31 December 2025
Homily #281: "God is With Us & St. Joseph"
10 a.m. Mass
(#281b)
8 a.m.
(#281a)
29 December 2025
RIP Rufina Jaron, Mother of Pastor Fr. Glenn Jaron
At our parish, the pastor's mom, Rufina, and the deacon's wife, Amy, died around the same time.
+ Eternal rest grant unto the soul of Rufina, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful department, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
* * *
POST-SCRIPT
(2/11/2026)
Thank you, Helen Dris, for this copy. This is Fr. Glenn's homily on the 40th death day anniversary of his mom :
Good morning to all of you.
I am grateful for the privilege of greeting you today, the people of God, the members of this Church. Today is a very meaningful and emotional day for me.
Today, we remember the fourth anniversary of the passing of my mother, Rufina. At the same time, we celebrate my 35th year as a priest. And as I remember my mother, I also remember my father, who passed away five years ago. In a very special way today, I hold both of them in my heart and offer them to God in prayer.
Last January 19, while I was in the Philippines with my classmates, Father Resty and Father Dice, we marked this milestone together. But today, I am especially grateful that God allows me to celebrate it here with you, my parish family.
In today’s Gospel from Mark, we hear how Jesus sends out the Twelve two by two. He gives them authority over unclean spirits and instructs them to travel lightly, to depend on God, and to remain focused on their mission. And what was their mission?
They went out and preached repentance, they drove out demons, and they anointed the sick and healed them.
This Gospel reflects the very heart of the priestly ministry.
A priest is configured to Christ the Good Shepherd. He is not ordained for himself. Like the apostles, he is sent—sent to continue the mission of Jesus.
That mission continues through the sacraments.
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the priest proclaims repentance and God’s mercy.
In the Anointing of the Sick, he brings Christ’s healing presence.
In the Holy Eucharist, he feeds God’s people with the Body and Blood of Christ.
For 35 years, this has been my mission—hearing confessions, anointing the sick, celebrating marriages, offering the Eucharist day after day, and walking with people through their joys and their sufferings.
I have experienced the beauty of the priesthood in a very complete way—serving the poor through our ministries, especially Mensa Christi, comforting the sick, and sharing life with you not only as your pastor, but as your brother.
But every vocation has a beginning.
No priest comes from nowhere.
Behind every priest is a family, a story, and very often, a sacrifice.
I still remember when I was about to graduate from high school. My parents were talking about my plan to enter the seminary. I heard my father ask my mother, “Why priesthood? There are other courses.”
But my mother simply said, “Let us allow him to choose what he wants.”
Those simple words changed my life.
She allowed God’s plan to unfold.
My desire to become a priest began even earlier, when I was an altar server. I accompanied priests to barrios and mountain chapels to celebrate Mass. I saw their simplicity, their dedication, and their love for the people. A seed was planted in my heart.
My mother was a catechist. My father supported her fully. Both were Cursillistas, and our home was truly a home of faith.
I remember one beautiful family tradition. Whenever someone had a birthday, very early in the morning—while it was still dark—our family, together with members of the Cursillo community, would gather and sing the mañanita. It was simple, joyful, and filled with love.
That was the environment where my vocation was nurtured.
Today, as we mark the fortieth anniversary of my mother’s passing, I realize even more deeply how much she shaped my priesthood. She prayed, she supported the Church, and she shared my vocation in her own quiet way.
Every Mass I celebrated, every confession I heard, every anointing I gave—her influence was there.
I also remember my father. Over time, he became one of my strongest supporters. He loved being known as “the father of the priest.” It gave him great joy.
Sometimes he would attend Mass wearing one of my clerical shirts—without the white collar. He did not need the collar. For him, the shirt alone was enough. It was his quiet way of saying, “My son is a priest.”
That simple gesture spoke of his love, his pride, and his faith.
Now both of them are gone, and I miss them deeply. But today, in this Mass, I entrust them to God’s mercy. As they supported my priesthood on earth, I trust that they now intercede for me in heaven.
One of the most beautiful aspects of the priesthood is healing.
In the confessional, I have seen tears turn into peace.
In hospital rooms, fear turn into trust.
In the homes of the sick and elderly, loneliness turn into hope.
The priest does not heal by his own power.
Christ heals through him.
