Pastor Rev. John E. Janze Parochial Vicar Rev. Kiet Ta Parochial Vicar Emeritus Rev. William Krekelberg Weekend Assistants Rev. Joseph Horn, O Praem Rev. Joseph Justice Deacons Deacon Tony & Mrs. Mary Patronite Deacon Stan & Mrs. Fran Necikowski Deacon Tin & Mrs. UyenLan Nguyen Deacon Leonard & Mrs. Nancy Sun Deacon John & Mrs. Michelle Selig

3rd Sunday in ordinary time January 24, 2021

Office Information: Office: 949-551-8601 After hours emergency: 949-228-2127 Fax: 949-551-5879 Religious Education: 949-551-8029 Youth Ministry: 949-551-8602 Office Hours by Phone: The parish office is closed to the public, and answering the phones during the following times: Monday-Saturday: 9:00am-2:00pm

SAINT THOMAS MORE

CATHOLIC PARISH 51 Marketplace Irvine, CA 92602 · 949-551-8601 · www.stmirvine.org

Welcoming all, we, the Spirit-filled parish of St. Thomas More, value our Roman Catholic faith by celebrating the sacraments, breaking open the Scriptures, and joyfully offering ourselves in service to others. Under the inspiration of our patron saint, we seek to build a caring community that embraces the values he modeled of friendship, integrity and courageous love of God.

Back in March, in-person Masses were suspended and Bishop Vann provided a dispensation from attending live Mass though we were still expected to keep holy the Sabbath. Now that outdoor, in-person Masses have resumed, the Bishop’s dispensation has been narrowed. If you are over 65, or if you have an underlying health condition, or if you are truly afraid of catching the virus, you are not obligated but always welcome to attend Mass in person. If you think you are sick, especially if you think you may have COVID-19, or think you have been exposed, please join us on livestream. Please know that we have all possible safety measures in place and look forward to seeing you all back at St. Thomas More. Please visit our website at www.stmirvine.org for the most current information. For spiritual advisement, please contact the priest to schedule an appointment.

MASS INTENTIONS Please call the front desk to request a Mass Intention

Sunday 1/24

8:00am

10:00am

12:00pm

5:00pm

5

†Edward Dainko Gianna Cabral †Maria Alicia Ospina Jaramillo †Quirino Villanueva

Monday 1/25

8:00am †Leon Blais

Tuesday 1/26

8:00am †Ed McNeill

Wednesday 1/27

8:00am Christopher Cabral

Thursday 1/28

8:00am †Miguel Vaca

Friday 1/29

8:00am †Veronica Martin

Saturday 1/30

8:00am

8:00am

8:00am

6:00pm

Archbishop Carlo Vigano Cardinal Raymond Burke Bishop Athanasius Schneider

†Lori Anne Furtado Sunday 1/31

8:00am

10:00am

12:00pm

5:00pm

Pro Populo †Fred Puza †Alphonse Joseph †Angela Quijano

All Masses will be held outdoors until further notice. Please dress warmly and bring your own chair to sit on.

The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is open for private, individual prayer Mon-Fri from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Please remember to keep a six foot physical distance, sanitize upon entrance/exit and wear a mask.

The church will not be open for prayer or any other ministry gathering.

The parish office remains closed to the public until further notice.

A team of ushers will be available at each Mass to ensure a smooth transition to attending Mass, while following physical distancing and safety guidelines. Please follow their directions.

Those over age 65 and/or with underlying health issues, as well as those who are sick, are encouraged to consider not returning to Mass just yet. Join us on livestream.

The sign of peace and distribution of the Precious Blood is currently suspended.

For those who wish to receive the Eucharist on the tongue, please wait until after others have received communion.

Please bring your own mask and hand sanitizer. They will be available if needed.

People will be instructed to not engage in any physical touch, such as greeting each other.

Signs and other instructions will encourage normal safe practices necessary to avoid the spread (e.g. cough or sneeze into a shirtsleeve, handkerchief, or tissue; avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth).

Thank you for your patience, understanding and support during this time. Please refer to our social media often for updates.

For a complete description of our safety protocol, visit our website at www.stmirvine.org

TODAY’S READINGS

First Reading — The Ninevites turn from their evil ways in response to Jonah’s message (Jonah 3:1-5, 10). Psalm — Teach me your ways, O Lord (Psalm 25). Second Reading — The world in its present form is passing away (1 Corinthians 7:29-31). Gospel — Jesus proclaims, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” The new disciples abandon their nets and follow him (Mark 1:14-20). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

Welcome! We are glad you are here.

