December 31, 2011 – January 1, 2012
Quietly and without any fanfare, Jeannie Prioli and her HANDS Across the County volunteers minister in OUR name, offering the love and help of our Corpus Christi Community to those in need, right here in Orange County. THANK YOU Jeannie for taking our hearts and sharing them those who are alone, frightened, hungry, poor and confused. This is one of the THANK YOU’s we received for OUR participation in helping out this season: “I want to extend a HUGE thank you to the more than 125 donors and volunteers that joined the Rehab Team to help make the 13th annual Motel Kids Christmas party a wonderful success! Thanks to the generous donations from the community, SJO Staff and physicians, 84 children and 25 parents were thrilled and delighted with a fun filled day of games, crafts, face painting, a balloon artist, visits with therapy dogs, the Laker and Clipper girls, soccer with Lance Freisz of the MLS Galaxy , wrapping gifts for Mom, Wii, photos with ice sculptures, Clinique make-overs and manicures, lunch provided by Olive Garden, Zitos, Oggys and Togos and ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. SANTA arrived to shower them with gifts including new shoes and socks, courtesy of Corpus Christi Catholic Church, sweatshirts from Billie’s T’s, filled gift bags courtesy of the HR department, blankets, socks and stockings from McDowell Elementary School in Laguna Niguel, knit caps, stuffed animals, Target gift cards, AMC movie tickets, soccer balls, McDonalds, In N Out, Wendy’s and Ralphs certificates. Other community donors included the Fitzgerald Foundation, Starbucks, and Kohl’s. The children and staff from the Womens’ Transitional Living Center for abused women and the Garden Grove Boys and Girls club were overwhelmed at the generosity, kindness and enthusiasm of the St. Joseph Family. Thank you for sharing the true spirit of Christmas with the youngest and most vulnerable of our neighbors. Kathy Berger, PT, MPT, St. Joseph Hospital Director of Physical Rehabilitation Services and The Wound Care Center.
Our THANKS and APPRECIATION go out to Rick Zimmer and Marcos Vincent for our December ‘POPs Mom’s Day To Shop’ event. Special thanks as well go to their volunteers: Marcos Vincent for another stellar job with set-up and clean up; Gil Romo for bulletin stuffing; Marc Jordan for AV set-up and consulting on our Christmas decor
Porky’s Pizza for more great $9 pizzas; Linda Palomino and HAVEN teens for use of the HAVEN basement and popcorn machine; Santa Claus for his prompt arrival and patient ear listening to our children and their wish lists.
With 2012 fast approaching, please make sure you get these opportunities marked on your calendar….
Corpus Christi Adult Faith Formation presents “Discernment and the Spiritual Journey” a reflective spiritual course focused on the topic of vocation and “calling”. From everyday “simple issues” to “What should I do with the rest of my life?,” this course will explore the grand topic of discernment and insights from scripture , the saints and modern spiritual thinkers. The class will be taught by Shawn Wehan (Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation) and will involve spiritual reading, lecture and small group sharing. The class will take place on Monday evenings at 7PM and repeated Tuesday mornings at 10AM. The following are the course dates: January 2 & 3, 9 & 10, 16 & 17
In addition…please make plans for these…
Jan 30 & 31 February 6 & 7, 13 & 14: Couples of the Bible February 27 & 28, March 5 & 6, 19 & 20, 26 & 27: The Theology of the Pascal Mystery Lenten special events: March 2nd Friday Soup — Movie/Reflections: “The Way March 16th Friday Soup — Prayer Labyrinth March 30th Stations of the Cross April 16 & 17, 23 & 24, 30 & May 1, 7 :
Church History as Told Through the Great Popes May 21 & 22, 28 & 29, June 4 & 5, 11 & 12, 18 & 19: The Book of Acts July 9 & 10, 16 & 17, 23 & 24, 30 & 31: God ~ The Evidence
GLOW right into the New Year! Chapters Women’s Ministry will be having their next GLOW Get-together in January! Join us on Sunday, January 15th following 10 a.m. mass for our GLOW (God’s Love of Women) Get-together! We will be serving breakfast and will have time to fellowship with the women of Corpus Christi. Contact Jackie Kleinhammes at 837-4441or jkleinhammes@cox.net to RSVP and/or sign up to bring a breakfast item!
Remember, the Parish Offices will be closed this Monday January 2nd.
As you prepare to put up your NEW calendars, make sure you get this date marked out…
The weeks between the end of Christmas and the beginning of Lent (February 22nd) are when our Southern friends start to celebrate Mardi Gras, with the revelry ceasing with the arrival of Ash Wednesday at Midnight. Following each of the Masses on the weekend of February 11-12 we will again be featuring our own version of a Mardi Gras’esque event with our Parish Food Fair. Similar to what we have done in the past, groups and individuals have an opportunity to showcase an ethnic or personal food for purchase and enjoyment after ALL the Masses (Saturday and Sunday). This is not competitive but rather a festive and fun way to enjoy each other’s favorite foods and tastily generate revenue for our Building Fund.. The parish will provide plates, napkins eating utensils, awnings, and tables. Each participant/group is responsible for donating a minimum of 50% of all proceeds from their food sales to the Building Fund. if you want further information or would like to commit to a booth, please make contact with our Food Fair Coordinator, Tim Moran, at 215-2676.
