St. Bonaventure Catholic Community
April 17, 2025
Easter Sunday
I want to welcome you to this, our Day of Victory! Today is exponentially greater than having our team win the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, and the World Series all in the same year. Those glories are only for a time, but we are talking about an ETERNAL VICTORY!
In a sports game, when a rule is broken the team committing the infraction has to pay a penalty. "Thems the rules," as they say. But when it came to the infraction our first parents made in the Garden of Eden, no penalty we could offer was
sufficient to restore all that was lost
So, the Father disguised his solution to this dilemma by sending a baby child into the world. Like any other child in appearance, this one obeyed all asked of Him. Though without sin, this one paid the tremendous penalty for that sin of our first parents and ours,
such that the name of Jesus is above every other name in heaven and on earth! (Philippians 2: 9-11).
Do you really know this one who died for you? Jesus has so much more he wants you and me to know about Him. This is why his parting instruction to his apostles was to remember him as we gather at Holy Mass. His Real Presence abides in the church he himself founded: the Holy Catholic Church founded upon the Rock! (Matthew 16:18).
-Fr. Lawrence D’Anjou
Pastor
1.
The Paschal Candle
Photo: 2024 Easter Sunday at St. Bonaventure
The Paschal Candle is one of the joyful symbols of Eastertide. First lit at the Easter Vigil, it stands in the sanctuary for forty days, reminding us that the Resurrected Christ—the Light of the world—is among us. This tradition extends back to the early Church. Catechumens were baptized—as they usually are to this day—at the Easter Vigil Mass. After their baptism, they held candles to illustrate the light of Christ now shining in their souls. These special candles were lit from one which represented the Resurrection, the “Paschal Candle.” This symbolism remains the same. After the Resurrection, Our Risen Lord is with us on earth in a special way.
Every time we see the Paschal Candle shining at Mass, we rejoice that the Bridegroom is among us. The Candle’s presence in the sanctuary over the next forty days represents the time Our Risen Lord spent on earth with His Mother and the Apostles. When the Feast of the Ascension arrives, this special period comes to a close. The Candle is extinguished at the Ascension Mass because Our Lord has returned to His Father. He is still with us—as God, He is omnipresent, and He also remains with us in the Blessed Sacrament. But He no longer walks among us. He has gone to prepare heaven for us, and we remain to prepare ourselves for Him.
Source: The Catholic Co.
2.
Bishop's Appeal - Ministries of Hope
3.
Divine Mercy Holy Hour: Sunday, April 27, 3pm
When Pope Saint John Paul II canonized St. Faustina, he also established Divine Mercy Sunday as a feast day for the entire Church. The feast day falls on the Second Sunday Easter each year. Joyce & Santiago Martinez had the opportunity to visit the Divine Mercy Chapel in Krakow, Poland, and it was a life-changing experience for them. Upon leaving the Chapel, they were told “Now Go and Spread the Word about Divine Mercy.” These words stayed with them, and they would like to share the message of Divine Mercy with our St. Bonaventure Community. They will share their story and the message of Divine Mercy during the Divine Mercy Holy Hour, with Adoration, the praying of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and Benediction also taking place.
4.
Join St. Bonaventure Charismatic Prayer Group - Monday (Weekly)
5.
Forming our New Safety Committee
Our Parish Clergy, Staff, and more than 200 volunteers across many parish ministries recently received diocesan training regarding the Safe Workplace and Violence Prevention Program. We are now looking to put together a new Safety Committee to enhance our preparation and response to emergency and non-emergency situations. We’re especially looking for active and retired volunteers from the police, armed forces, medical, construction, and general contracting fields and/or those with related experience. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Rocio Polanco at rpolanco@stbonaventure.net or by calling the parish office.
6.
WCF Annual Dinner -
May 22
Mark your calendar and plan to attend the annual May Dinner in Honor of Our Blessed Mother, hosted by Women’s Christian Fellowship. This special event will take place on Thursday May 22nd, from 6:30 to 9:00pm in the Large Hall.
$25 per person. All are welcome.
As we come together in fellowship, enjoy the beautiful music of Santiago and Joyce Martinez, and a delicious Italian pasta dinner catered by Rocco’s Ristorante.