COME FOLLOW ME

My Dear People,

Today’s theme on the Readings: A NEW DAY DAWNS Today we hear how Jonah, sent by God to warn the people, storms through the streets of Nineveh, scaring the citizens out of their wits. And it works! God has a change of heart, seeing “by their actions” how the people turn from evil (Jonah 3:10). A new day dawns. Next we hear Paul telling the Corinthians, “The world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). He calls for a change of heart. Stopping short of telling them to stop carrying out their everyday activities, he urges them—rather mysteriously—to live “as though” they aren’t doing the things they are doing. A new day has dawned. Finally, Jesus stands on the shore and cries, “The kingdom of God is at hand!” (Mark 1:14). Simon and Andrew abandon their nets—and even their father—and follow him. A new day had dawned. Everyone has to change when a new day dawns: the Ninevites, the Corinthians, the apostles, even Jesus! Didn’t a new day dawn today for us as well? Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

In Christ, Father John

PLEASE PRAY FOR HEALING

Please call the office when it is time to remove a name.

Stacey Allen Richy Altuna Mary Amato Mike Anderson Renee Andrade Judy Anselmo Alicia Arrellano Sam Baniqued Zicky Baniqued Jesus Barragan Blanca Bermudez Maria Botello Michele Bradley Bill Burk Lisa Busch Mary & Joe Bush Baby Zane Cabazon Linda Carter Ellen Chang Cyrus Charna Marietta Charbonneau Hui-Mei Chen Clara Connor Alexandra Conti Petra Cordova Ellie Dainko Jim Danaher Rick Denham Diana & Liberato DeVeyra Larry Doan Chela Echenique Meynard Encarnacion Jacob Espinoza Howard Frankel, MD John Frisch Cynthia Fox Mike Garibay Lillian Gibson Jose Gonzales, Jr. Hermie Gonzalez Marisela Gonzalez Lois Gorman Alice Green Emma Hager Tina Halberg Phyllis Hammond

Baby Johanna Harris Mike Harvey Shirley Hecker John Heffernan Robert Henry Annette Hills Margaret Hills Clara Honea Dominador Hontucan Fr. Joseph Horn Sue House Linda Hughes Angela Jack Elsa Jatwani Theresa Johnston Sharon Jones Doris Jordan Quinn Kelly Jim Kendall Houman Khaghani Jett Knight Ty Vivian Knisely Elizabeth Kulas Richard Kulas Deborah Kurilchyk Larry Lathrum Damian Ledesma Todd Leeds Jack Light Minerva Lopez Aida Lopez-Tan Cari Maas Gloria MacCormack Betty Mackintosh Mercedes Mantilla Cherry Marinas Cavan McGaffney Kathleen McKinley Anne McNally Connie Mellott Durvalina Menezes Stephanie Mispagel Linda Moore Agnes Motley Marie Moya Susan Navarrete Ramon Navarro, Jr.

Karen Norton Nam Van Nguyen Thuy-Lieu Nguyen Pamela Ocampo Kyle Osbourne Agnes Pamintuam Dcn Tony & Mary Patronite Regina Park Norma Jeanne Parrish Mary Jane Parsons Gabby Paz Charlie Perrea Ngocle Phung Frank Quevedo Zachary Quick Norma Quyang Fr. Jim Reis Paula Reno Lorraine Reyes Ponciano Reyes Sheila Russo Terry Rute Anita Ruwaldt Jackson & Gerri Scharff Michelle Suh Tara Summers Liz Thomas Gail Tierney Maria To Xuan Tran Denise Trujillo Jack Troung Kimberly Truong David Valentine Daniel Villareal Jim Vessey Hanh Vu Dr. Greg Walgenbach Alicia Walters John Weber Bill Westlund Matthew Winans Mike Winchester Jim Wood Linda Yipp

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22; Ps 117:1bc, 2; Mk 16:15-18 Tuesday: 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Ti 1:1-5; Ps 96:1-3, 7-8a, 10; Mk 3:31-35 Wednesday: Heb 10:11-18; Ps 110:1-4; Mk 4:1-20 Thursday: Heb 10:19-25; Ps 24:1-6; Mk 4:21-25 Friday: Heb 10:32-39; Ps 37:3-6, 23-24, 39-40; Mk 4:26-34 Saturday: Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Lk 1:69-75; Mk 4:35-41 Sunday: Dt 18:15-20; Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; 1 Cor 7:32-35; Mk1:21-28

We appreciate your continued financial support of the parish during these challenging times. If you would like to give, please click on the e-giving link in the top corner of the

STM website to set up or update your e-giving. If you have questions, please call the office. All donations to the Believe & Grow Together Campaign will be used exclusively to pay

for the construction costs to build the new Parish church. Moreover, Building Fund donations can be used to pay for the construction costs to build the new Parish church

and for the maintenance and repairs of the existing Parish buildings and property. Thank you for your generosity!

Regular Expenses $44,241

Collections and Expenses 1-11-2021 to 1-17-2021

Our gift to you! 2021 Calendars are available for pick up at Mass or in the office lobby from 9am to 2pm Monday-Saturday.

