Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church
Parish established 1912 - Present Church dedicated 1962

Parish Office & Mailing Address: 449 Holyoke Street, San Francisco, CA 94134-1734
Phone: (415) 468-0820. FAX: (415) 468-1457

Church Address (not for mail) - 459 Somerset Street, San Francisco, CA
Find Saint Elizabeth's Church on Google Maps


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fr. Charles Puthota

From the Pastor's Desktop

A Message from Father Charles Puthota

February 9, 2025

Dear Parishioners of St. Elizabeth,

Archdiocesan Annual Appeal (AAA) 2025: I'm giving you a heads-up on the letter I'm putting in the mail on February 11 for each parishioner of St. Elizabeth about this year's concerted campaign to raise $36,292 in support of the Archdiocesan ministries. Next weekend, February 15-16, at Masses I'll be speaking about AAA and officially launching our annual drive. I humbly seek your support in making this drive successful as quickly as possible. Thank you for supporting it whole heartedly the last four years and I'm hoping this year too you will support it with the same enthusiasm and fervor.

Parish Lenten Retreat on Saturday, March 22: As you know, Lent starts with Ash Wednesday on March 05. As part of our Lenten practices and observances, I'll be giving a retreat for half a day on Saturday March 22. It will start with the 8:30am Mass, followed by light breakfast and coffee in Cantwell Hall. Then there will be three sessions with intervals in between. It will end with lunch about 1:00pm. Registration fee: $15. Registration forms will be made available next week.

Word of God, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Isaiah has an awesome vision of God in the temple which leads him to the deep realization of his sinfulness. The angel of God purifies him. God's grace has now claimed him to be his prophet, and Isaiah says: "Here I am, send me."

Paul includes himself among those who met the Risen Christ. Acknowledging that he persecuted the church, Paul calls himself "the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle." He quickly adds though: "But by the grace of God I am who I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective." Where is Paul the fierce persecutor of the church? He is now the most ardent promoter of the same church.

At Jesus' word, Peter puts out into the deep, after a night's failed effort. The abundance of fish fills him with the divine presence of Jesus. Deeply aware of his unworthiness, he says, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." But Jesus has other plans for him. Peter now has to become the catcher of people for the Kingdom of God.

A pattern emerges in these accounts. With a personal experience of God in Jesus, we become acutely aware of our sinfulness, but God calls us all the same, graces us, and uses us for his work. Charles C. Morrison says, "The Christian Church is a society of sinners. It is the only society in the world in which membership is based upon a single qualification: that the candidate be unworthy of membership."

The Word of God this Sunday is a perfect vocation promotion material. The Church needs young women and men for God's service in religious life and priesthood. In the wake of their personal encounter of Jesus, their rising sense of sinfulness will not be an insurmountable obstacle. Jesus has the power to purify and grace them. But they have to rise to the occasion and say, "Here I am, Lord. Send me."

A Story to Ponder: A man went to see a psychiatrist and said that every night he was visited by a twelve-foot dragon with three heads. He was a nervous wreck, could not sleep at all and was on the verge of total collapse. He had even thought of suicide. "I think I can help you," said the psychiatrist, "but I must warn you that it will take a year or two and will cost three thousand dollars." "Three thousand dollars!" the man exclaimed. "Forget it! I'll just go home and make friends with it."

A Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas: Grant me grace, O merciful God, to desire ardently all that is pleasing to You, to examine it prudently, to acknowledge it truthfully, and to accomplish it perfectly, for the praise and glory of Your name. Amen.

Oscar Wilde Quotes: 1. "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."2. "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." 3. "Be yourself; everyone is already taken." 4. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." 5. "A good friend will always stab you in the front." 6. "Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future." 7. "I am not young enough to know everything." 8. "Hearts are made to be broken." 9. "The very essence of romance is uncertainty." 10. "Who, being loved, is poor?"

Humor: 1. The Preacher and the Bus Driver: A bus driver and a preacher arrive at the gates of heaven. St. Peter welcomes them both but gives the bus driver a higher place in heaven. The preacher protests, "Why does he get a better spot than me? I devoted my life to God!" St. Peter replies, "Reverend, when you preached, people slept. When he drove, people prayed." 2. The Confession Surprise: A man goes to confession and says, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I stole a rope." The priest asks, "And what did you do with the rope?" The man replies, "Well, Father… there was a cow attached to it." 3. God Alone Knows: The smart-alec seminarian thought he had pulled a good one. On the final exam, which asked students to delve into the complexities of theology, he simply wrote: "Only God knows the answers to these questions!" Grading the paper, the professor wrote, "Nice proposition. If true, God gets 100. You get a 0."

Your Friend and Pastor,

Fr.Charles Puthota.


MASS SCHEDULE
as of November 23, 2023

Saturday:

.. 4:30 p.m.

... Sunday:

.. 8:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Monday thru Saturday:

.. 8:30 a.m.

Holy Days:

.. 8:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.

Confessions:

..4:00 p.m. on Saturdays before the 4:30 Vigil Mass

10:00 a.m. on Sundays before the 10:30 a.m. Mass


PARISH SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATIONS

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

Please call the Parish Office for more information. (415-468-0820) - Details

Baptismal Registration Form

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

High School Students should call the Religious Education Office for more information.
Adult confirmation is available on an individual basis. -
.Details

SACRAMENT OF THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK

Call the Parish Office in case of serious illness and before surgery and hospital care. - Details

SACRAMENT OF EUCHARIST

Our Eucharistic Ministers are available to bring the Eucharist to the sick or homebound. Contact the Parish Office. - Details

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

Saturday 3:30pm to 4:15pm or by appointment. - Details

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE

There is a six month period of preparation for the celebration of this Sacrament. Contact the Parish Office to make arrangements. - Details

Faith Formation - Cantwell Hall

Saturday 9:00am to 11:00am. - Details

Parish Office: (415) 468-0820


Benediction and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena: Wednesdays after the 8:30am Mass.

Legion of Mary Meeting 5:00pm Monday in the Church.

1000 Hail Mary's Third Saturday after the 8:30am Mass until 3:30pm.

Over 50 Group Thursdays at 12:00pm in Cantwell Hall.


Rev. Charles Puthota, Ph. D., Pastor

Sandy Mehrwein, Parish Secretary

Patricia Spiteri, Pastoral Coordinator

Laurrie Digneo, Coordinator of Faith Formation



LINKS to:

OUR FAVORITES

NATIONAL & GLOBAL

Archdiocese of San Francisco

Catholic Press

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

EWTN Global Catholic Network

The Culture Project (San Francisco)

US Catholic

VATICAN WEB SITE

NATIONAL MEDIA

Vatican Web Site (ENGLISH)

Vatican YouTube Channel

Vatican Web Site (ESPAÑOL)

Salt + Light TV

The New American Bible

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Social Justice - Resource Center

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Alternatives for Simple Living

Code of Canon Law: Table of Contents

Documents of the Second Vatican Council

Fr. CHARLES' HELPFUL LINKS

Proclaiming Christ in the culture - WordOnFire.com

The Catholic Bible Online - MyCatholicLife.com

The Spiritual Exercises - IgnatianSpirituality.com

Home - osvnews.com