SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY
FEBRUARY 16th, 2025
And raising His eyes toward His disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich,/ for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
from the today’s Gospel: Luke 6:20-26
Luke's rendering of the Beatitudes is very different from that of Matthew. Luke includes woes along with the blessings. These are commonly called the "Blessings and Woes" as opposed to Matthew's "Beatitudes." These blessings and woes can serve as examination of conscience for us to ponder if we are truly living for another time in the future, or are we living for this world. We want to be heaven focused while still living in the world, so that our heart may dwell on the good things that God has for us.
(from this week’s bulletin — Pastor’s Desk)
Ordinary Time
The rhythm of the liturgical seasons reflects the rhythm of life — with its celebrations of anniversaries and its seasons of quiet growth and maturing.
Ordinary Time, meaning ordered or numbered time, is celebrated in two segments: from the Monday following the Baptism of Our Lord up to Ash Wednesday; and from Pentecost Monday to the First Sunday of Advent. This makes it the largest season of the Liturgical Year.
In vestments usually green, the color of hope and growth, the Church counts the thirty-three or thirty-four Sundays of Ordinary Time, inviting her children to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ — his life, miracles and teachings – in the light of his Resurrection.
If the faithful are to mature in the spiritual life and increase in faith, they must descend the great mountain peaks of Easter and Christmas in order to "pasture" in the vast verdant meadows of tempus per annum, or Ordinary Time. https://www.catholicculture.org/
Plenary Indulgence Possibilities
Always Available to the Faithful
Message from Most Reverend Bishop Vasa
Increased interest in the obtaining of indulgences is one of the benefits of a Jubilee Year. However, such an emphasis can give the impression that indulgences can only be gained during these specified times in Jubilee Years. Special indulgences on these occasions are usually associated with a pilgrimage or visit to a specified Church. The truth is that indulgences, even Plenary Indulgences, can be gained every day of every year. The concept of indulgences requires an acceptance of the existence of purgatory since it is in purgatory that the “temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is forgiven” is worked out.
How do we make spiritual amends for all of the unseen and unintended consequences of our sinful actions? While responsibility to “make amends” is required, the truth is that it is impossible for us to have any genuinely accurate idea of the vast ramifications of our sins. Every sin participates in a cascading spiritual reality. Making suitable amends for all of the unforeseen and unknown consequences of sins is humanly impossible. As the Scriptures note: I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” (Luke 12:59)
To read more from the Bishop go to : https://srdiocese.org/hope
Welcome to St. Eugene’s
St. Eugene’s is the cathedral church for the Diocese of Santa Rosa, located in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California. Our parish community includes more than 1700 registered parishioner households and a school for preschool through eighth grade students. Our parish was founded in 1950 and became the cathedral when the Diocese of Santa Rosa was established in 1962.
Announcements
Please check this week’s bulletin for all current announcements. Only special announcements or ones that didn’t make it into the bulletin are listed here.
February 16, 2025 Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Marriage Week
Dear People of God,
As we celebrate Marriage Week, we celebrate God's beautiful gift of matrimony and how it is the building block of society. God desires that man and woman live together in Holy Matrimony and to be fruitful. We see this multiple times in the Book of Genesis which shows us what God's desire is on a fundamental level. The cooperative raising of children within that safe and nurturing environment helps to produce functioning and stable adults who then lead society in the future. If we want society and the Church for that matter to continue, we must support marriage and family life. From the ranks of our families should come our future business owners, political leaders, working professionals, and, of course, clergy and religious. This is a good time for us to think about how we support marriage and family life. We should all feel like we encourage others in a healthy way to live the vocation of marriage fully and faithfully.
Luke's rendering of the Beatitudes is very different from that of Matthew. Luke includes woes along with the blessings. These are commonly called the "Blessings and Woes" as opposed to Matthew's "Beatitudes." These blessings and woes can serve as examination of conscience for us to ponder if we are truly living for another time in the future, or are we living for this world. We want to be heaven focused while still living in the world, so that our heart may dwell on the good things that God has for us.
Your Pastor, Fr. Samuel Moses Brown
May Our Lord bless you all of your days
February 2, 2025 Feast of the Presentation of the Lord bulletin - Church architectural terms
Dear Fr. Brown: What should we call the entrance to the church? It seems like there are different terms that people use: exit, entrance, lobby, vestibule, narthex; is one more correct than the others?
Dear Reader: There can be a variety of ways of naming the space through which we pass to enter the church. Many people feel like it is best to use elevated language when talking about the church that you would not necessarily hear in your day-to-day life. Exit and entrance are ok words, but they are very pedestrian and simply remind us of a regular doorway like what you would see in another sort of building. However, churches are different and churches don't just have a simple door. They have a bit of a space in between the outer door and the inner door. That space is meant to be a place where you let go of the things of this world and get ready to enter into a sacred space: the main church itself.
