Mission Statement
St. Joseph the Worker Parish is a diverse Catholic Community, which welcomes people from many different places in their faith journey and serves the Gospel of Jesus Christ through worship, education, social justice, service to the poor and engagement in community concerns.
New Bishop Named for Oakland
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appointed Fr Michael Charles Barber, sj, as the bishop of Oakland, California. Friday's appointment reduces the vacant sees in the United States from 10 to nine. Bishop-elect Barber succeeds Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, who was appointed to San Francisco in July 2012. Archbishop Alex J. Brunett, archbishop-emeritus of Seattle, has been serving as the apostolic administrator since last October. At the moment of his appointment, Bishop-elect Barber was serving as the director of spiritual formation at Saint John's Seminary in Brighton in the Archdiocese of Boston. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 13, 1954. He entered the Company of Jesus in 1973, after having attended Saint Pius X Preparatory School at Galt, California. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and history at Gonzaga University in 1978, completed his theological studies at Regis College at the University of Toronto in 1985, and obtained an ecclesiastical licence in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1989.
He was ordained to the priesthood for the Society of Jesus in 1985 and made his final vows in 2005. His previous pastoral assignments have included: missionary work in Western Samoa; assistant professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University; tutor and chaplain at the University of Oxford and bursar of the Campion Hall Jesuit Community; director of the School of Pastoral Leadership of the Archdiocese of San Francisco; professor and spiritual father at Saint Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park; and chaplain to the U.S. Navy Reserve. The 59-year-old bishop-elect speaks English, Italian, Spanish and Latin. His episcopal ordination will be on May 25th, 11 a.m., at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland.
Text from page of the Vatican Radio website.
Ordination & Installation of the New Bishop
Cathedral of Christ the Light
2121 Harrison St, Oakland, CA
Friday, May 24, 7:00 pm - Vespers
The Most Reverend Alexander Brunett, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Oakland, will preside at Vespers in the Cathedral of Christ the Light on the eve of Reverend Michael C. Barber, SJ's ordination and installation. During this service, Bishop-elect Barber will take the Profession of Faith and the Oath of Loyalty to the Holy See as required before his ordination, and will be greeted by representatives of the various communities, organizations, and institutions from throughout the diocese. Passes for Vespers are available by calling 510-496-7275.
Saturday, May 25, 11:00 am - Episcopal Ordination and Installation
The Mass of Ordination and Installation of Bishop-elect Michael C. Barber, SJ, will be celebrated in the Cathedral of Christ the Light on Saturday, May 25 at 11:00 am. The Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, will be the principal consecrating Bishop. He will be joined by the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See, the Most Reverend Carlo Maria Vigan&obreve;, Archbishops and Bishops from throughout the country, as well as the priests, deacons, and lay faithful of the diocese. You are invited and encouraged to attend and welcome our new bishop to the diocese. All are also invited to the vesper service in the Cathedral on Friday evening, May 24. Passes for these events may be obtained by contacting the chancery event hotline, 510-496-7275.
Sunday, May 26, 10:00 am - Mass of Thanksgiving
Bishop Barber will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at the regularly-scheduled Sunday Stational Mass in the Cathedral. This event is open to all who wish to attend.
ARE YOU READY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT?
by Catherine Doherty
Are you ready for the Holy Spirit? You know that he comes to you as he came to the apostles, and you can all be filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is really something. He explains everything to you. Remember what Christ said, "What you don't know, the Advocate will explain to you" (Jn 14:26).
When you want to understand something, why don't you pray to the Holy Spirit? Sometimes you get to know something better from him than from any of us. You should be praying to the Holy Spirit constantly, especially if you are in a seminary, because he is a special friend of the priests. He looks after the priests in a very special way as he did the apostles.
The Holy Spirit gives answers to your questions. From my own experience, when I can't solve something, I begin to pray to the Holy Spirit, and receive answers in my thoughts. I advise you to do that. And don't be afraid to call upon him if you are in danger. He keeps you safe. I remember once I had to go out at night to nurse somebody in Harlem and I saw two guys coming toward me and I knew exactly what they were going to do. I didn't have any money, but they didn't know that. They were coming toward me and I said, "Holy Spirit, help me because they are going to attack me." And you know what? They came up to me and said, "How are you? I hope, okay." And they passed me by! Now there you are.
The Holy Spirit is there for you under many conditions. Sometimes you are confronted with a very vital situation and you feel that you should talk to the Holy Spirit about it because what you think seems all right might be all wrong. Suppose your people want you to take a job some place and you don't feel for sure that it is a good spot to go. Well, pray to the Holy Spirit and he will give you an answer. At least he always does for me. When I was deciding to give up everything and follow God directly, it was quite a struggle, you know. So I talked to the Holy Spirit and asked him what he thought about it. At that time I had a strange answer: "Do it." So I did it, and here I am. Yes, here I am. It is astonishing, absolutely astonishing.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit is indicated regularly, because people forget him. They pray to Jesus Christ and they pray to the Father, but they forget the Advocate who teaches us. So pray to him quite often. It is impossible to tell you how wonderful he is, and how important. The average Catholic may not think he is important, but he is very important.
For the Spirit, the divine Consoler, has come to us as he came to the apostles and gives us inward light, as he did them. He was sent to help them to grasp the mysteries revealed by Jesus. He does the same for us. He was sent to enable them to expound the inexhaustible depths of those mysteries to us. With his help we in our own way can both live those mysteries and expound them to others.
Thanks to the Holy Spirit we are now dwelling in God's light that purifies us from the darkness in which the world delights. It gives knowledge and a taste for the things of God. It is the light that enkindles our understanding, a light that discloses a new world to us.
But the Holy Spirit has come to cast fire on earth! Our hearts are transformed if we receive him with an open heart! In those who receive him, the Holy Spirit infuses a burning charity. For Christ desired that the lives of Christians would set people's hearts on fire. That is why the Spirit came the first time in the shape of tongues of fire.
The first preaching of the apostles was but the beginning of a missionary work which is to know no limit and no halt until the end of time. People of all races, of every country and of every generation are drawn into it. And so are we. Alleluia!
We celebrate Pentecost yearly but I think Pentecost could be celebrated every day. Each day he is with me and holds me tight. All of me. He is like my cloak that covers me up and I am safe. And you too. Yes, he keeps you really safe. So I hope you are going to pray to him. It is so very important that you do.Adapted from the writings of Catherine Doherty.
Catherine Doherty (1896-1985), born in Russia, was foundress of Madonna House and a prolific writer and teacher. Her passionate zeal impelled her to pass on her faith in God, and she is now being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church.
Copyright: Madonna House Publications – With Permission under a Creative Commons License.
