St. Theresa Mission Statement
We are a welcoming, active Catholic Community
united by our faith, open to transformation, growing spiritually
and reaching out to love and to serve others as Jesus taught us.
A Word from the Pastor
I was sickened when I saw the killing of an American citizen again in Minneapolis. As difficult as it has been, please watch the video of this tragedy and make a judgment for yourself as I do not think all the reporting is accurate.
As I mentioned last weekend, last week when I was working on pulling out weeds in the garden, a neighbor engaged and asked why the Church has been silent on these matters. I responded that Pope Leo, many bishops, and I have tried to walk the line of not being political but not failing to present age old Catholic teaching.
Archbishop Hebda is at the present ground zero where this is currently being focused. He wrote the following for the Wall Street Journal before the nurse was murdered. I am giving a personal copy with other Church statements to my neighbor.
“If recent events in Minnesota have clarified anything, it’s that we can no longer put off the hard work of immigration reform. Each year of inaction has made the debate louder, angrier, and less humane. A difficult policy discussion has hardened into a cultural and political battleground. It’s playing out on the streets here, where federal immigration officers are clashing with protesters.
We had a chance in 2013, when a bipartisan bill passed the Senate. It was a strong bill that provided billions for border security and a 12-year path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants. The House never took it up.
The longer Washington waits, the worse the problem gets. Communities are strained and millions live in a constant state of uncertainty. This serves neither justice nor the common good.
As a bishop entrusted with the care of souls, I want to reiterate the consistent call of Catholic bishops around the U.S. for true statesmen to step forward, set aside partisan calculations and enact meaningful federal immigration reform.
Recent failures can’t be ignored. The nation was poorly served by those who threw the border open. The flood of migrants overwhelmed local communities, eroded public trust, and weakened the rule of law. Compassion divorced from order isn’t compassion at all; it’s negligence.
At the same time, it’s wrong to blame undocumented immigrants themselves, many of whom came here seeking safety, work, or family reunification. Solidarity can’t be selective. We must stand with citizens and undocumented immigrants together as human beings created in God’s image.
The Catholic tradition insists on holding together truths that politicians prefer to separate. Nations have the right and duty to secure their borders and enforce their laws. Immigrants are human beings with natural rights that must be respected. Authentic justice requires both the rule of law and mercy, both accountability and hospitality.
In this light, it is right to respect the efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers when they are fulfilling their mission to identify and detain serious criminals who have illegally entered the country. The removal of dangerous people serves the common good. Protecting the innocent is a moral obligation.
Yet the current environment is untenable. Even law-abiding immigrants are living in fear that any interaction with authorities could separate parents from children or unravel years of honest work.
What’s required is a comprehensive, long-term solution that reflects reality rather than ideology. That solution must include the granting of a lawful status for those who have put down roots, contributed to their communities and lived here for years. A workable solution would also have to acknowledge that some people will be deported. Mercy doesn’t negate consequences, and compassion doesn’t mean wide-open borders.
The 2013 Senate bill offered a glimpse of what responsible governance can look like: bipartisan engagement, attention to enforcement and legal pathways and a recognition that widespread irregularity benefits no one. That effort sadly failed, not because the problem was unsolvable, but because political will collapsed under pressure from the extremes. We have paid the price for that failure ever since.
As a pastor, I see the human cost on all sides. I minister to immigrant parishioners who are fearful of driving their children to school or shopping for groceries, regardless of their legal status. I also serve those who feel abandoned by leaders who have seemed more interested in political posturing than in protecting their communities. The church can’t choose one flock over another. Neither should the nation.
Immigration reform isn’t about erasing borders or demonizing newcomers. It’s about restoring moral order, strengthening families, and promoting the common good. That work demands courage, humility, and a willingness to compromise—virtues that define proper statesmanship. If we continue to delay, the debate will only grow more bitter and the solutions more elusive. The moment to act is now.
Archbishop Hebda leads the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Parish Listening Sessions
Plan on attending the Annual Parish Listening Sessions following the Masses this weekend.
You will have the opportunity to comment about our parish with the Pastor, Parish Staff and Pastoral Council. These listening sessions have been very helpful and insightful in the past years.