The word vestibule could be used, though it has become rather secular. In history, the vestibule was an entrance point to a church wherein the clergy got vested. Hence the similarity in the words. The "vest" refers to clothing and the "bul" part denotes a place or location. It was the place of preparation and reflection before entering into the sacred for the clergy. It can also be called a vestry which some churches have. In most instances now, the place of vesting is in fact the sacristy. Once, these places were separate, but now they are almost always together.
The word narthex is an architectural term that specifically denoted the western entrance of a church back when pretty much all churches were oriented to the East. The word comes from Greek and literally means a large funnel. This term was probably used in the sense that the people are funnelled into the church by going through the narthex entrance. Today, I think that it is valid to use the term narthex for any church entrance, especially those that are little rooms like our South and East narthexes.
May Our Lord bless you all of your days,
Rev. Samuel Moses Brown JCL
January 26, 2025 Third Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Jesus’ Baptism - Acknowledgements
Greetings in the Lord,
The following quote is from page 18 of Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration by Pope Benedict. It helps explain the Baptism of the Lord and why it begins our time of Ordinary Time.
Luke, who throughout his Gospel is keenly attentive to Jesus' prayer, and portrays Him again and again at prayer–in conversation with the Father–tells us that Jesus was praying while He received Baptism (Luke 3:21). Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realized what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind's guilt upon His shoulders; He bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated His public activity by stepping into the place of sinners. His inaugural gesture is an anticipation of the Cross....The whole significance of Jesus' Baptism, the fact that He bears "all righteousness," first comes to light on the Cross: The Baptism is an acceptance of death for the sins of humanity, and the voice that calls out "This is my beloved Son" over the baptismal waters is an anticipatory reference to the Resurrection. This also explains why, in His own discourses, Jesus used the word baptism to refer to His death (Mk 10:38; Lk 12:50).
I would like to say a very special THANK YOU to all of our volunteers and workers who helped to make Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany especially beautiful. I am amazed at how elegant the Church looked and at how impactful the decorations can be for our environment in which we worship our Holy God. The poinsettias, clothes, nativity scene, and other decorations were truly beautiful.
Additionally, I hope that you have had the chance to hear the choir at least once during these special days. They truly sang in a grace-filled fashion that helps us all enter more deeply into the mysteries of Our Lord's birth.
May all be well,
Fr. Samuel Moses Brown
January 19, 2025 Second Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Gospel of Luke - St. Patrick’s Gala?
Dear People of God,
As we get back into the Ordinary Time season, we return back to the regular Sunday reading cycle for a little over a month. Ash Wednesday is March 8th this year and Easter is celebrated on April 20th. This is a great time to read through the Gospel of Luke which will be our focus for the year. Luke contains many memorable and great stories. Of particular note, we find the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15, Lazarus and Dives in Luke 16, and the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Luke presents us with much rich imagery and great narratives on the events of Jesus' life. The Gospel is classically divided in two by the "hinge" of the storyline in Luke 9:53 in which Jesus "sets His face towards Jerusalem." Everything after that moment is related to Jesus' journey to Jerusalem where He ultimately dies, only to rise again. Also, of special interest, in Luke's account of the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah speak with Jesus specifically about His "exodus" linking the future events that Jesus will accomplish with the Exodus of the Old Testament. See Luke 9:28-36 for the details.
In different news, regarding the Jubilee, we are planning different events, however, there is a desire to have the St. Patrick's Day gala again. We can have this event, but we need many volunteers to make it happen. If you could volunteer, please call the office with your contact information and what you could do. Otherwise, we may have to postpone the event to a later date. Also, many people have asked me about the holy door. The Vatican sent out a memo to all dioceses asking that the holy doors in local cathedrals not be opened this year. It seems that they would like to save the opening of those doors for some future time.
May God bless you all,
Fr. Samuel Moses Brown
January 12, 2025 The Baptism of the Lord bulletin - New Year’s Resolutions?
Dear Father: Should we make New Year's resolutions? It seems like a good idea, but it's also very secular and maybe not the best use of my energy.
Dear Reader: The answer is yes and no, let me explain. The idea of doing a New Year's resolution isn't a bad idea per se. It's a form of goal setting and something that can be beneficial, just like going on a diet or doing more crossword puzzles can help someone any time of the year. Some people say that the tradition of New Year's resolutions has some religious overtones, but I do not think that there is any solid research on the subject. I would say that the best thing to do is to figure out a physical and a spiritual resolution. For instance, perhaps someone wants to lose weight and be better about attending Mass every Sunday. January is a good time to start and it can be a good way to start the year. Whatever goals someone wants to achieve, it is best practice to outline exactly what steps that person will take. I've been reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear and he points out that if people start small and have something very defined, they have the best chance for success. For the person who wants to attend Mass on Sunday, like we all should, this might mean agreeing to set an alarm for 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, then get ready, and then actually go to Mass at 9 a.m. The plan has to have definition and be solid. It should be a resolution to a specific act, not a vague goal that may or may not be achievable in the current context.
Sometimes, this can remind us of Lent, but a key difference is that in Lent whatever someone gives up or sacrifices something, it must be something that is morally permissible in the first place. In other words, a Catholic shouldn't say that for Lent he is going to start attending Mass when all along he has had that obligation. He should attend Mass and still find some other penance.
