St. Paul Catholic Church

Mark your calendars: our Lenten Communal Penance Service will be on March 27th, this coming Thursday. Take this opportunity to be reconciled with God, the church and others in the Sacrament of Confession. Priests from neighboring parishes will be coming to help us out in hearing confession.

Next weekend, March 29 and 30, our parish will take up The Catholic Relief Services Collection. Funds from this collection provide food to the hungry, support displaced refugees, and bring Christ’s love and mercy to all people here and abroad. Next week, please give generously to the collection and reveal Christ’s love to those most in need.

Next Friday March 28th from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM, the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas will be serving Fish Fry in the Parish Hall.

Ja'net Blea, representing the Social Justice Ministry, received $1,300.00 from parishioners, which was used to purchase 400 tarps and 180 beanies. These items were distributed to the homeless within our community at the Loaves and Fishes in Sacramento. There are 700 homeless people who come into this facility daily. During the same campaign, the Knights of Columbus received $2,081.52 in generous donations from our parishioners. This money was used to purchase 230 coats, which were distributed to our parishioners, and neighbors in need of a coat, two weeks ago. For all of us who had contributed food for the Reception of Fr. Felipe’s Memorial Mass last March 10, 2025—we thank you very much. May God in his goodness bless you and your families.

Lent and Easter

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season in which the faithful are called to reflect on the Paschal Mystery more intentionally. It is a time of spiritual renewal and to examine one’s relationship with God and others more carefully. It is also a time in which catechumens prepare to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. The Church calls everyone, therefore, to a spirit of penance through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Fasting and Abstinence
In order to foster a spirit of repentance and unite ourselves more closely to Christ, Church law requires the observance of Abstinence and Fasting during Lent. (For further study, see Pope Paul VI’s apostolic constitution on the subject.

Abstinence
All persons, 14 years and older, are obliged to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent. “. . .[Any] parish or diocesan institution or group which sponsors an event which includes a meal is not to serve meat on any Friday during the year”. Other forms of abstinence, for example abstinence from alcoholic beverages, television, video games, the internet, and social media, are also beneficial. 

Fasting
Everyone from ages 18 to 59 is obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Voluntary fasting on other weekdays of Lent, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays, is highly recommended. Fasting is understood to mean that one full meal may be eaten. Two other small meals may be eaten, but together they should not equal a full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted.

When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, neither the law of fasting nor the law of abstinence obliges. If in doubt, one’s parish priest or confessor should be consulted. Airport workers, travelers, and others while on board ships or airplanes are dispensed from the laws of fast and abstinence for the duration of their journey (except on Good Friday). It is desirable that they perform some other pious act instead.

Prayer
Catholics are urged to read and pray with sacred Scripture more intently during Lent, and to deepen their faith by reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The faithful are encouraged to participate in special devotions offered by the parish, especially parish penance services and Eucharistic adoration. Other devotions such as the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and praying for vocations to the priesthood and religious life are also encouraged.

All start at 6:00 PM

March 26 - St. Charles Borromeo - Sacramento

March 28 – 29 – 24 HOURS FOR THE LORD at St. Stephen, the First Martyr Church beginning at noon on March 28th until noon on March 29th (Address: 5461 44th St, Sacramento, CA 95820).

April 2 – St. Joseph - Elk Grove  

April 8 – St. Peter/All Hallows - Sacramento ​

April 9 – St. Maria Goretti - Elk Grove

April 11 – St. Rose of Lima - Sacramento

OUR LENTEN SCHEDULE Saturdays of Lent The hours of the Sacrament of Penance will start earlier: 2:00 PM until 3:45 PM. LENTEN COMMUNITY PENANCE SERVICE March 27: Thursday 6:00 PM STATIONS OF THE CROSS In all Fridays of Lent (except on Good Friday) we will have the traditional Stations of the Cross in the church. The English Stations of the Cross will be at 6:00 PM and followed by a Bread and Soup Dinner in the Parish Hall. The Spanish Sta- tions of the Cross will be at 7:00 PM. Here is the schedule of the proposed sponsors for the Bread and Soup Dinner in the Parish Hall: March 7 - Legion of Mary March 14 - Hospitality Ministry March 21 - Multicultural Group March 28 - Knights of Columbus & Catholic Daughters of the Americas (Fish Fry) April 4 - Sto. Niño Group/CFF April 11 - Parish & Finance Councils