Highlight of the evening will be an inspiring talk by guest speaker, Father Erick Villa. His topic, “Journeying with Mary in the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope”, will take us on a spiritual pilgrimage to Jesus through the eyes of Mother Mary.
Reservation flyers are available in the Church foyer, at the parish office, and online through the Faith Direct link at www.stbonaventure.net/wcf. A QR Code is also available on a large outdoor event poster near the church entrance. Deadline for reservations with payment is May 16th.
7.
Bible Camp is June 23-27
It’s time to hit the trail… for adventure! TRUE NORTH: Trusting Jesus in a Wild World
Now is the time to plan activities for those sunny days of summer. Our Bible Camp offers a pre-school program for 3 and 4-year olds which meets from 9:30-11:30am each day of camp. Our Kinder – 6th grade program meets from 9:30-12:30pm. 6th Graders are counselors-to-be and will be involved in some really awesome camp activities.
Registration will begin in the office on March 31. Information can also be found on the parish website https://stbonaventure.net/vacation-bible-camp (or use the QR code).
The registration fees are $90 for pre-schoolers and $110 for Elementary aged students.
Registration fees will go up by $10 after May 18. Register early!
Adults, we need you to be our Team Leaders. All you need is a desire to have loads of fun with kids! Contact Eileen Limberg at 672-5800, Ext. 2204 or elimberg@stbonaventure.net for more information.
Teens: 7th grade through high school - we need you to be our camp counselors.
This is a great way to have fun, share your faith and serve in a variety of ways at camp. Contact Jerome Baybayan at 672-5800, Ext. 2229 or jbaybayan@stbonaventure.net for more information.
8.
Connect with the Diocese of Oakland
The diocese has a new communications connection called Oak Catholic. Get the OAKCatholic in your email inbox every other week, to stay current on all that's happening in the Oakland Diocese!
- Fr. Lawrence D'Anjou
Pastor
Pastor
9.
KofC and GANAP Fund Raising Event
The Northern California Knights of Columbus is partnering with the GANAP Performing Arts Association, an internationally acclaimed Filipino singing group, in raising funds for Bahay Aruga, a pediatric cancer patient support center in the Philippines. Tickets are now available for concerts across the Bay Area (including Union City, Hayward, Pinole, San Leandro, Los Gatos, South San Francisco, and San Francisco) from May 1 thru May 25. The closest venues are as follows:
May 1, 2025 (Sunday), 6pm, St. James the Apostle Catholic Church, Fremont, CA
May 21, 2025 (Wednesday), 7:00 PM, St. Raymond Catholic Church, Dublin, CA
May 22, 2025 (Thursday), 7:00 PM, Holy Spirit Church, Fairfield, CA
May 24, 2025 (Saturday), 7:00 PM, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Vallejo, CA
Enjoy a world-class concert with family and friends and support a great cause. The concert tickets are $25 each. Please contact Tom Santos via email (tomnets@pacbell.net) or phone (925-212-9252) to purchase tickets or obtain more information.
10.
This Week on FORMED
11.
"Walk to Mary" on Saturday, May 3
Who was the mysterious Simon of Cyrene?
Do we know much about the “passer-by” who helped carry Jesus’ own cross?
The Gospels say very little about the man who carried the cross to Golgotha with Jesus. In fact, only one sentence is dedicated to him in three gospels. The fourth gospel does not mention him at all.
All we know of Simon from the Scriptures is that he was native to Cyrene—a large city in northern Africa—and had sons named Alexander and Rufus.
We learn more about him from one of the Church’s modern mystics and visionaries: Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. Blessed Anne received visions of the Blessed Mother’s life and the Passion.
She begins thus concerning Simon:
At this moment Simon of Cyrene, a pagan, happened to pass by, accompanied by his three children. He was a gardener, just returning home after working in a garden near the eastern wall of the city and carrying a bundle of lopped branches.
Blessed Anne goes on to explain that the Romans chose him to help Jesus because he was pagan. They didn’t want to risk offending any of the Jews by making them help, but a pagan couldn’t refuse.