The 2012 Corpus Christi College Scholarship
The Corpus Christi College Scholarship (CCCS) is a merit based financial aid grant ($5,000) awarded to an individual student for the purpose of furthering her/his education. The Scholarship is awarded annually based on a range of criteria that reflect the values of our Corpus Christi Catholic-Christian Community as well as the abilities and potential of the student applicant.
Who is eligible to apply?
Graduating students whose families are registered, financially participating members of Corpus Christi Catholic-Christian Community (verifiable registration, weekly Offertory/Stewardship and yearly Pastoral Services Appeal) since February 2010 may apply for this award. Applications are now available on the Concierge Shelves.
And with a New Year….the 2012 Pastoral Services Appeal begins…..
I AM a person with memories, dreams, hopes, disappointments, a past, a present, a future. I AM a person who knows loss and success, who has celebrated life and mourned death. I AM someone who loves and is loved. I AM a mother, a father, a daughter, a son, a brother, a sister, a friend. I AM a person who cries and laughs, listens and speaks. I AM a unique person who chooses to join my life with others to create tomorrow. I AM Corpus Christi: The Body of Christ!
As air first fills our lungs the first sounds of life escape our lips as cries of discontent. Dislodged from the comforting confines of our mother’s womb we are thrust into a world of bright light, pokes, prods, sounds and senses that confuse and overwhelm us. Days become weeks, becoming months, transforming into years. Diapers are replaced with trainer pants, which give way to jeans and dresses, hip boots and Converse athletic shoes. Crayons and poster paint become I-Pads and bedtime stories become smart-phone texts. The overwhelmed infant of unintelligible sounds becomes a man or woman with a voice, a sense of purpose, a destiny to be lived, ideas to be explored and a name by which to be known. I AM…
Thoughtfully or curiously bequeathed, our names link us to our heritage, spanning generational years. I AM, the son or daughter of…, who was the son or daughter of….who was the son or daughter of… The unique qualities, traits and charisms that once flourished within great-great-greats, whose pictures rest crookedly within dusty photo albums, are remembered as forgotten stories are awakened and renewed: your uncle was also a soldier; your great grandfather was also good with his hands; you have your mother’s voice, your father’s eyes; your father won the Silver Star; your grandmother earned a PhD in physics. You are named for your uncle, your aunt, a special friend. Our names root us within our heritage and within history. We are somebody who matters. We have a name, we have an identity, we have a story. I AM…
With the passage of years we expand our relationships beyond familial bonds. The household chores from which we earned our allowance become the foundational stones from which we extend ourselves to friends and shared endeavors. Our skills become refined and are added to the sports team, the music group, the scholastic project, the grunt work of first jobs. I AM…the team quarterback…a pianist…a member of the school paper…part of the night shift…a worker at In & Out Burger…going to USC… UCI…CSUF…NYU…LMU.
With age and experience comes the wisdom of awareness. Our perception and ownership of ‘self’ matures as we raise our hands to take oaths of office, salute the flag, sign our name to a contract, register to vote, endorse a check, participate within a town hall meeting, wave goodbye to our parents, volunteer. I AM…an American…ready to buy a car/house…a Republican/Democrat/Independent…a citizen…a resident…a homeowner…a Roman Catholic-Christian…able to stand on my own two feet…someone on whom others can count.
With grace building upon nature, infusing our mind, heart and soul with deeper understanding, our outward gaze comes full circle and we perceive our niche within the larger universe. While unique and special, we are nonetheless one of many. While driven by personal ambitions and dreams we sense a greater purpose to which our gifts can contribute. While proud of our accomplishments, we are humbled by those on whom our lives are built. While striving to craft our own success we acknowledge those following who look to us for guidance, inspiration and vision. I AM…a man…a woman… a dad…a mom…a friend…a neighbor…a teacher…a mentor…a coach…a companion…a leader…a wife…a husband…a parishioner.
Mirroring the seasonal cycle of summer following spring, following winter, which came on the heels of autumn which had its origins upon the ending of a previous summer; life too brings us through our solitary journeys to a spiritual awakening of homecoming. As we once came forth from our mother’s wombs, the fullness of wisdom beckons us to purposefully rejoin ourselves to that in which we have journeyed, thrived and grown. Our journeys of growth and discovery have opened doors through which we have passed. Joys have mingled with sorrows, laughter has been balanced by tears, a lifetime of experience becomes the mirror by which we perceive our true nature. I AM all the things I have lived. I AM all the things I have become. I AM me. I AM more than me. I AM a part of something bigger, of something living and alive…I AM not alone…
I AM the Body of Christ. I AM CORPUS CHRISTI.
WE ARE Corpus Christi Catholic-Christian Community!