When a priest says, “I absolve you,” it is Christ who forgives.
When a priest anoints the sick, it is Christ who touches the wounded body and the anxious heart.
That is the mystery and the gift of Holy Orders.
So today, I thank God—for the gift of my vocation, for 35 years of priesthood, for you, the parish community, for your prayers and support, and especially for my parents, whose faith made my priesthood possible.
I miss them, but I believe that death is not the end.
In Christ, it is a passage to eternal life.
Lord, embrace my mother and my father in Your loving arms.
Reward them for their faith, their sacrifices, and their love.
In the Gospel, the apostles were sent out with almost nothing, trusting only in God.
That is what priesthood has been for me—
a lifelong journey of trust, service, and healing.
Amen.
22 December 2025
14 December 2025
Passed Life/Health License Exam (Nov. 2025)
Dennis Purificacion has been in education administration, training and certification for 20+ years. He is a multiple award-winning classroom teacher and taught thousands of students from elementary level to high school and adults. He is married to Tove Ann and is currently raising 8 kids; his wife, Tove Ann, had 3 miscarriages. Dennis holds multiple degrees (University of San Francisco magna cum laude & Santa Clara University cum laude) and a doctorate in education administration. He enjoys sci-fi and superhero movies.
07 December 2025
Homily #280: Preparing for Christmas with St. John the Baptist
10 a.m.
(includes true story assisting VPD as police chaplain)
8.a.m.
Attacks on religious liberty increase, say cardinal, papal foundation | USCCB https://www.usccb.org/news/
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Attacks on religious liberty increase, say cardinal, papal foundation
Respect for religious freedom "protects the inner sanctuary of the conscience" and "fosters vibrant communities where people of different faiths can live together, contribute to society and engage in constructive dialogue without fear of persecution," the Vatican secretary of state said.
Cindy Wooden
Cindy Wooden
October 21, 2025
Attacks on religious liberty increase, say cardinal, papal foundation
Members of a delegation from Aid to the Church in Need, a papal foundation, give Pope Leo XIV an advance copy of their annual report on religious freedom during a meeting in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Oct. 10, 2025. The report was released Oct. 21. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
ROME (CNS) -- Religious freedom is not only a fundamental and essential human right, "it is also a pathway to truth and deeper communion with God and neighbor," said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.
However, religious freedom is severely restricted in 62 of the world's 196 countries, affecting around 5.4 billion people; "in other words, almost two-thirds of the world's population lives in countries where serious violations of religious freedom take place," the cardinal said.
Cardinal Parolin was citing information contained in the 2025 Religious Freedom Report compiled by the papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need and released Oct. 21 during a conference at Rome's Augustinianum Patristic Institute.
The fact that the 2025 report runs 1,248 pages, the largest in its 25-year history, "indicates that violations of religious freedom are increasing year on year," the cardinal said.
The report, covering the period of Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2024, found that "grave and systemic violations, including violence, arrest and repression, affect more than 4.1 billion people in nations such as China, India, Nigeria and North Korea."
Cardinal Pietro Parolin speaks to reporters
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, speaks with the press after the presentation of the 2025 Religious Freedom Report compiled by the papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need and released Oct. 21, 2025, during a conference at Rome’s Augustinianum Patristic Institute. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
Speaking to reporters after the event, Cardinal Parolin cautioned against considering all attacks on Christians in Nigeria as signs of religious persecution.
Citing local church sources, the cardinal said much of the violence in Nigeria "is not a religious conflict, it is more of a social conflict, for example between herders and farmers."
And where Muslim extremists are attacking Christians, he said, they also attack Muslims who disagree with them. "These are extremist groups that make no distinctions in pursuing their goals. They use violence against anyone they consider an opponent."
Cover of the 2025 Religious Freedom Report
The cover of Aid to the Church in Need's 2025 Religious Freedom Report is seen after it was presented in Rome Oct. 21, 2025. (CNS photo/ACN International)
Aid to the Church in Need listed another 38 countries -- including Egypt, Ethiopia, Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam -- as nations where "religious discrimination" is common. The foundation said that in those countries "religious groups face systematic restrictions on worship, expression and legal equality. While not subject to violent repression, discrimination often results in marginalization and legal inequality."