St. Theresa 100th Jubilee Year
Watch the Jubilee Video at
The parish staff will be away on retreat February 3 - 5. The parish offices will be closed on these days.
Your 2026 Collection Envelopes are available for pick up in the vestibule.
St. Vincent de Paul
Thank You for Your Generosity Our St. Vincent de Paul Conference extends heartfelt thanks to our parish community for your continued generosity. Because of you, we collected 350 pounds of food from the church vestibule just last month—a tremendous blessing during a time when many families are struggling due to reductions in SNAP and other welfare benefits. Your donations go directly to stocking our pantry and supporting neighbors who are facing real and immediate hardship.
We are also deeply grateful for your support of our Parish Festival bake sale, where we raised $800. These funds, together with the special 5th Sunday collections earmarked for our parish conference, help us keep families housed, assisting with essential rent and utility payments.
Thank you for living out the Gospel call to love our neighbors. Your kindness makes a real difference.
For St. Vincent de Paul Society, preventing homelessness begins with home visits.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/for-st-vincent-de-paul-society-preventing
Our Parish SVdP Conference meets bimonthly, every third Saturday at 9:30am. If interested in learning more about our Conference’s work, contact Judy Bojorquez at jtsbojorquez@yahoo.com with any general questions. Call Greg Govan at 510-547-0911 if you have a specific question.
You may use online giving to make a donation to the St. Theresa St. Vincent de Paul conference. https://sttheresaoakland.org/donate.
Theme for the 2025/2026 year
”Pilgrims of Hope ”
February 4, 2026
Margaret Roncalli
Pastoral Associate, St. Columba Catholic Church
Pilgrimage of Hope: The Word in My Life
Poland ~~ September 10–19, 2026
Join Fr. Tehga Nji on a pilgrimage to Poland to experience the writings, life and place of the saints of Poland — Pope St. John Paul II, St. Maximillian Kolbe, and St. Faustina.
http://augustineinstitute.org/missioncirclepilgrimages
This link will take you to our pilgrimage landing page which has the Poland trip on it.
Make sure to choose the Poland pilgrimage and click "Register now" to get started.
This link will take you to our pilgrimage landing page which has the Poland trip on it.
Make sure to choose the Poland pilgrimage and click "Register now" to get started.
Safe Environment Training for Parish & School Volunteers
It is that time of year when notices of expiring Virtus training will be arriving in your email. Please uuse the link in the email to lob into Virtus and take the training that have been assigned. Training must be renewed every three years.
To renew or register for the first time, click on the link in your email or go to https://www.virtusonline.org or click on the link in the upper right corner of the parish website sttheresaoakland.org.
Please remember that in order to volunteer at the parish or school in any capacity (Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Catechist, Choir Member, St. Vincent de Paul, Legion of Mary, CYO etc.), you must complete the training.
If you have any problems or questions contact Cathy Brady at cathy_b@sttheresaoakland.org.
Catholic Organizations Helping Migrants, Refugees, and At-Risk Populations
*Catholic Relief Services (CRS) -- Operation Rice Bowl and other funds
*Jesuit Refugee Services
*Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC)
Urge Congress to Protect the Persecuted
“It is the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands. . . . Congress further declares that it is the policy of the United States to encourage all nations to provide assistance and resettlement opportunities to refugees to the fullest extent possible.”
These opening lines of the Refugee Act of 1980—the law creating the statutory authority for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)—communicates the importance of responding to the needs of those forced to flee their homes because they are persecuted on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Carrying out the Gospel’s mandate to care for the “least of these” (Mt. 25:31-46), the Catholic Church has served refugees in the United States since well before USRAP’s creation. Learn more about USRAP and the Catholic Church.
Today, no refugees are being resettled through USRAP. This ban impacts thousands of refugees who had already been fully processed, undergone extensive security checks, and approved for refugee status by the federal government while outside of the United States. This includes many persecuted Christians, as well as Afghans who had been approved for special immigrant visas because of the assistance they provided to the U.S. mission and U.S. service members in Afghanistan.
The indefinite suspension of USRAP is the result of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on January 20. The order requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to submit a report by April 20, 2025, regarding whether refugee resettlement is in the national interest. However, the order leaves the decision about whether to resume refugee resettlement to the President alone, without any timeline stated for that decision.
