Dear Parishioners,

Once again this year I am pleased to present the annual "Stewardship Report" giving you an accounting of the resources - spiritual, material, and human - we have utilized, due to your generosity, to enhance and build up God's kingdom in this portion he has entrusted to us.

As in every report, there are lights and shadows.

Among the “lights” are our active and involved parishioners who generously give of their time, talent, and treasure to give worship to God and service to our neighbor. I also salute and am grateful to our staff who work so assiduously in their various ministries, and the priests who come to assist in providing Mass and the sacraments. Let’s never take this for granted.

Among the “shadows” is the gradual decline in Catholic practice. It is a phenomenon throughout the Western world, and the recent pandemic has increased the rate of decline considerably. This includes Sunday Mass attendance, Baptisms, Confirmations, and children enrolled in religious formation. The Diocese is seeking to address this issue in various ways including the closing of parishes, as well as merging or clustering parishes with one priest in charge of two or more parishes or “worship sites.” We will soon know where we stand in this process.

Finally, once again, this past year we met our goal for the Bishop’s Appeal, slightly over 100%. Thank you to all of you who contributed.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Father George Mockel
Pastor

Ministerial

• Celebrated the Anointing of the Sick for the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes
• Celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Cathedral with Bishop Michael Barber, SJ
• Continued to livestream the Sunday Masses in consideration of our homebound parishioners
• Thursday Morning Bible Study continued their “Bible-in-a-Year” program - now at a year and a few months - led by Megan both on Zoom and in person
• Monthly Mass at Orinda Senior Village resumed with the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions
• Teen leaders Sofia Obnial and Jack Foy resumed Children’s Liturgy of the Word on the first Sunday of the month at 10:30am Mass, sharing age-appropriate lessons and songs for our young Catholics

Outreach

• Social Justice continued Tuesday Clean-Up Days, focusing on compliance with the Fire Marshal’s requirement for removal of designated plants by the end of 2023
• Santa Maria’s CYO basketball teams and Youth Ministry participated in Hope Solutions Spirit of Giving project  as the largest Christmas gift and meal donor group
• Parishioners made and delivered 371 bagged lunches for the Oakland Catholic Worker’s guests
• Volunteers provided virtual tutoring for students at Hope Solutions Garden Park Apartments
• Wrote 140 greeting cards to teens in Juvenile Hall for various occasions during the year
• Donated food, coats, diapers and baby supplies, hygiene products, and food gift cards to the Oakland Catholic Worker, St. Mary’s College Gael Pantry, St. Cornelius Parish, St. Peter Martyr Parish, Birthright of Concord, and the Dorothy Day House Horizon Shelter

Social

• Reinstated our annual Minister Appreciation Dinner thanking those who give of their time and talent to the parish as liturgical and catechetical ministers or in general service to the parish
• Hosted a Music Ministers Gathering organized by Helena for musicians around the Diocese to share resources and connect while enjoying a potluck brunch
• Resumed Hospitality Sundays on the first Sundays of the month with the ubiquitous coffee and donuts after the Sunday morning Masses

Personnel

• Said goodbye to Tony Millette, Director of Liturgy and Music, who decided to leave his position here at Santa Maria after over 30 years of service to our parish
• Said goodbye to Mirna Wong, Administrative Assistant, who looks forward for travel, golf, and spending time with her grandson
• Welcomed Helena Dietrich as Director of Music, whose many years of experience in parish ministry, and ability to both sing and play piano beautifully endeared her to the hiring committee
• Welcomed Jo Ann Bell as Administrative Assistant, who has managed the transition gracefully and with a large dose of both competence and humor

Improvement projects completed in 2022

• Completed pavement replacement and striping in our lower parking lot
• Installed a new main sewer line from the school building to the property entrance due to root intrusion into the existing clay sewer pipe
• Installed and blessed the ambry and carving of St. John the Baptist at the front of the church
• Repainted the school building
• Removed additional diseased pine trees

Projects and new events planned for 2023

• Additional pavement replacement and repair in upper parking lots
• Repaint the convent
• Plant new trees in the planting strip parallel to the main entrance road on the Park and Ride side
• Refurbish the Priest Sacristy and Work Sacristy, including asbestos removal, replacement of the floor, and removal and replacement of stained acoustical tiles
• Water drain replacement
• Celebrate the completion of the Restore and Renew projects on October 22, 2023

Our parish is committed to tithing 5% of our first collection regular income to organizations outside the parish so we can participate in and tangibly support good works beyond out parish. These organizations are voted on and recommended by the Social Justice Committee:

K-5 Faith Formation

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” ~John 6:35

Truly these words of Jesus ring true in the hearts of the faith-filled catechists, children, and parents in our Faith Formation program.