In Mexico, as well as in Haiti, the report said, "organized crime is a key driver of persecution or discrimination" with priests and other church workers being kidnapped or murdered and house of worship and sacred objects being desecrated in "an atmosphere of blatant impunity" as the government fails to stop the drug cartels and criminal gangs.
Speaking at the presentation of the report, Cardinal Parolin focused on the Catholic Church's support for the religious freedom of all people, no matter their faith, and on the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom.
The council's support for religious liberty was "a call to action based on the council's belief that God himself has made known to mankind the way in which men are to serve him and thus be saved in Christ," the cardinal said.
And while all people have a "moral obligation" to seek the truth, Cardinal Parolin said, no one can be compelled to do so.
"One must and can only respond in one way: freely, that is to say, out of love, with love, not by force, because Christianity is love," the cardinal said.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin speaks at report presentation
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, speaks about the 2025 Religious Freedom Report compiled by the papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need and released Oct. 21, 2025, during a conference at Rome's Augustinianum Patristic Institute. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
On a personal level, he said, religious freedom "protects the inner sanctuary of the conscience, the God-given compass that guides ethical and spiritual choices."
And, he said, on a collective level "it fosters vibrant communities where people of different faiths can live together, contribute to society and engage in constructive dialogue without fear of persecution."
The 2025 Religious Freedom report found that "religious nationalism is on the increase, fueling exclusion and repression of minorities. National identity is increasingly shaped by ethno-religious nationalism, eroding minority rights."
"In India and Myanmar," for example, it said, religious nationalism "drives persecution; in Palestine, Israel, Sri Lanka and Nepal, it fuels discrimination."
The report also found that "religious persecution increasingly fuels forced migration and displacement," with victims around the world fleeing "violence, discrimination and the absence of state protection."
Aid to the Church in Need credited the Vatican's 2018 provisional agreement with China's communist government for "signs of improvement" for the country's Christians but noted that improvement applied only to Christians belonging to government-recognized Christian organizations.
Catholic priests and bishops continued to be arrested or detained for not joining the Catholic Patriotic Association, and in many parts of China anyone under the age of 18 is prevented from attending church or a church-sponsored event, the report said.
With the arrest and exile of bishops and priests, the confiscation of church property and the banning of religious processions and other public celebrations, the situation in Nicaragua also is highlighted in the book.
"During the period under review, hostility toward churches intensified, severely violating the fundamental right to religious freedom," it said.
Aid to the Church in Need also called attention in the report: to "a sharp rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes," including in Europe and North America; arson attacks on churches in Canada; and vandalism or desecration of churches in the United States.
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Solidarity with the Bishops and Faithful of Africa Amidst Ongoing Conflicts | USCCB https://www.usccb.org/news/
WASHINGTON - “We reiterate our solidarity with the bishops and faithful of Africa, as they offer the world a profound witness of respect for human life and dignity amidst ongoing conflicts,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.
Bishop Zaidan’s full statement follows:
“We reiterate our solidarity with the bishops and faithful of Africa, as they offer the world a profound witness of respect for human life and dignity amidst ongoing conflicts.
“In 2025, millions of our brothers and sisters on the African continent live displaced from their homes and communities, forced to flee due to conflict, religious and ethnic persecution, economic hardship and environmental crises. Cycles of deadly violence and resulting humanitarian crises continue to claim thousands of innocent lives in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and throughout the Sahel region. Due to the rise of extremist violence, Christians, Muslims, and other people of faith are increasingly targeted by campaigns of mass killings, abductions, and forced displacement. We remember, in particular, the hundreds of Christian civilians massacred in recent weeks and months in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions as well as in eastern Congo.
“We pray that government officials and people of all faiths may work together to bring lasting peace, justice, and security to the continent. We also reaffirm that lifesaving and life-affirming international assistance funding is a crucial complement to these efforts. The Catholic Church and the U.S. government have a shared responsibility to promote the international common good and respect for human life by contributing to international humanitarian and development assistance.
“In fraternal unity with the church in Africa, we ask Our Lady Queen of Peace to comfort all those afflicted by violence and grant all people of goodwill the courage to build peace both in their local communities and across borders. As our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has said, ‘May every community become a “house of peace,” where one learns how to defuse hostility through dialogue, where justice is practiced and forgiveness is cherished.’”
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