On January 24, the State Department issued suspension notices to domestic resettlement agencies, including the USCCB, impacting their ability to carry out services under the Reception and Placement (R&P) Program. The R&P Program provides crucial assistance to refugees and Afghan special immigrant visa holders during their first three months in the United States to support their successful integration and help them to achieve self-sufficiency as quickly as possible. Services provided through the R&P Program include help finding initial housing, securing employment, enrolling children in school, scheduling medical appointments, and English language classes.
The chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, addressed the suspension of USRAP on January 22, stating: “Indefinitely halting refugee resettlement is unmerited, as it is already proven to be one of the most secure legal pathways to the United States.”
Ask your members of Congress to lift up their voice in support of upholding our nation’s bipartisan legacy of refugee resettlement.
Send this Message to Congress
Support Refugee Resettlement to Protect the Persecuted
As a Catholic and your constituent, I urge you to engage with the Administration to resume the resettlement of refugees and Afghan special immigrant visa (SIV) holders.
Being a place of refuge for those fleeing oppression, including Christians and other people persecuted for their faith, is fundamentally American. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has safely and effectively fostered this, with strong bipartisan support, for almost 45 years.
The President’s recent executive order providing for the indefinite suspension of refugee admissions leaves thousands of thoroughly vetted people, who in some cases have waited years to experience freedom, in a state of grave uncertainty. Stop-work orders issued to domestic resettlement agencies also threaten the support promised to recently arrived refugees and SIV holders, undermining their prospects of self-sufficiency.
Protection of people fleeing persecution and those who risked their lives to support our country is not only in the national interest but a moral responsibility. Please urge the Administration to immediately resume refugee resettlement.
Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/YserWGk94GHOgzS7fAtZ2w
Text to Donate
Text “GIVE” to the number above to receive a link to our online giving page.
You can use our online giving platform to deepen your commitment to the church and the ministries you care about most. Your recurring gifts will sustain our mission month after month. You will also help our parish by cutting costs for envelopes and paper, and allowing our staff to spend less time processing cash and checks and more time on ministries.
Thank you for your continued support of St. Theresa.
You may also use Online Giving for Second Collections.
Jan. 31 & Feb. 1, Parish Maintenance & Improvement Fund
February 28 & March 1, Parish Maintenance & Improvement Fund
March 14 & 15, Catholic Relief Services
Sunday Collection (January 19 - 25)
Online: 48 Donors, $ 2,303.00
Mass Donations: 46 Donors, $ 6,012.00
Reception of the Precious Blood
The reception of the Precious Blood guideline from Bishop Barber, dated May 15, 2023 states; "Other than the priest, no communicant may ever dip the Sacred Host into the chalice to communicate himself."
Assisted Listening available at Weekend Masses
There are two ways to enjoy crisp, clear audio in the church for our weekend Masses.
Option 1:
Download the app, connect to the church wireless network, put in your earbuds, open the app and you are set.
The WiFi password you will need to connect to our wireless network will be available at the sound system desk before and after Mass.
Option 2:
Assisted Listening Devices are available at our weekend Masses. You can check out a device at the sound system desk prior to Mass.
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If you have any questions contact Cathy Brady at cathy_b@sttheresaoakland.org
Volunteering Made Simple
Have you thought about volunteering but worry about fitting it into your schedule? We know life is busy, but here's the good news - serving on Saturdays and Sundays is easier than ever! Out parish used Ministry Schedule Pro, so you can check the schedule online anytime, get reminders, and even request a sub when needed. If you're willing to volunteer, we'd love to have you! Come see me after church today, and I'm happy to help you get connected.
Contact Cathy Brady at cathy_b@sttheresaoakland.org to volunteer or for more information.
https://sttheresaoakland.org/ministries/liturgical-ministries
Thank you for your faithful support.
Lector
Eucharistic Minister
Sacristan
Altar Server
Greeter
Usher
Projectionist
Video Ministry (9:00 am Mass)
Altar Linens
Weekend Mass Schedule
5:00 pm Saturday
9:00 am Sunday
The 9:00 am Sunday Mass is live-streamed on our YouTube channel for the ill and Homebound.
The link for the live-stream will be on our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/sttheresaoak
YouTube channel link
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn5JX1e3QrqXTsa_7qmNCIw
Low Gluten hosts are available at all weekend Masses.