We are well into the Jubilee Year – Pilgrims of Hope! We encourage you and your family to continue living the Jubilee throughout this year. One of the ways to do this is to reflect upon the three themes for the Jubilee introduced by Bishop Soto: 1) To See God; 2) To Be Living Stones in His Temple, and 3) To Unite All Creation in Christ. Each quarter of 2025, we will be focus on a specific theme. Between now until the end of March, we invite you to reflect upon the 1st theme: To See God inspired by the scripture passage from 1 John 3:2-3, “We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure as he is pure.” For reflection and prayer resource, please visit www.scd.org/ Jubilee2025 to access these materials.

With faith in the risen Lord, Rev. Fr. Felipe H. Paraguya passed away on Thursday, December 19, 2024 in the Philippines. He was 87 years old. Fr. Paraguya served the Diocese for over 20 years. He stayed in St. Paul Parish for the remaining years of his service to the diocese as a Priest-in-residence. He loved St. Paul Church. He donated much of his financial savings to the Parish. Whenever he had a fund raising in his name, he donated everything to the Parish. He spent his time helping out in the sacramental life and activities of the Parish. Please pray for the repose soul of Fr.Felipe H. Paraguya. May you rest in peace Father Ipeng. NOTES OF CONDOLENCES: GRACE CAPULONG (NIECE ) 3793 FAIRFAX WAY SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94080

BABY GOODS COLLECTIONS RETURN

For the remainder of Feb and until the end of March, we are once again collecting donations of new baby goods. All donations are given to one of the following: The Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home, the Sacramento Life Center, The Gabriel Project. Help save the life of an unborn baby by helping Moms in a Crisis Pregnancy with your donations. Thank you and God Bless you. Please place your donations of NEW articles in one of the two playpens in the vestibules of the church. Your Parish Respect Life Team

MARCH FOR LIFE COMES TO SACRAMENTO! 

That's right! It is planned for Monday, March 31st. It will begin at Noon with a Rally at 1315 10th St in Sacramento. The March will begin at 1 PM on N St. to 15th St, go to L St and end mid-block at 10th Street. Please mark the date on your calendar and as we get more details about The March we shall share them with you. Meantime please share this info with our friends and family on social media. Your Parish Respect Life Team.

RESPECT LIFE TEAM INVITES MORE VOLUNTEERS. 

Now's the time to get involved saving lives of Unborn Children from abortion! We are looking for parishioners from ALL masses. Our projects are ...Sacramento March for Life; Forty Days for Life; Baby Goods Donations; Spiritual Adoption; End of Life issues; Advance Directives, and more!! Learn as you join, no experience needed, just the desire to express your Pro-Life self! Call or text John and Lynn at 916-500.1485 or email to [email protected]. God Bless and Thank You! Lynn and John Bertaut.

Wednesdays January 8th – April 9th 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Location: St. Joseph Catholic Church 717 N. Bradford Avenue Placentia, CA, 92870 Divorced, Catholic, Now What? St. Joseph Parish in Placentia is sponsoring a 13 Week Journey of Hope Divorce Recovery Series on Wednesday evenings from 7 – 8:30p.m. beginning Wednesday, January 8th through April 9th. The series offers much needed support, healing and help to answer questions asked resulting from a separation or divorce. The program is designed to help divorced and separated Catholics recover by more fully learning and living their faith. The sessions will be held in person and online. Meetings occur by Zoom or In-Person Register at: https://www.osvhub.com/stjosephplacentia/forms/ journey-of-hope-series-winter2025

As Pope Francis opened the Jubilee Year of Hope at the Vatican for the whole Catholic Church, we are encouraged to have a pilgrimage and receive the blessing of this Jubilee year. In the pamphlets that you picked up last Christmas, we have recommended ways to do during this Jubilee Year. One of them is to visit the designated churches of the diocese and make a pilgrimage. There are corresponding stickers of the churches that you would paste on them once you visit any designated church. Let us make ourselves pilgrim of hope as we journey through this Holy Year with much intent in our spiritual life.