I am proud to say that I am a product of Catholic education. I attended a parish elementary school, a diocesan Catholic high school and, of course, the seminary for college. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have received such a solid academic program as well as a strong foundation in my faith. It began in my family, continued in Catholic school, and resulted in my decision to answer the call to serve Christ in his Church.
I am also very proud to be the pastor of a parish that has an outstanding Catholic elementary school. I am grateful for the leadership team and the teachers at our school, our wonderful students, and our loyal and committed parents. All these participants working together make our school outstanding among the Catholic schools of our county.
Every year Catholic parishes and schools observe Catholic Schools Week. It is usually at the end of January. This year it is January 29 – February 3. It is an opportunity to celebrate that we are able to offer a Catholic education that has high academic standards, has a strong Catholic identity, builds character and Christian virtues, and involves students in service to those in need.
The theme for this year’s observance is: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work. Following on this theme, our school is celebrating the teams of people that make our Catholic school possible. We acknowledge the important role played by our school staff, teachers, and classroom aides. These are the people who contribute daily the leadership our school needs. They do so with dedication and often a great deal of self-sacrifice.
Our students make up an important part of the team. They are so much more than passive recipients. Our students are given age-appropriate opportunities to lead, give input and share in the mission of the school: to be the light.
Essential to the team is the participation of parents and family members. So many of our parents are involved in planning for the future of the school as well for the operation of so many support services to the daily activities of the school. I want to make special mention of grandparents who financially support their grandchildren’s education and are involved in so many school activities.
I have always insisted that the success of a parochial school (by the way, we are not a private school) is the partnership forged between the parish, the school, and our families. We are constantly looking for ways to build bridges between the school and the parish. We are eager for our parishioners of all ages to connect with our school. We always encourage school families to take an active role in the parish. Our priests and parish staff offer their ministry in the school as well as the parish.
Yes, “it takes a village to raise a child,” as the African proverb says. It takes all of us working together to raise young disciples of the Lord.
On February 2, we observe the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, honoring Jesus Christ’s presentation in the Temple when he was a young child. As Pope St. John Paul II said: “God enters the temple not as a powerful ruler but as a little child in his Mother’s arms. The King of glory comes not with a show of human force and power, not with a great fanfare and noise, not causing fright and destruction. He comes into the temple as he came into the world, as an infant in silence, in poverty, and in the company of the poor and the wise.” Candles are often blessed on this day.
That day is also observed as a day on which to acknowledge those who have heard the Lord’s call to Consecrated Life (religious women and men, societies of apostolic life, contemplatives and cloistered, etc.). Pope Francis has said this: Consecrated life is born and reborn of an encounter with Jesus as he is: poor, chaste and obedient… And while worldly life soon leaves our hands and hearts empty, life in Jesus fills us with peace to the very end, as in the Gospel, where Simeon and Anna come happily to the sunset of their lives with the Lord in their arms and joy in their hearts.
The following day is the Memorial of St. Blaise, a day on which some people like to have their throats blessed. On February 3, we will offer the Blessing of Throats at our two parish Masses: 7:00 am and 8:00 am.
What Does Jesus Mean by Old Wineskins?
Did you ever wonder what Jesus meant when he said “no one puts new wine into old wineskins”? This short article offers a very nice meditation on the spiritual meaning of that teaching.
This is so entertaining! This performance by the Czech Boys Choir at the International Music
Festival may bring a smile to your face.
Thank You and Tax Letters
Thank you for remembering St. Patrick Parish this Christmas, and throughout all of 2022. We are especially grateful for helping us to fund the many extra projects we have had.
Tax letters will be sent out by the end of January. If you do not receive one, or have questions about yours, please contact Mary McLain at 760.729.0717, mmclain@stpatrickcarlsbad.com
Please remember to log in to your Online Giving account to make sure your payment method is up to date and that your gifts are being processed.
Please support the Parish Construction and Repair Fund using Online Giving
For help with forgotten passwords, please contact Online Giving technical support at 800.348.2886, ext. 2.
Click on the Online Giving logo below to create or access your account.
We appreciate your support!
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.
What are the three Sacraments of Initiation?