God bless,
Fr. Samuel Moses Brown
January 5, 2025 The Epiphany of the Lord bulletin - Christmas season end? - Jubilee
December 29, 2024 Feast of the Holy Family bulletin - Purple: Royalty + Penance
December 22, 2024 Fourth Sunday of Advent bulletin - Christian Peace
December 15, 2024 Third Sunday of Advent bulletin - Advent Joy + Preparation
December 8, 2024 Second Sunday of Advent bulletin - Advent - Loving Rescue
December 1, 2024 First Sunday of Advent bulletin - New Liturgical Year C - Advent Practices
November 24, 2024 Christ the King bulletin - Give Thanks to God
November 17, 2024 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Prayer + Sacrifice
November 10, 2024 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Penitential Rite
November 3, 2024 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Eucharistic Prayers (cont.)
October 27, 2024 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Eucharistic Prayers
October 20, 2024 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time bulletin - Do you believe? & Eucharistic Prayers
October 13, 2024 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - All Saints’ Day & All Souls’ Day coming
October 6, 2024 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Prepare!
September 29, 2024 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Receiving Holy Communion
September 22, 2024 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Humility & Helping Hand
September 15, 2024 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Penitential Rite
September 8, 2024 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Renew our faith
September 1, 2024 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time bulletin - Kneeling during Mass
Special Feature in the bulletin for August 25, 2024 - Why Do We Venerate Relics?
August 18, 2024 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time Bulletin - Sunday is special
August 11, 2024 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time Bulletin - Holy Eucharist => Eternal Life
August 4, 2024 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Signs and Miracles
July 21, 2024 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin - Ordinary Time
July 14, 2024 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin - Seek God’s presence
July 7, 2024 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin - Embrace Jesus
June 30, 2024 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin - Jesus heals
June 23, 2024 Bulletin 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time Bulletin - Stewardship
June16, 2024 Bulletin - Father’s Day - Special Message: The Head of the Family
May 26, 2024 Trinity Sunday Bulletin - The Mystery of the Trinity
May 19, 2024 Pentecost Bulletin - Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful
Del Pastor: Domingo de Pentecostés
May 12, 2024 Seventh Sunday of Easter - Ascension Bulletin - Follow Him to Eternity
May 5, 2024 Sixth Sunday of Easter Bulletin - Our Relationship with God
April 28, 2024 Fifth Sunday of Easter Bulletin - We are the branches
April 21, 2024 Fourth Sunday of Easter Bulletin - Jesus is Our Shepherd
April 14, 2024 Third Sunday of Easter Bulletin - Resurrection: nice idea or truth?
April 7, 2024 Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday - Bulletin - Several titles - 2nd Sunday of Easter
March 31, 2024 Easter Sunday Bulletin - Christ the Lord is Risen!
March 24, 2024 Bulletin - Welcome the Lord… at all times
March 17, 2024 Bulletin - Countdown to the Passion
March 10, 2024 Bulletin - The Light of God
March 3, 2024 Bulletin - Spiritual & Physical maintenance
February 25, 2024 Bulletin - Transfiguration - God’s Ways
February 18, 2024 Bulletin - All About Lent
February 11, 2024 Bulletin - Jesus Heals a leper - Thanking God
February 4, 2024 Bulletin - Jesus is the Messiah - the Healer
January 28, 2024 Bulletin - The Word of God
January 21, 2024 Bulletin — Time of Fulfillment in the Gospel of Mark
January 14, 2024 Bulletin - Ordinary Time/Gospel of Mark
January 7, 2024 Bulletin — Epiphany
Pastor’s Desk
Mass, Confession, & Adoration Schedule
Weekly Mass Schedule
Weekday Mass
Mon-Fri — 6:45 a.m. & 8 a.m.
Tues — 5:30 p.m.
Saturday — 8 a.m.
Saturday Evening Vigil:
4:30 p.m. (English)
6:30 p.m. (Spanish)
Sunday Mass:
7:30 a.m.
9 a.m.
10:30 a.m. *
12 noon
5:30 p.m.
Only the Sunday, 10:30 a.m. Mass (*) will continue to be live-streamed on St. Eugene Cathedral YouTube Channel. An outdoor speaker and/or monitor will only be placed outside for special Masses/events that would require outside overflow seating.
Holy Day Mass Schedule
The usual schedule for Holy Days follows. Please check current bulletin for any changes.
6:45 a.m., 8 a.m., 5:30 p.m. and
7 p.m. (Spanish)9:20 a.m. school Mass during the school year
Adoration Times
24 hours a day. Passcode required.º
º The Adoration Chapel is open for Perpetual Adoration. See the announcement above, the latest bulletin, or the Adoration web page for more information.
Confession
Saturday 3:00-4:30 p.m. or by appointment
First Saturday of every month prior to and during the 8 a.m. Mass
Sunday Masses Confession:
No regular schedule - dependent on priests’ availability.