I do very much believe in miracles and angels! You are both to me. It always amazes me how God provides. There is this lady that is elderly and was very much in need of a roof. She still has the blue tarp that FEMA put on her home just after the storm. I had been hitting up every organization I knew to try to get her shingles but to no avail. I kept thinking God please help me find a way to help this lady. Soon the rains will be coming. Then just like a miracle Sr. Consilio comes up to me at morning mass and says I have a gentleman from California that will be sending gift cards can you use them? I told her I need about $800 to get this lady a roof. It really brought tears to both of us when we received your gift cards. I immediately sent a volunteer out to measure her roof. I have roofers coming on the 21st that will put the shingles on. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will take a picture next week of the home and send it to you.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude for your wonderful generosity. You can be sure that the money is being used very wisely. With the enormousness of the disaster things seem to moving slowly. However, little by little we are beginning to see positive signs.

You bring us hope and love. It is very humbling at best. It is a lesson in humanity and kindness that as no price. May God reward ya’.

Interested in Becoming Catholic?
Or finding out more about our Faith?
Adults in need of Baptism, First Communion, or Confirmation?

Open House, September 7^th – 7pm, Convent Chapel
(349 Oak Ave – Side entrance)

Please bring a Friend!
Questions – Deacon Rusty Duffey, 589-2800

Three Day Novena in honor of San Lorenzo Ruiz at 7 p.m. in Mary’s Chapel:

1st Day: Thursday, September 7th
2nd Day: Friday, September 8th
3rd Day: Saturday, September 9th

Eucharistic celebration at St. Robert's Church, Sunday, September 10th at 11:30 a.m.

Processional-statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz and flower offering.
Mass-Msgr. Bruce Dreier, celebrant

Reception and Entertainment

If you are interested in enrolling your child in Religion classes, please contact the Religious Education office at 588-0477 or email: RelEduc@SaintRoberts.org

Classes for Gr. 1—5—Tuesdays 3:30-4:30pm
Classes start on Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Classes for Gr. 6-8—Alternate Tuesday evenings 6:45-8pm
Classes start on Tuesday, October 3, 2006

    
Sign up for E-Contributions

Go to www.saintroberts.org and click on the e-contributions button. The first page explains the details. There is a button to take you to the e-paluch registration page. You can register online using either your checking account or credit card.

THE FESTIVAL IS COMING
September 22-24th
PORTS OF CALL

Believe it or not, plans are under way for this years annual parish festival “PORTS OF CALL”, which will be on the weekend of September 22-24. As always the Barbecue and Food Booths are in need of your help. Several people are needed to work in these two very popular booths and everyone from the parish is welcome to help. Most shifts are for 2 hours, but you can work for as many hours as you would like and on all 3 days if you wish.

The menu will include those all time favorites –delicious barbecued tri tip steak sandwiches, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, polish sausages, pizza, nachos, soft drinks, candy and much more.

If you would like to work in either of these booths or can help in any way, please contact Louise and Ray Downs or Raquel and Jeff Downs.

CHAIR A BOOTH

Get to know your fellow parishioners...and or/get a good chunk of your school hours by working a booth. We’re still looking for people to chair some game booths...it’s easy and fun! Please call Mars Cadiz or Sandra Thompson.

 BOTTLE SUNDAY

The Parish Festival Game Booths (Wine N Cheese and Booth 21) are looking for donation of bottles of wine and spirits. If you have any extras in your house please bring them to any of the Masses September 9th and 10th. For further information feel fee to call Una Uniacke.

EARLYBIRD RAFFLE DRAWING
Sunday, September 10th

The Adult Choir singing a the 9:30 A.M. Mass is seeking those interested in joining us in raising their voices in praise. Although it seems far away, we are going to be rehearsing music for Advent and Christmas soon, and would love to invite new members to help us make these seasons truly joyous! Our rehearsals are on Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. and we gather at 9 a.m. on Sunday to warm-up. Our first rehearsal for this year is on September 6th. Although we would welcome you to join us throughout the year, we would be happy for you to sing for November and December in preparation for Christmas.

If you can play an instrument, or would like to ring hand bells, we need you as well. If you regularly attend 11:30 a.m. or 5 p.m. Sunday Masses, then there is still an opportunity to sing. Manny Ortiz and Gabe Lucas are the directors for the choirs singing at those masses, and would be happy to invite new members.

We are going to be planning a midnight mass with plenty of beautiful and festive music and the combined choirs from the 9:30 and 11:30 Masses.

To Be Doers of the Word
Though Labor Day is not a liturgical celebration, one line from the St. James reading ties in beautifully: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” James contributes to the discussion about how we are saved: by God’s gracious gift (the Catholic understanding) or by the good works we do (the classical Protestant understanding). If we reflect on these two aspects, we might well conclude, as we’ll hear in two weeks from James, that “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” The relationship between faith and works is like any relationship: the reality needs to be expressed. A married couple or good friends express their bond through time spent together, communication, and occasional gifts. If these elements are missing, one would have to question the depth of their commitment to each other.

How are we “doers of the word”? Through how much heart we put into our everyday tasks, I’d say. I cook for the community on Mondays and I can choose to make the quickest meal (with Trader Joe’s help) or I can make a meal that takes longer, for sure, because it takes the labor of love to prepare everything fresh. (I’m not opposed to frozen meals; with the pace of all of our lives, they’ve saved us many times!) For some of us, I’m sure, the job we have isn’t one we’d choose, but it is one we keep because of the needs of our family. All the small things which need to be done to keep a household running, regardless of the number of people in it, are challenges to our wholeheartedness. Don’t we encourage the young ones to do their chores without complaining? Can we see those tasks, simple as they are, as expressions of our love?

Beyond the family, how else do we live out our faith? Are we supportive of parishioners or neighbors who are ill through a visit, a card or our prayer? Do we volunteer in some capacity? Have we ever decided to give up something we’d enjoy so that we could give that money to efforts for Katrina victims or the displaced Lebanese or the homeless at Catholic Worker? When something needs to be done in a group to which I belong, am I always the last to respond? Obviously, our health and the availability of time we have will influence how we live out our faith. This Labor Day weekend might be a good time to re-evaluate how we spend our time and energy. May we be grateful for God’s gift of life which comes to us one day at a time!

Psalm 23 – A Modern Version
The Lord is my pace-setter; I shall not rush. He makes me stop for quiet intervals.

ST. ROBERTS CENTERPLATE TEAM NEEDS YOUR HELP

Dress Code: Full length black slacks, (jeans or spandex are not permitted), white shirt with collar, closed toe comfortable shoes (preferably black or white).

We will car pool from the rectory. For those working in San Francisco, you can meet the group at the gate. Volunteers between 16-21 years of age must provide a copy of a picture id which includes his/her birth date.