Although the enrollment of students is dramatically reduced during and after the pandemic, the faith of the children, catechists, and parents in our program is not reduced. They faithfully come to Faith Formation classes each week, beginning with prayer in the Church and proceeding to the classrooms for catechism.

Besides weekly Faith Formation sessions, the First Eucharist families also participate in a monthly Sunday Family Catechesis to prepare their children for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist.

On May 22, 2022, there were 13 faith-filled children who received the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time in our beautiful church of Santa Maria.

May Jesus, the Bread of Life, continue to draw more children, parents, and catechists to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and nourish the hunger and thirst of our souls. Amen.

If you have a child in grades K-5 or if you feel called to serve, please contact Sr. Mary Margaret Phan at 925-254-2426 x306.

Pastoral Care to the Sick and Homebound

“Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” ~Ephesians 4:32

Looking back over the past year, we had special occasions dedicated to the Mass of the Anointing of the Sick, and Liturgy of the Word with Anointing of the Sick. Both were anointing rituals for our parishioners and patients, with more than 100 people attending.

Our prayer intentions list includes more than 40 parishioners, and every Monday through Friday parishioner volunteers visit the elderly, the sick, and the homebound in Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette, and Walnut Creek.

We also serve at the Orinda Care Center every Tuesday for Bible Reading and a Communion Service, and at the Orinda Senior Village at 10am every first Monday of the month for the Rosary and Communion Service, with a Holy Mass at 10am every other month. All are invited to attend.

If you need pastoral services, or if you feel called to serve and are interested in helping, please contact Sr. Magdalene Nguyen at 925-254-2426 x309.

Youth Ministry/Confirmation

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people..” ~Acts 2:46

In March, our teens were able to go on their first overnight retreat since January 2020.

As is our custom, we partnered up with St. Charles Borromeo for the Life in Christ Retreat at Camp St. Francis, Aptos, and after a few years away, were rewarded with one of the most beautiful retreat weekends ever - and we’re not just talking about the beautiful warm sand and sunshine!

We saw teens actively reaching out and making new friends from the other parish, voluntarily putting down their phones during free time to throw the football around or to lounge on the beach, and in general bonding with humanity after two years of isolation.

While our leaders worried we’d be rusty or out of practice leading a retreat, the Holy Spirit was clearly active at filling in any gaps in our abilities.

Plus, any retreat where the two lead coordinators sleep out in camping hammocks has got to be a winner. :)

Here are two visual representations of our parish income and expenses for the 2022 calendar year, along with a few accompanying notes.

This year we are again providing our more accurate Expense pie chart. Rather than grouping “Clergy & Lay Salaries and Benefits” into its own category as in years past, we have instead distributed each staff member’s salary and benefits into their respective categories. For example, the amount of Father George’s salary and benefits is distributed into both the Liturgy and Administrative categories. This will better reflect the real costs of each major category by including the cost of the personnel who run them. The total expenses for clergy and lay salaries and benefits this year was $365,549.41, which accounted for 35.1% of our total expenses for 2022.

Please note that the Expense pie chart only records our Operating Expenses. Capital Improvements were also made in 2022 with a total of $255,510; more details are at the bottom of the Expenses pie chart.

Sources of Revenue in 2022

Expenses by Major Category in 2022

Total Expenses: $1,041,251.21
Difference between Income and Expense: +$183,297.97
Note: Clergy and Lay salaries and benefits (here distributed into each major category accordingly) total $365,549.41, which accounts for 35.1% of our total expenses for 2022.



The Expenses pie chart only records our Operating Expenses. In 2022, our Capital Improvements cost the parish an additional $255,510 comprising $68,500 for sewer line replacement, $131,025 for pavement replacement and re-striping, $51,985 to paint the school building, and $4,000 to replace the concrete in front of the school building's entrance.