December 17, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The other day in my prayer, I was filled with gratitude for the opportunity to serve here at this parish. The warmth and friendliness that you have shown me has been heartwarming. In prayer I remembered that shortly after I arrived, we had the beautiful Hispanic Heritage Month Mass and dinner with the mariachis from St. Anne Catholic School as well as the cultural dances in the hall. The Memorial Mass at the beginning of November was a time of great healing for many; I was honored to learn about your loved ones who died this past year. The joyfulness and participation of everyone at Thanksgiving Mass was a great blessing. Celebrating Mass with the school is a great joy and am impressed with their singing participation. Added to that have been a number of meetings with a variety of groups doing wonderful things. Thank you to all who have made these events and gatherings so successful.

Many of you have shared with me your prayerful discernment these past weeks about what you are giving to God in the Sunday collection—you are very prayerful people! I am deeply grateful to all of you who spent time in prayer over these weeks as well as for your ongoing generosity.

Please invite family members and friends to join you at Mass this Christmas. This may be an opportunity for God’s grace to touch them and bring them into closer relationship to Him. Again, know how grateful I am to be able to be with you these months!

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer

December 10, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This weekend we find ourselves in between two celebrations of Our Lady. On Friday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States. On this day, we recognize that God existed before time and the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection (as well as the gifts received from this act) are outside of time. God gave Mary the gift of being conceived (her parents were Saints Joachim and Anne) without original sin (the sin of Adam and Eve). This allowed Mary, the New Eve, to have complete freedom, not affected by the effects of original sin, to choose to say yes or no to the call to be the Mother of the Redeemer. Her yes gave us the great gift of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer.

On Tuesday, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Mary, under this title, is patroness of the Americas, children in the womb (she appeared in Advent and so appeared as a pregnant woman), as well as our Diocese of Orange. Mary appeared December 9-12, 1531, to St. Juan Diego who was on his way to get a priest to anoint his uncle Bernardino who was dying. Mary told Juan to go to the bishop to ask that a church be built so that people may have access to her Son in Holy Communion and the sacraments. Bernardino was miraculously healed, the roses (that would not be blooming in the cold mountains) that were collected into Juan’s tilma miraculously turned into Our Lady’s image that is intact (and at body temperature) in Mexico City. Let us ask Mary, under these titles, to pray for us, that we will resist sin and draw closer to her Son.

In Christ,

Bishop Tim Freyer

December 3, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Driving back and forth from Anaheim to Dana Point, I have learned to time my drives so as to minimize the amount of time I spend sitting in traffic.  Most, if not all of us, don’t like to wait or be delayed. Yet, this Advent season is calling us to wait, be patient, and slow down.  

We wait primarily for the Lord’s return in glory.  We pray for that every time we pray the Our Father asking that “Thy kingdom come…”. We wait and prepare for the Lord’s return by striving to be holy, being people of prayer, receiving the sacraments regularly (especially confession), and loving our neighbor.  

We also are waiting for the annual celebration of Christmas when we recall God’s great love for us that He gave us His only son, born of the Virgin Mary, like us in all things but sin.  As tempting as it is to listen to Christmas music (I know the radio has been playing Christmas carols for a month) and decorate our tree, let us try to resist—waiting for the actual celebration and enjoying the Christmas season which extends through mid-January.  

This slower, waiting time is designed to allow us to focus on our prayer life.  You may wish to pray the rosary each day as this Advent season focuses on the Blessed Mother.  You may wish to read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ conception, birth and childhood.  You may want to come visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. You may wish to listen to the beautiful Advent music that has enriched this season for centuries. No matter how you pray, let us make this Advent a time of prayerful waiting, longing for the Lord’s return and the celebration of His birth.  

Bishop Tim Freyer