INTRODUCTION OF ST. NICHOLAS PARISH STAFF MEMBERS
We continue in our series of staff introductions, so that you may become familiar with the names, faces, job titles and responsibilities of the St. Nicholas staff. They are compensated by your generous donations, and they are here to serve you. Feel free to reach out to them for any needs you might have.
Hello, my name is Milton A. Tobar, and I am very thankful to be working as Facilities Manager at this beautiful parish of San Nicholas. I oversee the maintenance and custodial needs of the parish. The parishioners and staff have made me feel very welcome.
I am originally from El Salvador, and I now live in Dana Point with my family. I met my wife at The Mission San Juan Capistrano, and we have three children. My oldest daughter graduated from USC in 2022 as a biologist; she now works for USC in the Cancer Research Lab caring for people with cancer. My son works in a restaurant, while studying Computer Science at Saddleback College. My younger daughter is in the sixth grade at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic School.
I have completed studies at Industrial Tech Institute, Loyola Marymount University and CWEA, earning certifications as a Mechanic, Computer Specialist, CA Realtor, Quality Control / Maintenance Operator and Hispanic Pastoral Services Provider.
I have worked as a QC Inspector for an electronic company, a Health Food Supplement Manufacturing Inspector, a Mechanical Engineer for a hotel, a Wastewater and Facility Maintenance Operator for a Water District, and I have experience in Business and Real Estate. In 2016, I started my own business doing preventive maintenance and finish carpentry.
I attended a retreat in 1992 at Our Lady of Fatima Church in San Clemente. From that day on, I have been a church volunteer with my family. We now attend and volunteer at St. Edward the Confessor Church. I have been a coach and referee for AYSO for over ten years.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any maintenance related needs or questions. May God bless our parish community!
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” This is one of the most well-known and beloved verses of Scripture. It is John 3:16. We see it displayed so often on television, at sporting events, usually on a banner or a sign attached somewhere in the arena or stadium. This is a verse that should be memorized, recited, and be the subject of our meditation. These words are the summary of the Good News.
The first thing for us to know is that it is God who took the initiative in our salvation. Sometimes the impression has been given that God to first be pacified before he would forgive us. We have been presented with a picture of God, especially in the Old Testament, as stern, angry, and unforgiving. Jesus, the Son of God, on the other hand, was presented as being kind, gentle, and forgiving. By his death, Jesus changed God’s attitude toward us. But this passage shows that it was God who sent his Son to us. It was God who took the first step. God chose the approach of love, not of power. God acts not for his own sake but for our sake. God is not an absolute monarch who is not happy until he reduced his creatures to abject obedience. Rather, God is the Father who is not happy until all his wandering children have come home.
This passage also shows how all-inclusive is God’s love. His love is not directed at one nation or for their good only. It is directed at all people, to the children of light and to the children of darkness. But the passage also talks about judgment and condemnation. If God’s approach is so loving, how can it include judgment and condemnation? How can condemnation be reconciled with love? Condemnation does not follow from God’s action but from people’s response. God condemns no one. People condemn themselves by adopting a negative attitude. God sent us a light. If people get lost, it is because they haven’t accepted the light.
A visitor was once being shown around an art gallery. The gallery contained some beautiful paintings, which were universally acknowledged to be masterpieces. At the end of the tour the visitor said, “I don’t think much of these old pictures.” To which his guide replied, “My good man, these pictures are no longer on trial. But those who look at them are.”
The man’s reaction was not a judgment on the pictures but on his own pitiful appreciation of art. In the same way those who prefer darkness to light have condemned themselves. In other words, those who refuse to listen to the Church, and the teachings of the Church, do not want to change for the better. Anyone who does wrong hates the light and avoids it. People do not like goodness because it reveals their badness. People destroy the light, the goodness, the love, in order to avoid the pain of self-discovery. But those who do good, love the light and come out into it. How many of our deeds are done in the light?
Today is rejoicing Sunday. We rejoice because through the Paschal Mystery (Suffering, Death, and Resurrection) of Jesus Christ that our salvation is made possible. We are half way through Lent, so let us pray that we may always choose to do good deeds, to choose the light. How sweet it is to walk in the light of his love. We know that we are able to love because God loved us first. This is the reason for us to rejoice.
If we know that we are, though imperfect, loved by God, then we will be able to transmit that love to others.
A Blessed Lenten Season to all of you.
Fr. Martin Bui
Parochial Administrator
PASTORAL SERVICES APPEAL 2024
It is time for us to kick off the annual Pastoral Services Appeal (PSA) for 2024.
As you probably know, the PSA benefits numerous Diocesan ministries and services, but also greatly benefits our parish. Each year, the Diocese assigns a PSA goal for each parish, which is based on a percentage of their unrestricted income from the previous fiscal year. This year, like last year, our assigned goal is $110,000. Any amount that we raise above the goal comes back to us in the form of a rebate. This rebate money can be used for whatever we feel is most needed.
Let me first give you a recap of the 2023 PSA. We raised a total of $194,786 from 287 donors. This provided us with a rebate of just under $85K. As determined by our former pastor, Fr. George, this rebate would be used to upgrade or replace the old faulty sound system in the church. So, within the next few weeks, we plan to not only install a brand new sound system, but also, at the direction of Fr. Martin, four large LED screens that will display the prayers, readings and songs of the Mass, and a modern camera system that will allow us to more professionally livestream Masses and other services in the church. The overall cost of these improvements will be $130K and will be covered by the $85K rebate from last year’s PSA and $45K from our Building Fund.
For the 2024 PSA which we are launching this weekend, Fr. Martin, in consultation with the Parish Finance Council, feels that the best use of any rebate money we receive should go towards repairing the significant termite damage that exists on the church, small hall and rectory, and a much needed painting of all the parish buildings. The estimated cost of this work is $170K. Therefore, the hope is that the 2024 PSA will generate $280K: $110K going to the Diocese, and $170K coming to St. Nicholas as a rebate.
You may have recently received a letter in the mail from the Diocese, inviting you to participate in the 2024 PSA. In response to those letters, $54,115 has already been pledged, which is a great start to achieving our overall goal of $280K.
We have about 2,700 registered parishioners. Last year, the number of parishioners who contributed to the PSA was 287. This means that only 10.6 % of our parish community contributed to the PSA. It is important that the PSA be a team effort. If everyone contributed, even a little, we would know that we did it together, and that we all could feel part of this worthy campaign. 2024 PSA brochures will be available in the church and the parish office. Please pick one up and prayerfully consider what you can give to this year’s PSA. Thank you for your generosity!
Together in Christ,
Len Goswitz
Parish Business Manager
P.S. As an option to using the mail in card that came with your letter from the Diocese you can go directly to their website for more information and make an online gift at https://www.rcbo.org/psa/