A Word from the Pastor



July 25, 2025

I am so pleased that Bishop Michael Pham has appointed Fr. George Perez, CJM, as the next pastor of St. Patrick Parish, effective September 1, 2025. I have known Fr. George for many years and he is a very spiritual and dedicated priest. We spent nine months together in the Philippines when he was still a seminarian. You may remember that he was ordained a priest by Bishop (now Cardinal) Robert McElroy right here at St. Patrick’s. Due to covid restrictions, it took place on the basketball court of the school.

This will be the first time that Fr. George serves as a pastor. He has plenty of parish experience though, both as a priest and many years as a full-time parish ministry as a layperson. He brings his many talents to our parish. Coincidentally, Fr. George is the same age that I was when I became a pastor for the first time in Buffalo.

Fr. George has also been saying our Spanish Masses on occasions when we needed extra help over the last few years. He will introduce himself more after September 1, and you will all have the opportunity to get to know him better. Please join me in thanking God for this new appointment. Let us give Fr. George the kind of welcome for which St. Patrick Parish is well known.

I am also pleased that Bishop Pham has allowed me to continue to minister at St. Patrick’s in a new role. He has appointed me as senior associate pastor. Unlike Fr. Ben and Fr. Bill, who are both retired (but still do a lot of ministry here), I will remain a member of the parish staff. This will give me the opportunity to continue working with our wonderful parish staff and many dedicated volunteers through many of our ministries. I will assist Fr. George in any way that he wishes. Fr. Azam Mansha will become the associate pastor at St. James and St. Leo in Solana Beach with Fr. Ricardo Chinchilla, the pastor.

I have been telling many people, “While I have retired from administration, I have not retired from ministry.” I am grateful to Bishop Pham and Fr. George for allowing me to continue as a member of the team here at St. Patrick Parish. In addition to some of the things I have done in the past, I will have more time for teaching and involvement in various parish ministries.

I have so appreciated my six years as pastor of this wonderful Christian community. The support that so many people have shown to me has been extremely gratifying. I thank the Lord for all of you and look forward to continuing to minister among you. 

In one Heart,

Fr. Ron 

 rmbagley@yahoo.com

Seek Ask Knock

This Sunday’s gospel includes the injunction of Jesus to seek, ask and knock. These words are central to our Christian understanding of prayer and humanity's relationship with God. They describe the active and persistent nature of prayer, emphasizing that God desires a relationship with humanity and responds to those who earnestly approach God.



This short reflection helps us to focus on the implications of seeking, asking and knocking in our prayer life.

Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus



Beginning in 2021, the Church combined veneration of Mary and Lazarus with Martha, celebrated on July 29 (previously it had been only the Memorial of St. Martha). The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments said, “In the household of Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the one who humiliated death.”

 Birth Choice Baby Bottle Drive

Once again, St. Patrick Parish will conduct a baby bottle drive to support the work of Birth Choice of San Marcos. Birth Choice is a pregnancy center and medical clinic that counsels women who are in unplanned or crisis pregnancies. They provide free ultrasounds to all clients and receive no government funding.

The Baby Bottle Drive funds those ultrasounds. Each one costs about $250 and the machines are in excess of $25K. St. Patrick’s donations last year enabled Birth Choice to provide our clients with over 25 free ultrasounds. Of those many were abortion minded. Birth Choice will soon be establishing a Fatherhood counseling program and also an Abortion Pill Reversal regimen.

Baby bottles will be distributed on the patio on this weekend July 26-27.

Please take a bottle and put your change, currency or a check in it. Each cent goes into the ultrasound ministry. (Make checks payable to Birth Choice of San Marcos.) Please return the filled bottles in the next week or two to the black bins located at the entrance of the church.

Parish Bookkeeper Needed for Immediate Start

Our parish is in need of a full-time bookkeeper to join our parish staff. We are looking for a person of faith with a commitment to our parish and mission. The person should have a college bachelor’s degree or equivalent in finance, accounting, communication or equivalent and we prefer at least 5 years of successful work experience managing business enterprise(s). It is important that the person has proficiency with Cloud-based QuickBooks, Excel and church-management software. The successful applicant needs strong organizational, communication, and confidentiality skills, as well as attention to detail. A valid California drivers’ license is also necessary.

If you or someone you know is a good fit for this position, share the attached job description or call the parish office at 760-729-2866

Help Hector with His Project

As you may or may not know, we have four youth from St. Pat’s that are currently serving on the National Youth Advisory Council (NYAC).  Each member is supposed to organize a service project as part of their experience on the team. One of our members is reaching out to our community for help. His name is Hector Saldana. Please read what Hector has to say below:

Hi everyone.  My name is Hector Saldana and I am one of four youth elected from St. Patrick’s youth ministry to be on the National Youth Advisory Council. Every year all the council members have to do a special project for their local communities. My project is a backpack drive for families and students in our local community that need supplies for this upcoming school year. I am asking for new or gently used supplies like Pens, Pencils, Colored Markers, Plastic folders and any other necessities for back to school. I can guarantee that each and every donation will be put to use.  I ask you to bring those to the Mass of your choosing on August 2 and 3. Members of our youth ministry service team, along with myself, will be on the patio collecting the supplies. We will get them delivered to an assortment of elementary schools in the surrounding area. Thank you for your help ahead of time.

Annual Catholic Appeal

ACA is an important part of the Church’s outreach in the Diocese of San Diego. Every parish has to support the mission of the Diocese. Our goal this year is high: $105,875. It is a challenge for us to achieve it.

So far, we have only collected about $72,000. We need another $33,000 to reach our goal. If we do not reach our goal, our parish must make up the difference. Please help us and the Diocese by making your contribution. The brochures that describe the good ministries done by ACA and how to contribute are located at the doors of the church. If you have any questions, call the parish office or stop by. Thank you for your support.

Click the link below to make your contribution.

Goldberg Variations by JS Bach



This 2017 recording of Bach’s famous piece is played by Andras Schiff. Be prepared to relax and enjoy this recording that lasts 1 hour 16 minutes.

Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA)

The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is the process through which people become fully initiated into the Catholic community. This includes:

• Adults who have never been baptized
• Adults who were baptized in another Christian religion but now want to join the Catholic Church
• Adults who were baptized as Catholics but never received the Sacrament of Confirmation (OCIA is not for adolescents; adults only)

Our program meets on Sunday mornings after the 9:00 am Mass. It is held in the parish center from 10:00 to 11:00 am. Except for a few holiday weekends, it meets every Sunday. The first session will be Sunday, September 14, 2025.

Regular attendance is important. Those who complete the process will receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil (April 4, 2026).



To get enrolled, you need to make an appointment with Fr. Ron. Email him at rmbagley@yahoo.com

Online Giving Reminder

If you currently use Online Giving for your electronic giving, please make sure you login to the application frequently to make sure your payment method is current and your donations are being processed.

Click on the Online Giving icon below to create or access your account.

Catholic Trivia

"Catholic Trivia”... not because they are trivial but because these might be things that not everyone knows. Test your knowledge by reading the five questions, remember your answers (or jot them down), then click the link below to find the answers.



1. Which pope called for the Second Vatican Council?
2. Which pope finished the Second Vatican Council?
3. In what years did Vatican II begin and end?
4. The work of Vatican II was collected in a number of documents. How many documents did the Council Fathers vote on and approve by a large majority?
5. When did the First Vatican Council occur?

Feel free to email Fr. Ron with ideas for future Catholic Trivia questions rmbagley@yahoo.com