Collection E-Giving Total

Sunday Collection $10,825 $12,195 $23,020

Believe & Grow $11,452 $1,031 $12,483 BGT– Phase 2 $6,285 $1,788 $8,073 Building Fund $328 $714 $1,042 Other Income $310 $718 $1,028

Rest in the Love of Christ

Henry Damigella Daniel Graham

Ed McNeill

The Library Corner 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The St Thomas More Parish Library staff would like to wish all our parishioners a

Happy 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Library will be closed until further notice.

The Gospel today tells us how Jesus who came into

Galilee, after John was arrested, started preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in

the gospel.” This is the doctrine for which He gave His human life and which He gave to His Apostles to hand to the Church for future generations. As Catholics, we know why we are here, we know where we are going

and we know how to get there.

Editor’s Note: Below is a statement from Diocese of Orange bishops regarding the COVID-19 vaccines.

“The bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange fully support the California Catholic Conference’s statement on the COVID-19 vaccinations. After thorough research and reviewing the statement from the Pontifical Academy for Life, we find the vaccines morally acceptable and imperative in the ongoing effort to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

We are hopeful and encouraged by the promise these scientific breakthroughs represent, and urge the 1.3 million Catholics in Orange County to take any and all appropriate steps to protect themselves and their families. We pray for them as we pray for the world.

We still have much work to do, but we now have hope and a path forward rooted in the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. We place our trust and confidence in the providence of God.”

– Bishop Kevin Vann, Bishop Timothy Freyer, Bishop ThanhThai Nguyen

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES

Sunday: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle Tuesday: Ss. Timothy and Titus Wednesday: St. Angela Merici; Tu B’Shvat (Jewish new year of trees) begins at sunset Thursday: St. Thomas Aquinas

Phishing Attacks Continue

Please be aware that there are fraudulent emails being sent, impersonating Bishop Vann, Fr. John, Fr. Kiet and other clergy. As always, please do not trust unexpected emails asking for money, gift cards, passwords, or anything that is out of the ordinary.

Always confirm such requests over the phone by calling a phone number that you know is accurate and real. Many fraudulent emails will state that a call is not welcome. Use your best judgement, checking with the parish office at 949-551-8601, regarding if the request is appropriate.

Thank you for your diligence and cooperation.

Virtual walk to end human trafficking

In lieu of an in-person event this year, St. Irenaeus and the Southern California Partners for Global Justice are hosting a virtual walk in the name of ending human trafficking on

Monday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. The online event through Zoom is sponsored by St. Irenaeus' Bridge of Light: Human

Trafficking to Human Triumph Ministry.

Register in advance by emailing: healthministry@sticypress.org with the subject line,

Virtual Walk to End Human Trafficking. You will then be sent a Zoom link to the presentation.

For more information, contact Monica Kovach, facilitator of health ministry, at (310) 490-6113.

Archbishop John Carroll’s 1791 Prayer for Government We pray, O almighty and eternal God, who through Jesus Christ has revealed thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of your name. We pray Thee, who alone are good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, the pope, the vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, all other bishops, prelates and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise among us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct your people into the ways of salvation. We pray O God of might, wisdom and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the president of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to your people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of your divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty. We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by your powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. We recommend likewise, to your unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Finally, we pray to you, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of your servants departed, who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech you, a place of refreshment, light and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Nationwide Prayer Vigil for Life: Thursday, Jan. 28 to Friday, Jan. 29, 2021

Catholics across the country are encouraged to observe a nationwide prayer vigil, which marks the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v.

Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions legalizing abortion through nine months of pregnancy. Each January, the National Prayer Vigil for Life is hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Pro-Life Secretariat, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and The Catholic University of America’s Office of Campus Ministry. (All times are in Eastern Standard Time.) Thursday, Jan. 28: 8 p.m. National Rosary for Life 8:30 p.m. Opening Mass with Archbishop Naumann 9:45 p.m. Holy Hour for Life 11 p.m. ~ Live-stream of holy hours throughout the night Friday, Jan. 29: ~ 8 a.m. Closing Mass with Archbishop Lori

FEAST OF FAITH The Penitential Rite Standing together in the presence of the Lord, we acknowledge our weakness, our sins and faults and failings. But the penitential rite is really less about our sins than it is about God’s mercy. It is not a time for individual confession, like a mini-sacrament of reconciliation. It is, rather, a preparatory rite, preparing us to praise the mercy of Christ as we acknowledge our own weakness. When Simon Peter witnesses the miraculous catch of fish—when he realizes who is in the boat with him—he falls at Jesus’ feet with the words, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). We are like Peter. The more aware of the Lord’s presence we become, the more awareness we also have of our sinfulness, our weakness. The penitential rite of the Mass takes several forms, from the traditional Confiteor or “I confess” to a litany, spoken or sung by the deacon or cantor with responses by the entire assembly. The penitential rite always includes the words Kyrie, eleison; Christe, eleison—Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy. This ancient Greek prayer came to the Roman liturgy from the East, and still echoes in many of the litanies of the Eastern Rite Churches. These words turn our gaze from our own weakness to the gentleness, the kindness, the forgiving love of Christ. —Corinna Laughlin, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

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