ST. BONAVENTURE PARISH in Huntington Beach recently welcomed a special guest to the church’s monthly family Mass. The church was nearly filled to capacity when Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Orange, served as the main celebrant for the 9 a.m. family Mass on Nov.17.
A key component of the family Mass, which is celebrated on the third Sunday of the month, is the active participation of St. Bonaventure School students.
BISHOP THANH THAI NGUYEN BLESSES A FAMILY DURING ST. BONAVENTURE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S FAMILY MASS CELEBRATED ON NOV. 17. PHOTO BY STEVE GEORGES/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Each month a different class assumes key roles during the Mass and on Nov. 17, it was the sixth graders’ turn to serve as greeters, ushers and lectors. The children’s choir also performed.
St. Bonaventure’s pastor, Fr. Vincent Pham, said the special family Masses have drawn larger congregations each month.
“I like to involve the children into the liturgy and singing, doing the reading, serving, ushering, greeting and all of those things,” said Fr. Vincent, “because they are the future of the Church.”
For his homily, Bishop Nguyen spoke on the spiritual principle of hope and directed his remarks to the children.
“Everyone needs hope,” Bishop Nguyen said. “I need hope, you need hope, we all need hope. People will say you need food, water, air and shelter to live but I could also add hope.”
Hope is the antidote for fear, the bishop said, and fear causes people to view the world in terms of division and fractured relationships.
“And so, if you and I don’t learn to let go of our fear, then we may end up losing hope. God, you are my hope. Keep me safe, from Psalm 16 is a beautiful reminder for all of us that true security comes from placing our faith in God, placing our trust in God and despite challenges and difficult times, we still find peace and joy by keeping God close to us.”
As a way to celebrate the importance of family involvement in the Church, St. Bonaventure recently added a Traveling Crucifix devotion to the family Mass.
Each month a parish family is presented with the Traveling Crucifix, which they keep for the month. The chosen family is asked to pray with special intentions for the school, the church and the community.
“We know that the school is a ministry of the Church,” said the school’s principal Dr. Richard Yoon, who started the Traveling Crucifix devotion. “And so, we have to work together in the connection there. Evangelizing, getting more students here to be part of the Church and its ministries of service. Those are things that we really deem important.”
Parishioners Bethany and Thomas Day and their five children were selected as the Traveling Crucifix Family for the month of November.
“We are honored to receive this mission to pray for St. Bonaventure School,” Bethany Day said. “This school and parish community mean so much to our family, and we’ll be asking special intercessions from our mother Mary for guidance and protection of the St. Bonaventure community.”