What are the two Sacraments of Healing?
What are the two Sacraments of Service?
How many sacraments do Episcopalians and Lutherans have?
How many sacraments do the Orthodox Churches have?
If you have other members of your family or your friends who would like to be on our email list, just let me know or write to Mary McLain at mmclain@stpatrickcarlsbad.com We will be pleased to add them.
Today’s reading is the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is found in Matthew’s Gospel. The form of the Beatitudes found here is not unique to Jesus. Beatitudes are found in the Old Testament, in the psalms, and in wisdom literature, for example. They are a way to teach about who will find favor with God.
We quickly note in this reading that the people whom Jesus calls “blessed” and “happy” are not people we think of as blessed or happy . . . the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted. This Gospel is one of reversals. Jesus’ blueprint for happiness reflects little of what the world might call happiness.
“Blessed” is sometimes translated as happy, fortunate, or favored. In other words, Jesus is saying that divine favor is upon those who are poor, those who mourn, those who are persecuted. This news might have been welcome—and surprising—to the crowds who heard Jesus that day.
The Beatitudes can be understood as a framework for Christian living. Our vocation as Christians is not to be first in this world, but rather to be first in the eyes of God. By referring to the good things that the faithful will experience, Matthew reminds us that those who act in the manner described in the Beatitudes will find their reward with God.
Blest Are They
This Sunday’s gospel reading gives us the Beatitudes at the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew’s gospel. Reflect on these words as you listen to sung version.
Garage Sale
The Monthly Ye Olde Garage Sale will be Sunday, February 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. We have Valentine, St. Patrick's, and some Easter articles just waiting on our shelves for you to come and see. Come visit us at the Ye Olde Garage. We would love to see you.
February 20 is President's Day and the Ye Olde Garage will be closed on that day.
The next Family Mass will be celebrated on Sunday February 26 at 9:00 am. This will be the First Sunday of Lent. Bring the children to hear more about Lent.
World Youth Day and Eudist Pilgrimage
The Eudist fathers are organizing a group of teens and chaperones to go on a Eudist pilgrimage and "World Youth Day, Lisbon 2023" adventure!
Support our parish young people for their pilgrimage by making a donation through Online Giving. Choose Fund "Other" and indicate for WYD!
“En aquel tiempo, cuando Jesús vio a la muchedumbre, subió al monte y se sentó. Entonces se le acercaron sus discípulas. Enseguida comenzó a enseñarles, hablándoles así, ‘Dichosos los pobres del espíritu, porque de ellos es el Reino de los cielos… Alégrense y salten de contento, porque su premio será grande en los cielos’”. Mateo 5: 1-12. Este domingo, el Evangelio de San Mateo nos cuenta la historia cuando Jesús ensena a la muchedumbre de cómo debe vivir el cristiano en el mundo. Que la meta del discípulo es el Reino de los cielos, y no las cosas del mundo. Sabemos que las cosas del mundo son pasajeras, y la alegría y la paz que prometen son falsas. Esta semana Jesús nos da su plan, los lineamientos, para alcanzar la paz dentro de nosotros y empezar a vivir el Reino de los cielos aquí, que son las Bienaventuranzas. Cristo dice, “dichosos los pobres de espíritu, de los que lloran y sufren, de los que tienen hambre y sed de justicia, de los que son misericordiosos y los limpios de corazón, de los que trabajan por la paz y son perseguidos por causa de la justicia. Para ellos “el premio será grande en los Cielos”. Este estilo de vivir, que no la demostró Jesucristo clavado en la cruz, es el estilo de vida que todos debemos luchar de vivir. Para Dios, todos somos iguales, y necesitamos estar atentos a las necesidades de otros, no importa su color o sexo, su religión o edad. Si alguien tiene poder, usarlo para el bien de todos, especialmente por los pobres. Estamos viviendo juntos este tiempo de la historia para hacer el mundo mejor, para que se vea el Reino de los cielos en cada lugar, aun en esos lugares difíciles y oscuros. Meditemos sobre las Bienaventuranzas, ¿Qué te dicen? ¿Cómo te retan?
Our parish offices are open, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 4:30pm
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