A Word from the Pastor

September 8, 2023

We are in the midst of the Jewish High Holy Days. The two main High Holy Days are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. All Jewish holidays follow the lunar calendar, which is why they begin on a different date every year. This year, the High Holy Days are September 15-17  for Rosh Hashanah and September 24-25 for Yom Kippur. Some years they can begin as late as October. It's also important to note that all Jewish holidays begin at sundown the night before, and last through sundown on the last day of the holiday.

Why is this important for us? It is because Catholics and all Christian are sprung from the roots of our Jewish ancestors. Jesus and all his first disciples were thoroughly Jewish. They celebrated these holy days. 

Rosh Hashanah means "head of the year" in Hebrew. As the first holiday in the Jewish calendar year, it is essentially the celebration of the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is considered a time for renewal, reflection, and excitement for the possibilities the new year may bring.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in Judaism because it is believed to be the day the Book of Life is sealed. It is also known as the Day of Judgment or the Day of Atonement and is observed by fasting and intense prayer. Many Jews spend much of the day at synagogue, repenting and asking for forgiveness of their sins, as well as the sins of others. The day ends with again blowing the shofar, symbolizing the closing of the Book of Life. Traditionally, Jews may then break the day-long fast with a celebratory meal at home with family after sundown.

Even as we Catholics profess our belief in Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God, and Savior of the world, we also recognize God’s unfailing, steadfast love for His chosen people, Israel. In our mission of preaching Christ to the world, we do not dismiss or reject the spiritual treasures of the Jewish people. Also, as Pope St. John Paul II said in Miami in 1987: “Differences in faith should not cause enmity but open up the way of reconciliation, so that in the end ‘God may be all in all’ (1 Corinthians 15:28).” Similarly, Pope Benedict XVI said that in those areas of faith in which we diverge, “we need to show respect and love for one another”

Vatican II condemned all forms of anti-Semitism and called it a sin. This has been restated by every pope since the 1960s. The Church has repeatedly stressed that Jews are not responsible for the death of Jesus. These old prejudices need to be purged from our thoughts. Pope John Paul II referred to Jews as “our elder brothers and sisters.” That should be our attitude as well.

I am pleased to be able to accept the invitation of Temple Solel (Cardiff-by-the-Sea) to join their congregation in prayer on the evening of September 24. During these holy days, let us pray for and with our Jewish friends and greet them in a spirit of shalom.



In one Heart,

Fr. Ron 

To send an email to Fr. Ron Bagley, please use [email protected]

Other addresses may not work.

Book Giveaway

Through the generosity of several parishioners, we are able to offer a small book free of charge to our parishioners. The book is entitled This Is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival by Bishop Robert Barron. In this brief but illuminating text, Bishop Barron offers a threefold analysis of the Eucharist as (1) sacred meal, (2) sacrifice, and (3) real presence, “helping readers to understand the sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood more thoroughly so that they might fall in love with him more completely.”

You can pick up your free copy of this book this weekend September 9-10 on the church patio after our English Masses. Please take only one book per family and consider sharing it with a friend.

Two Feasts That Are Related

Two similar feasts are celebrated this week: the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14 is followed on September 15 by the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Two liturgical celebrations that invite us to make a spiritual pilgrimage to Calvary. They encourage us to unite ourselves with the Virgin Mary in contemplating the mystery of the Cross.

Christianity has its principal symbol in the cross. Wherever the Gospel has put down roots, the cross is there to indicate the presence of Christians. In churches and homes, in hospitals and schools, in cemeteries - the cross has become better than any other, the sign of a culture that draws from the message of Christ truth and liberty, trust and hope.

In the process of secularization that characterizes a great part of the contemporary world, it is all the more important for believers to fix their gaze on this central sign of Revelation and accept its original and genuine meaning.

Even today, following the teaching of the early Fathers, the Church presents the Cross to the world as "the tree of life", from which one can receive the ultimate and full meaning of every single existence and of the whole of human history.

From when Jesus made it the instrument of universal salvation, the Cross is no longer synonymous with a curse, but, on the contrary, with a blessing. For the human person, tormented by doubt and sin, it reveals that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3,16). In a word, the cross is the supreme symbol of love.

[adapted from an Angelus address by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002]

What Is Yom Kippur?

Learn the basics of the Day of Atonement in 3 minutes. Yom Kippur is the most holy day of the Jewish year and it is full of spiritual opportunities if you open yourself up to its customs, prayers and melodies. This short video is a basic primer on what Yom Kippur is. It explains what the holiday is about, where it comes from, what takes place at a service and how to break the fast! A great intro for Jews and non-Jews alike.

Franz Josef Haydn

Haydn’s Symphony No.47 in G Major "Palindrome" is performed by the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra with Adam Fischer. Sit back and enjoy the four movements for about 20 minutes.

RCIA Is For You If You Are:

• an adult (18+) who has never been part of a formal religion 
• an adult who was baptized in a faith tradition other than Catholicism 
• an adult who received some but not all of the sacraments 
• an adult who was raised in another faith and now wishes to become Catholic

We are now forming a new group of catechumens and candidates. The English group will meet on Sunday mornings beginning this Sunday, September 10. This is a change from our meeting date in the past. We will invite the English group to attend the 9:00 am Mass together and then stay for another hour of formation after the Mass.



Those in the English group can sign up or seek further information by contacting Fr. Ron at [email protected] or 760-729-2866 or our coordinators Brick and Rebecca Langford at [email protected]

Learn More about the Eucharist

As a part of the Diocesan Institute, Fr. Ron Bagley will be teaching a six week course entitled The Eucharist and Sunday. It will be held here at St. Patrick Parish Center on Tuesday evenings, beginning on September 12, 6:30-9:00 pm and concluding on October 24 (skipping September 26).

The course will explore the biblical and liturgical meaning of Sunday, and the Eucharist, sacrament of the Paschal Mystery, as source and summit of the Christian life. Because this course will explore the biblical, theological and liturgical foundations of the Eucharist, it is very appropriate at the beginning of the National Eucharistic Revival year. 

Registration is being handled by the Diocesan Institute office. Contact them at https://sdcatholic.org/office-for/diocesan-institute/course-schedule/ or call (858) 490-8212. This course can be used for credit toward diocesan certification or for personal enrichment. If you have questions, contact Fr. Ron.

Sunday Collection for 8/27/2023

 Envelope Collection     $7,870.00

 Plate Collection              $9,055.00

 Online Giving     $14,456.63

     Total Collection: $31,381.63

  We are grateful for the generosity of all of our parishioners and visitors.

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.

Jewish Trivia (in honor of the High Holy Days)

1. What book (or books) are the foundation for all Jewish beliefs and practices?
2. Are Jews, Israelites, and Hebrews all the same people?
3. In what country were the Jewish people kept as slaves and who did God choose to lead them to freedom?
4. What is the ancient distinction between the Temple and a synagogue? 
5. What is the female counterpart to a bar mitzvah?

Feel free to email Fr. Ron with ideas for future Catholic Trivia questions [email protected]