A Word from the Pastor

April 26, 2024

When I was the Associate Pastor in 1990 at St. Christopher Parish in the Diocese of Buffalo, our parish had a tragic fire and we undertook the project of building a new church. Hundreds of parishioners joined in the project through various committees. One of the committees that I worked with was the “windows committee.” We researched various kinds of colored glass and stained glass. The overall theme of the church building was to be “a church which welcomes all.” 

Our committee decided that we wanted a stained glass window over the main entrance of the church which depicts Jesus at about 12 years of age with his arms open in welcome. We wanted young people to recognize themselves in this young Jesus. We wanted them to know that they were welcome and a part of our community.

In his document Christus Vivit, Pope Francis addresses young people and urges them “to contemplate the young Jesus as presented in the Gospels, for he was truly one of you, and shares many of the features of your young hearts.” Pope Francis reminds the whole Church that young Catholics are not simply the “church of tomorrow,” as many will often say, but they are the church of the present. We need to welcome them and embrace their gifts.

This week we have several opportunities in our parish to celebrate the young Church of today. On Saturday, April 27, the young people in our religious education program received Holy Communion for the first time. Also, on Saturday May 4, we will celebrate First Communion for our school children. What a joy it is to welcome all these children to the table of the Lord.

Also on Saturday May 4, Bishop Ramon Bejarano will come to our parish to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for our young people of high school age. May the Holy Spirit strengthen their faith. On Friday May 3, our school will celebrate grandparents’ day. We lift up grandparents and all who serve as role models for the young Church of today.

If we see young people as being baptized members of the community, the church of today, the now of God, then we must open up spaces for their voices to be heard in the life of the church. For Pope Francis, it seems, the voices of the young church are one of the ways in which Christ and the Holy Spirit are working to keep the church young and vibrant in a wounded world. This is a message, I hope that all of us, old and young, can get behind.

In one Heart,

Fr. Ron 

 rmbagley@yahoo.com

Another Reflection on

Bearing Fruit



This reflection by Saul Ciresi gives us an opportunity to reflect more on the idea or remaining united to Christ so that we may bear fruit. It will even involve some pruning.

Million Meals Event

June 8 and 9

The deacons of the Diocese of San Diego have come together to live out their mission to serve the needy by coordinating an event to provide nutritious meals to children and families living in extreme poverty. The meals will be sent to charities serving the poor in Tijuana, Mexico, the Zambia Africa.

To do this, the deacons need to:

- raise $375,000 dollars to purchase food ingredients and for shipping.

- recruit 4,000 volunteers to pack the 1.5 million meals during an inspiring and enjoyable i weekend community experience.

St. Patrick's deacons are inviting all members of our parish community to participate the weekend of June 8 & 9 at Cathedral Catholic High School.

Our parish deacons or their representative will be on the patio the weekend of Apr 27/28 to:

- answer questions,

- accept donations,

- help register volunteers for the weekend of June 8-9 at Cathedral High School

For more information / to donate, view shift times, and register to help pack meals:

a) Please visit: sdcatholic.org/millionmeals



b) Or scan the attached QR code:

More than 4,000 faithful of all ages packed 1.5 million meals in our 2023 event.

St. John Eudes in the

Easter Season

Our series of spirituality of St. Eudes continues on Thursday at 7:00pm and Fridays at 9:00am. 

These are the upcoming topics: 

May 9 & 10 - The Holy Heart of Mary in the Spirituality of St. Eudes - Fr. Azam Mansha CJM. 

May 16 & 17 - St. John Eudes and Lay People in His Ministry - Fr. Ron Bagley, CJM. 

May 23 & 24 - Living the Mysteries and States of Jesus; The Consecration of Time - Fr. Ben Drapeau CJM.

Widor Symphony for Organ

Organist Jonathan Scott performs Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) Allegro from Symphony No. 6 in g minor Op. 42, No. 2 on the Pascal Quoirin organ of Évreux Cathedral, Normandy, France.

Annual Catholic Appeal

So far this year, our parish has contributed $64,079.07 to the Annual Catholic Appeal. That is quite short of our parish goal of $101,250.00. The amount donated comes from 143 of our parishioners. That is a participation of only 3.34% of registered parishioners.



Please consider making your ACA pledge or donation today. This money funds so many important services of the Church in San Diego. If we do not reach our goal through contributing parishioners, the parish has to come up with the balance.

Catholic Trivia Night

Get your team together!

Sign up for the first St. Patrick’s Catholic Trivia Night to be held on Tuesday, April 30 at 7:00 pm in our parish hall. You need a team of three to compete. It could be from the same organization (Altar Society, School Board, Knights of Columbus, etc.), or the same ministry (Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Catechists, Youth Core Team, etc.), or any group of neighbors or people you socialize with.

How will it work? Teams will answer multiple choice questions about the Bible, Catholic customs and traditions, and Catholic teaching. Reviewing the Catholic Trivia from the last few years of newsletters would be a good place to go to prepare. The teams that choose the most correct answers and do so the fastest will be the prize winners.

Sign up by sending an email to Fr. Ron (rmbagley@yahoo.com) with the names of your team members, their email addresses, and the name you have chosen for your team (e.g., The Adams Street Trio). There will be a limited number of teams and first come first served. No entry fee.

Spectators are welcome and encouraged to attend to cheer on your favorite team. 

Online Giving Reminder

If you currently use Online Giving for your electronic giving, please make sure you login to the application frequently to make sure your payment method is current and your donations are being processed.

Click on the Online Giving icon below to create or access your account.

Catholic Trivia

"Catholic Trivia”... not because they are trivial but because these might be things that not everyone knows. Test your knowledge by reading the five questions, remember your answers (or jot them down), then click the link below to find the answers.

1. Which continent has the highest Catholic population?
2. What does the word “purgatory” mean?
3. What does INRI stand for?
4. What gesture should the faithful make just before receiving Communion?
5. Who wrote the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament?

Feel free to email Fr. Ron with ideas for future Catholic Trivia questions rbagley@stpatrickcarlsbad.com

If you have other members of your family or your friends who would like to be on our email list, just let me know or write to Mary McLain at mmclain@stpatrickcarlsbad.com We will be pleased to add them.

Masses are available on our website www.stpatrickcarlsbad.com

We have a YouTube channel where we have daily and Sunday Masses.