Church. We invite everyone to come to the stable and encounter the Christ child and to accept and
follow his teachings in the gospels.
This year, the Diocese of Oakland awaits the appointment of a new bishop to lead us. Our prayers to the
Holy Spirit is to send a bishop who will lead all of us to Christ.
St. Patrick Parish looks to renewed efforts of teaching our Catholic faith to the children in our Catholic
school and the children in our Faith Formation classes. We want to educate our parents, grandparents, aunts,
uncles and godparents in a deeper and more enriching relationship with God and His church.
It is our hope to see a world, especially in America, where peace is the goal and we see an end to
violence. Teaching our children violent shooting games and showing them that the more people you can kill
to better your skills is not right. Glorifying killing and destruction of people and property is not right.
Christ was born and King Herod sought to kill him and so the family had to flee to Egypt to save him. We
still have people who have to flee their countries in order not to be killed. We have many things to pray for in
2013. Let us all join together in stopping crime and finding solutions to stem mental health issues due to lack
of money and care.
Let us use the Light of Christ to examine what needs to be changed and to renew and deepen our
commitment to follow Christ our Light. Let us remember our baptismal candle given to us on the day of our
baptism and the prayer that was said:
“Receive the Light of Christ. Parents and Godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly.
This child of yours has been enlighten by Christ. They are to walk always as a child of the light. May they
keep the flame of faith alive in their heart. When the Lord comes, may they go out to meet him with all the
saints in the heavenly kingdom.”

Happy New Year,
Fr. Larry Young
Pastor