May 26, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your feedback in letting me know how much you appreciated learning what went into the celebration of confirmation. A few people also asked me what else I do at the diocese so I thought I would share that with you this week.

As our diocese is geographically compact, we don’t have regions but areas of responsibility. My areas include: Parish faith formation; youth and young adult ministry; the ministry on our college campuses; the formation of our teachers, catechists and volunteers; evangelization (including bringing focus missionaries into some of our parishes, St. Paul’s Street Evangelization, Damascus ministries for youth). I also oversee our Hispanic ministry, our office for worship, the implementation of RCIA, our Cathedral campus, our cemetery ministry, our security detail and am Bishop Vann’s liaison to the Orange Catholic Foundation. Additionally, I oversee our family life office which provides marriage preparation, natural family planning, mental health ministry, care for the divorced, separated, widowed, and our care for the whole person ministry. Thankfully, we have good people serving in these offices and I am blessed to work with them to continue to provide the best ministry possible to our parishes, schools and faithful.

Apart from my responsibilities at the diocese, I am also a police chaplain for the City of Anaheim and serve on the board of directors of a few national Catholic ministries, am on the executive committee of the CA Bishops’ Conference as well as a few committees for the US Bishops. As ministry is a blessing, I don’t feel like what I do is work and I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with so many amazing people.

Please plan to attend an amazing movie, “Jesus Thirsts” in theaters June 4-5 in English and June 6 in Spanish!

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer

May 19, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When I was a pastor, the confirmation director asked that every student be interviewed by a priest in order to be confirmed. She would want the priests to have the students name the commandments, beatitudes, etc. I told her that for the first time meeting a priest, I wanted it to be a positive experience. So, we asked the students about their life and then asked them to think which gift of the Holy Spirit they needed most, given their particular circumstance, and then we prayed for that gift.

On this Pentecost, I invite you to do the same. As a reminder, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are:

Wisdom: Wisdom is a gift that allows us to understand things from God's point of view.

Understanding: Allows us grasp, at least in a limited way, the very essence of the truths of the Faith--The teachings make more sense to us.

Counsel: This gift allows us to judge how best to act in accordance with God’s will.

Fortitude/Courage: Gives us the capacity to stand up for good against evil and be convicted to take a stand when the occasion arises.

Knowledge: Allows us to understand the meaning and purpose God has for us and to live up to this meaning. It differs from wisdom in that it is an action.

Piety: The willingness to worship and to serve God. Piety takes that willingness beyond a sense of duty, so that we desire to worship God and to serve Him out of love.

Fear of the Lord: Helps us to understand the greatness and awesomeness of the Lord-- everything we are is due to the wonder, love, grace, and perfection of God.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer

May 12, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

These weekends I miss seeing all of you at or after Mass. The month of May is the busy season for the celebration of confirmation. Most weekends I have two confirmations Masses on Saturday and two on Sunday.

A few people have asked about what is involved with the confirmation Mass. Generally, I spend 2-3 hours reading the letters the students write me. Most of the time they inspre me by sharing what the Lord has done in their life over the past two years, which I incorporate into the homily. Sometimes, they express depression, suicidal ideation, a lack of faith (usually due to the death of a family member or what they are taught in public school). In these cases, I take a picture of the letter and ask that the priest meet with the family to ensure they get the proper help and/or have their doubts clarified. My thought is that if a young adult tells the Church they are thinking of suicide and we don’t respond, it reinforces the idea that their life does not have value.

For a 5:00 p.m. Mass, I usually leave between 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. so that my MC can meet with the servers, we can set up the books, clarify any doubts and start on time. After the Mass, we have time for pictures, followed by a meal with the clergy (and sometimes the team). I am usually home at 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. I am consistently inspired by these celebrations, but if I am slow to respond to your email or call, please be patient. I look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer