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Welcome to
St.
Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church
Riverside, California!
Our parish began on
Pentecost Sunday in 1946 with Fr. Joseph Murphy, CSSp, who recognized the need to serve 17 families
in this area of Riverside. The parish was
known as Church of the Holy Spirit, named for the
Holy Ghost Fathers who were our first priests.
In 1948, we became known as St. Catherine of
Alexandria. We are located at the busy corner
of Brockton and Arlington Avenues.
Blessing
of the Animals
By Deacon John De Gano
October 3
date set for Blessing of Animals
Join us on Saturday,
October 3, 2009 for our fifth annual ‘Blessing
of the Animals’ beginning at 9 a.m. on the front
steps of the St. Catherine of Alexandria Church
(located at the corner of Brockton and Arlington
avenues in Riverside, CA).
In the joyful spirit of St.
Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals (and,
perhaps, all God’s creation), Deacon John will
lead us as we celebrate, in song and praise, our
gratitude to God for his wondrous creation and
ask God’s continued blessing on our non-human
friends for the companionship they have shared
with us.
Human seating is limited,
so it is recommended that humans bring folding
chairs or plan on sitting on the steps or grass.
Pets are expected to be courteous of one another
and keep their humans leashed at all times.
Misbehaving after the blessing is not allowed!
New This Year: Pet
Memorial
For the first time, a
memorial will be added in remembrance of those
faithful companions who have died. Humans are
welcome to bring their loved one’s photo,
favorite chew toy, etc. to be publicly displayed
during the celebration.
At the conclusion of the
celebration, prayer cards will be distributed to
the participants.
All are welcome, regardless
of race, color, size or breed.
In years past, Deacon John
has blessed horses, guinea pigs, lizards, fish,
cats and, a plethora of dogs. Our first year we
even had a rat named, “Tink”.
For more information,
please contact Deacon John at (951) 781-9855,
ext. 11 or stop by the
Ministry
Center, located across the
street from the church at
7005 Brockton Avenue.
Deacon Don Reports on Mission to Philippines 
That is what they called me. It was something left from the days when there were so many American soldiers, or GI Joes, in the Philippines.
By the grace of God, I was allowed to travel across the ocean to the Philippines to use the gifts given freely to me by the Holy Spirit at my baptism. One of my Spiritual gifts is the gift of missionary. I just returned from the Philippines after spending one month there. My primary purpose was to discern whether Butuan on the southern Island of the Philippines, the big island of Mindanao was the place I should focus my ministries.
Mindanao is a place that is in turmoil. It is a place where the poorest of the poor in the Philippines live. Although the majority of people there are Christians, there is also a fairly large population of Muslims and other religions practiced by some of the indigenous tribes. Slightly more than a year ago, I visited Butuan and felt that of all the places in the Philippines, Butuan was the place that was calling to me.
So a month ago, I traveled to Butuan to learn more about it. I needed to know if it was a place that I actually could minister to the people. I needed to know if the culture shock would be so great that my abilities would be significantly impaired.
What I discovered was that Butuan, although very much different from the world I was accustomed to, was a place that I really fit into. People in the neighborhood that I was staying started coming to me for help with their emotional struggles. It was only by word of mouth, but the word spread among the people that there was someone who would listen to their problems.
One woman, in her eighties, forgot that I did not understand Bisaya, the primary language of the people in Butuan, and talked to me for nearly an hour in Bisaya. What I have learned about body language, what is said with the eyes and the small amount of Bisaya that I had learned really helped in the way I was able to respond to the woman. I did learn that it would be her birthday in 3 days, so I visited her house on her birthday with some roses I bought at the local market.
It really is a small world. The daughter of Nanay Nitang, the name of the woman in her eighties, had arrived from California to celebrate her mother’s birthday. I found that the daughter was a dentist in Glendale and that her boyfriend attends mass at my assigned parish, St. Catherine of Alexandria in Riverside, California.
I was asked by the local priest to address his congregation. To my surprise, I found that he wanted me to deliver the address in Bisaya. With the help of one of my Filipina daughters, I managed to write a script in Bisaya. I delivered the address to which they gave me a wonderful ovation.
What I learned is that not only would I be able to offer assistance to the people of Butuan, but also that they welcomed me in what I wanted to do. The questions I had about whether I would be of any value to the people of Butuan were answered by the fact that already I had started to counsel the people in Butuan.
The people of Butuan speak primarily Bisaya. However, beginning in elementary school, they are taught Tagalog and English. When people encountered me, they would generally greet me in English. Some of the most fun I had was when I responded to them in Bisaya and watched their reactions. They would often ask if I understood Bisaya. When I told them I understood a little using Bisaya, they would ask me if I was married to Filipina. Most of the people were very much puzzled why anyone would come to Butuan to live. That is because there are so many of the people, who live in Butuan, who are trying to find their way out of the city.
I learned how to go to the farmer’s market and shop the way the local people do. The freshest food is available at the farmer’s market on the weekends. That is when the retailer’s go to purchase the local produce that they will resell. Of course the farmers do not care if you are a retailer or someone who is buying their produce for personal use. The price for local produce is very inexpensive. On the other hand imported products purchased at the market are usually extremely costly.
Over time people became more familiar with me. The family I was staying with would receive reports from the people in the market place that they had seen me earlier in the day. In a short period of time, I was already becoming a part of the community. I owe so much to the family I stayed with and feel as though that family is my own family.
I visited one of the hospitals in Butuan several times because over the past year I have been working with their social worker to help children attend college and high school who ordinarily would not be able to continue their education. I found that the staff at the hospital cared very much about the people who came to them. When I toured the hospital and talked with the staff, I found that they were already aware of the program to help the students.
One the day I was preparing to leave the Philippines, my Filipino family received a phone call from the woman who called me her adopted American son. She asked that I stop by her house before leaving. When I arrived Nanay Diding started to cry, “Do you have to leave. We will miss you.” Then she pointed to her great grandchildren. She said, “Do you see these children? They are your grandchildren.”
When I arrived at the airport to leave Butuan, there was sadness in me. I had become a part of two separate extended families. I know in my heart, or in Bisaya my kasing-kasing, that Butuan is my home, the place the spirit is leading me to. I know I was accepted in this land where I was known as a foreigner, an alien in the land of the Philippines, but at the same time accepted into their families as one of their own. I know I will be back. But that didn’t stop my tears as the plane left the ground at Butuan
- Deacon Don
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