FR. ANGELOS SEBASTIAN, VICAR GENERAL, SPEAKS AT ADVENT RETREAT IN YORBA LINDA
An Advent retreat was held at Santa Clara de Asis Church in Yorba Linda on Nov. 18, sponsored by the Diocese of Orange San Jose Filipino Ministry (DOSJFM). The guest speaker, the Very Reverend Fr. Angelos Sebastian, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Orange and pastor at St. Kilian Church in Mission Viejo, captivated an audience of about 250 attendees from 35 different parishes in the Dioceses of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino/Riverside.
He spoke on the Transformative and Healing Power of the Eucharist and explained how in the Mass the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ by a process called transubstantiation. The Holy Spirit, through the liturgy of the Word comes down to the altar during consecration in almost the same manner that the Holy Spirit came down upon Mary who conceived the Son of God in her womb.
In addition to the rosary prayer and the Mass concelebrated by Fr. Angelos with the Alagad ni Maria priests, the half day retreat also included an opportunity for confessions provided by five AM priests before the start of the retreat.
“This is one of the best retreats I’ve ever been to,” remarked Cecilia Torres, one of the several attendees from St. Justin Martyr Church. This is the third year that the DOSJFM has sponsored Advent Retreats in mid-November. The DOSJFM was established in 2021 under the Ethnic Ministries of the Diocese of Orange.
-by Becky Tamondong, Diocese of Orange San Jose Filipino Ministry
FR. ANGELOS SEBASTIAN SPEAKS DURING AN ADVENT RETREAT ON NOV. 18. PHOTO COURTESY OF DIOCESE OF ORANGE SAN JOSE FILIPINO MINISTRY
BISHOP NGUYEN VISITS NURSING HOME
Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen visited the Garden Grove Post Acute Nursing Facility on Dec. 6 for holiday festivities. Dressed in a Santa hat, he visited the residents, sang Christmas carols in English and Vietnamese and handed out presents to the residents.