Today marks the 20th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attack on the United States and the collapsing of the World Trade Towers on 9/11/01. Over the last week, we have seen these images replayed on television and we remember what occurred then and how it affected so many lives since. Most of us remember exactly…
As I write this article, I am in Lourdes on pilgrimage with my brother Paul, his wife Maria and a number of other parishioners from St. Simon along with the Order of Malta’s annual pilgrimage to Lourdes. We arrived late Wednesday after a long day of travel which was hardest on the Malades (those who…
Jesus saves his harshest words for the Pharisees and the religious leaders of his time. When they challenged him, he would regularly accuse them of being “hypocrites” as they consistently say one thing but did another. Jesus was brutal on them and in Sunday’s gospel; he is particularly harsh. Why does he do this? Mostly…
This week, St. Simon School welcomed back all our students to in-person learning. It was so exciting to see so many kids on campus again. I was delighted to see them playing in the schoolyard and learning in the classrooms again. We are off to a great start. Of course, we need to remain vigilant…
The summer break is over; school starts this week for many of us, but for others it has already started! For some students, this is great news and for others it is a disappointment. But for all the parents I know, it is welcome news. Most everyone I know is excited to have their children…
While it is great to be back home from vacation, it was a disappointment to see an increase in COVID cases with this new Delta variant. On Tuesday, we were notified of the new Santa Clara County health order for wearing masks for all indoor activities again. This does not change our current policy here…
Today is the last day of July and it is the Feast Day for St. Ignatius Loyola. Jesuits all over the world will be celebrating this day with great reverence this year as it is his 500th anniversary. On this day, it is worth noting that Jesuits have made a huge impact on our Church…
In today’s Gospel, we read that Jesus raised his eyes and saw a large crowd coming to him (cf. John 6: 1-15). This image caught my eyes. As I have reflected on it, I accepted that Jesus was already longing to be with the crowd. By raising his eyes, Jesus was ready to welcome and…
THE COVID-19 -PANDEMIC AND SILVER LINING IN ST. SIMON COMMUNITY By Fr. Christopher Bologo INTRODUCTION: The havoc Covid-19 pandemic has caused the world is unimaginable. By my calculation, it will take five to ten years for the full impact of the pandemic to be known. The damage is to the economy, people’s spiritual lives, politics,…
Tijuana Ministry Update – July 2021 St. Simon Parish has traveled with the Tijuana Ministry immersion mission program for ten years. About 350 members from our parish, along with others throughout our Diocese, have traveled to the La Morita area on the far outskirts of Tijuana where we encounter, serve, and work with the poorest…