Simon was disgusted with Jesus’ condition and tried to refuse. How could they expect him—an honorable man—to walk with and assist a dirty, mutilated criminal?
The Romans, however, forced him to take up the cross.
Then everything changed.
Simon had not carried the cross after Jesus any length of time before he felt his heart deeply touched by grace.
That is the last we hear of Simon himself, but Blessed Anne’s words leave us with the hope—and expectation—that he became a Christian. It is likely that he did. After all, it is believed that his sons became well-known Christians, hence St. Mark mentioned them by name.
-getfed
Comunidad Hispana
Domingo de Pascua
¡Quiero darles la bienvenida a este, nuestro Día de la Victoria! Hoy es exponencialmente más grande que tener a nuestro equipo ganando las Finales de la NBA, el Super Bowl y la Serie Mundial, todo en el mismo año. Esas glorias son solo por un tiempo, ¡pero estamos hablando de una VICTORIA ETERNA!
En un juego deportivo, cuando se rompe una regla, el equipo que comete la infracción tiene que pagar una penalización. "Esas son las reglas", como dicen. Pero cuando se trataba de la infracción que nuestros primeros padres cometieron en el Jardín del
Edén, ningún castigo que pudiéramos ofrecer era suficiente para restaurar todo lo que se había perdido. Entonces, el Padre disfrazó su solución a este dilema enviando un bebé al mundo. Como cualquier otro niño en apariencia, éste obedecía todo lo que se le pedía. Aunque sin pecado, éste pagó el tremendo castigo por ese pecado de nuestros primeros padres y el
nuestro, de tal manera que el nombre de Jesús está por encima de todos los demás nombres en el cielo y en la tierra. (Filipenses 2:9-11).
¿De verdad conoces a aquel que murió por ti? Jesús tiene mucho más, quiere que tú y yo sepamos de Él. Esta es la razón por la que su instrucción de despedida a sus apóstoles fue recordarlo mientras nos reunimos en la Santa Misa. Su Presencia Real mora en la Iglesia que él mismo fundó: ¡la Santa Iglesia Católica fundada sobre la Roca! (Mateo 16:18).
- Padre Lawrence D'Anjou
Pastor
1.
Hora Santa de la Divina Misericordia:
domingo 27 de abril
Cuando el Papa San Juan Pablo II canonizó a Santa Faustina, también estableció el Domingo de la Divina Misericordia como día festivo para toda la Iglesia. La fiesta cae en el segundo domingo de Pascua de cada año. Joyce y Santiago Martínez tuvieron la oportunidad de visitar la Capilla de la Divina Misericordia en Cracovia, Polonia, y fue una experiencia que les cambió la vida. Al salir de la Capilla, se les dijo: "Ahora vayan y corran la voz sobre la Divina Misericordia". Estas palabras se quedaron con ellos, y les gustaría compartir el mensaje de la Divina Misericordia con nuestra Comunidad de San Buenaventura. Compartirán su historia y el mensaje de la Divina Misericordia durante la Hora Santa de la Divina Misericordia, con la Adoración, el rezo de la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia y la Bendición también.
2.
Rosario de San Judas Tadeo
- 28 de Abril
3.
El Campamento Bíblico es del 23 al 27 de junio de 2025
Es hora de ponerse en marcha... ¡Para la aventura! TRUE NORTH: Confiando en Jesús en un mundo salvaje
Ahora es el momento de planificar actividades para esos días soleados de verano. Nuestro Campamento Bíblico ofrece un programa preescolar para niños de 3 y 4 años que se reúne de 9:30 a 11:30 a.m. todos los días del campamento. Nuestro programa de Kinder a 6º grado se reúne de 9:30 a 12:30 p.m. Los estudiantes de 6º grado son futuros consejeros y participarán en algunas actividades de campamento realmente increíbles.
Las inscripciones comenzarán en la oficina el 31 de marzo. La información también se puede encontrar en el sitio web de la parroquia https://stbonaventure.net/vacation-bible-camp (o use el código QR).
El costo de inscripción es de $90 para niños en edad preescolar y $110 para estudiantes de primaria.
Las tarifas de inscripción aumentarán en $10 después del 18 de mayo. ¡Regístrese temprano!
