How many times have you seen this face on the lectern, asking us to support some ministry effort?  Did he make you laugh?  Did he seem full of joy for our Lord?  In most cases, the answer is … yes!  Richard Braun uses his joy and public speaking ability to motivate others in our parish.  A school administrator by day, he also serves as husband to Maria and proud father of Nicolas (Nico) and Giancarlos.   He has answered God’s call of stewardship to serve as a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, Chair of our Parish Festival, Adult Choir Member, World Youth Day Chaperone, Arise Bible Study Leader and……….in his other free time he is in the Deaconate Program in our Diocese.
    Most remarkable about Richard is that he always keeps his joyful focus on whatever he is doing.  I am the staff liaison for our  Parish Festival and I can attest that Richard never “lost his cool”.  He serves with grace, faith and always with the attitude that what he has is God’s and his job is to be a steward of those gifts.  Richard invites you to join the fun by coming to the:

The poorest of the poor are the heart of a parish, because they are the closest to the heart of Jesus. Pope Benedict wrote in his first encyclical, Deus caritas est, that, for the Church, exercising Charity toward the poor is just as important a task as preaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments.

Lupe Camarena cannot speak much English. She emigrated from Mexico and has seen a lot that life can throw at a person. She lives a life of simplicity and holy poverty. Several times a week, she brings food to the poor: in their homes, at a park in Ceres, and on the streets of Modesto. She begins almost every day with
Holy Mass, and spends time before the Blessed Sacrament. Strengthened by this prayer, she goes out of her own simple dwelling to bring food and  encouragement to the neediest.

She called me to a house in Ceres a few months ago. She was bringing food, but more importantly, a smile, to the family. And even more importantly, she brought the Sacraments. She invited me to hear all their confessions, and I have seen the family at Spanish Mass often since then. Begin with prayer, but do not stop there. Go on to the poorest of the poor to find Jesus.