November 19, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Over these past weeks many visitors have commented on how beautiful the church, pastoral center and the ocean view are.  You have created a campus that is beautiful and inspiring, and I am grateful to be the beneficiary of all you have been doing.

For some, who generously gave to the various capital campaigns, there is probably a sense of relief.  However, as I received the financial report from last fiscal years, I am sad to report that we experienced a large operational deficit. As I look at the numbers, it seems that the amount given in the Sunday collection has been decreasing and the expenses have been increasing (and our utility bill is significantly higher than before we had our beautiful pastoral center).

At my first finance council meeting, the members recommended that we reduce expenses by more than $200,000.  This reduction affects a number of our staff members, so I ask you to pray for them during this difficult time. We are also cutting non-staff expenses.  However, some of the reduction, such as the parish not paying my salary or insurance, is only a temporary fix as we will need to pay for the new pastor next year.

During this stewardship month, we are all called to reflect upon all that God has done for us—every good thing we have, is a gift from Him.  And after reflecting on His goodness to prayerfully ask ourselves (or as a family) if we are returning to Him an appropriate amount.  The bible tells us that we should be giving the first 10% of our income back to Him in gratitude.  Some may be giving this or even more.  Others may not be able to jump to that threshold right away, but I ask you to prayerfully consider taking a step toward tithing.  My experience of tithing is that it helps me to be free of the slavery of materialism.  St. Edward’s is known to be a community of generous givers, and I am sure that after spending time in prayer we will each be more generous this coming year.

Please know of my prayers for you this week that as we celebrate Thanksgiving, that each of us will be filled with gratitude for all the Lord has done for us.

Bishop Tim Freyer

November 12, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

At the Diocesan Eucharistic Congress, I had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Pham, one of our new seminarians. It turns out that he is from our parish so I asked Stephen to write a little about himself so that we can get to know him.

Stephen wrote: “I was born and baptized in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States with my parents and older brother at the age of three. Since then, we have called Orange County home away from home. Growing up, I lived in the cities of Anaheim and Santa Ana, and attended St. Columban Catholic parish in Garden Grove where I enjoyed participating in children’s faith formation and youth ministry. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and worked in sales and marketing in the pharmaceuticals industry before entering the seminary. During the pandemic, I moved to Dana Point and have been blessed to call St. Edward’s a spiritual home, filled with good friends such as those at weekday afternoon Mass, the parish staff and youth ministry volunteers. In my

free time, I enjoy practicing the violin and playing tennis. I am in my first year of seminary formation and hope to entrust myself to your prayers. Please know that I am praying for you and our community. “

Please keep Stephen in your prayers as well as the men and women from our parish that are discerning a call to the priesthood or consecrated/religious life.

Bishop Tim Freyer

November 5, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Synod on Synodality has now finished the first month of in person prayer, listening and discerning. Some in the media try to get revenue by driving clicks to their website, etc. and can tend to exaggerate the story. Contrary to what some of you have heard, there has been no change in doctrine. Remember, this is the first year of a two-year process. At the end of next year’s meeting the members of the synod will write a document that will be given to the Holy Father. Usually, the Holy Father will then write the formal document.

Some have asked about whether we are going to be performing blessings of same-sex couple. At this time, there is no plan in the United States to authorize that. I am a member of the administrative committee of the US Bishops (we plan the agenda for the bishops’ meetings) and we have had no requests for time to even discuss this.

Regarding the concerns I have heard about women priests or deacons, no conclusions or recommendations have been made. Just last week, an interview was published in which Pope Francis again repeated that women’s ordination is not possible. He said, “"The fact that the woman does not access ministerial life is not a deprivation, because her place is much more important. I think we err in our catechesis in explaining these things, and ultimately we fall back on an administrative criterion that does not work in the long run."

I hope this helps clarify what you may have seen in different news reports.

Bishop Tim Freyer