Adultos, necesitamos que sean nuestros Líderes de Equipo. ¡Todo lo que necesitas es el deseo de divertirte mucho con los niños! Comuníquese con Eileen Limberg al 672-5800, Ext. 2204 o elimberg@stbonaventure.net para obtener más información
información.
Adolescentes: desde el 7º grado hasta la escuela secundaria: necesitamos que sean nuestros consejeros del campamento. Esta es una excelente manera de divertirse, compartir su fe y servir de diversas maneras en el campamento. Comuníquese con Jerome Baybayan al 672-5800, Ext. 2229 o jbaybayan@stbonaventure.net para obtener más información.
Ministry Notes
More news and events:
● Laundry Help for Those in Need: We have a ministry that volunteers at a laundromat once a month. They do the laundry for those in need: those needing shelter, families who have fled their countries, day laborers and others living on the edge. We need more volunteers so we can help more people. We provide the quarters and the laundry soap, dryer sheets and bleach. But hands are needed.
We volunteer on the fourth Saturday of the month. The laundromat is in Concord. We arrive at 8am and our last load goes in at 10am. To volunteer or ask any questions, please contact Norene Mason teammason@comcast.net.
● Staying connected - St Vincent de Paul: SVdP is here to help with temporary financial assistance to our parishioners in need. Please call the church at 925-672-5800 and ask or put in ext. 2234. Please leave your name, phone number and a brief message and one of our dedicated Vincentians will call you within 24 hours.
FORMED: Check out what’s being offered on FORMED this week by clicking here. Enjoy St. Bonaventure's subscription to FORMED, a premier online platform filled with over 4,000 Catholic studies, movies, audio dramas, talks, e-books, and even cartoons for our children. Click HERE for more information.
● Marriage Encounter: Learn to love your spouse more fully on the next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Experience. Both virtual and in-person Experiences are available. Go to www.wwme.org to find the Experience that is just right for you!
Ongoing
Schedule & Activities
Please visit our website at www.stbonaventure.net for the most up-to-date liturgy information.
For our full Mass schedule and additional information, please click HERE
Prayer, Spirituality and Formation
Prayers for Those Who Have Died Please join us in praying for members of our community who have died. You may find their names on our website. May they rest in peace.
Daily Mass Readings Click here
Mass Intentions, Online Prayer Vine & Drive-thru Prayer Information
Details here
Details here
Adoration & Friday Holy Hour
We offer Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after 9:00am Mass in the Chapel. Monday through Thursday, Adoration continues for one hour after Mass. Friday Adoration continues until 8:00pm. The Friday Holy Hour beginning at 2:00pm includes the Rosary and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Benediction takes place at 8:00pm.
Adoración al Santisimo
Todos los martes de 6:00 a 7:00 pm en la Iglesia
6:00 – Santa Misa
6:30 – Adoración y Reconciliación
Unción de los enfermos el primer martes de cada mes
Online Spiritual Communion Service Details here
Christian Centering Prayer Group Details here
STAYING CONNECTED
Sacraments, Pastoral Counseling, and Staff Support
We're here for you! Our clergy and pastoral staff are available to help. We can offer pastoral counseling by appointment, over the phone or by videocall, and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is available in person when needed. Please call the parish office at (925) 672-5800 to make an appointment. We offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the church on Fridays at 8:00am and on Saturdays at 3:30pm.
The office is open for walk-up visits, Monday-Thursday 8:30am-4:30pm (closed for lunch 1-1:30pm), and Friday 8:30am-12:30pm. Staff are also available by appointment. Please call the main office number or call or email the staff person directly.
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Food Pantry
The St. Bonaventure Food Pantry is open Tuesdays from 8:30-10:00am in the parish parking lot. See our website for more information. (Note: The Food Pantry thanks you for your continuing donations of food and other items, but is no longer requesting bags -- they have a sufficient supply.)
Thank you for the many ways you continue to support our community!
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Your Gifts Allow Us to Serve
THANK YOU. We are so grateful to all who share their financial gifts with our parish.
May God bless all of you and reward you abundantly for your support of your parish.
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May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.