The hosts are less than 20 parts per million gluten, under .002%
For additional information go to https://www.parishcrossroads.com/low-gluten.htm
Please use the presider's communion station to receive a low gluten host.
Weekday Mass Schedule
Monday - Friday
8:30 am
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday ~ 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Please remember in your prayers all those who are ill especially:
Matt Mercier, Heidi Parmelee, Dolores Gomez, Alegria Hipolito, Betty Wharton, Juanita Estrella, Olga Lamberti, Wendy Parmelee, Roger Baylocq, Susan Springer, Wendy Jones, Orlanda Gonzalez, Kevin Chapman, Diane Cerille, Tom Wilberding, Danny Ramos, Mark Leonard, Christopher Rodriguez, Maryanne Walsh, Rhonda Santeen, John Whatley, Nancy Coyne, Kevin Stallone, Della Spinelli, Susan Buller, Ann Springer, Ray Bertolotti, William McCarthy, Cindy Crimmins, Fred & Lidia Loupy, Rebecca Rogers, Kathleen Guevara, Clarence Robinson, Armando Diaz de Leon, Fr. Ron Schmidt, Bonnie & John Bouey, Susan Rubio, Fr. Paul Schmidt, Marley Malone, Phil Stover, Joey Smith, Raymond Buckley, Jr., Norma Ninalga, Betty Jo Olson, Jennifer Walwark, Greg Govan, Anita Lim, Marilyn McCabe, Steve Lauth, Mary Malloy, John Donovan, Mary Martinez, James Spalding, Tiffany Converse, Adrian McEvilly, Joan Marchi, Diana Nelson Curtis, Charlie Schnellbacher, Maureen Carver, Vince Nims, Barrett Baker, Rick Fama, Eleanor Ceccarelli, Lois Johnson, Antoinette Tamburrino, Anne Marie Roseme, Greg Anderson, Judy Udove, Mary McCole, baby Gianna Sorbello, Yolanda Igano, Rick Arellano, Betsey Thornton, baby Judith Marie Shelton.
Mass Intentions
January 31 - February 8
To request a Mass Intention you can use the online form at
https://sttheresaoakland.org/pray/mass-confession-times/mass-intention
or by email or phone at: admin@sttheresaoakland.org
341.202.0077
Schedule a Mass Intention Online
St. Theresa Parish Goal
$35,800
Percentage Achieved 53.37%
$19,105.00
as of December 31, 2025
Thank you for supporting the Annual Bishop's Ministries Appeal
Donation envelopes are available in the church vestibule.
You may make a donation using the QR code or the Oakland Diocese giving option.
Checks must be made out to Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland.
https://www.oakdiocese.org/bishops-ministries-appeal
https://www.oakdiocese.org/bishops-ministries-appeal
Parish Office Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
The parish office is closed Monday, and Friday
Parish Office, ext. 120
Parish Office (direct line) 341.202.0077
Rev. Robert J. McCann, Pastor
(direct line) 341.202.0159
rjmccann@sttheresaoakland.org
Rev. Ngema W. Enow, In Residence
(direct line) 341.202.0137 ngemawil.enow@gmail.com
Cathy Brady, Liturgy Director
(direct line) 341.202.0086
cathy_b@sttheresaoakland.org
Rob Cakebread, Music Ministry Director
(direct line) 341.202.0139
rob@sttheresaoakland.org
Keri Nims,Coordinator for Early Childhood Catechesis
& RCIC
(direct line) 341.202.0076
keri@sttheresaoakland.org
St. Theresa School
Alicia Ortegon, 510.547.3146
St. Theresa School Principal
a_ortegon@sttheresaschool.org
website: www.sttheresaschool.org
Parish Organization Contacts
Pastoral Council:
Chris Colby
ccolby@well.com
Finance Council:
.
.
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Greg Govan
glgovan@comcast.net
CYO (Catholic Youth Organization):
Carlos Palacios
sttheresaathletics@gmail.com
St. Theresa Men’s Club
mensclubsttheresa@gmail.com
Legion of Mary
Tom Wallace
tomw1313@sbcglobal.net
WINGS
dolcedeb@yahoo.com
Social Justice Committee (SJC)
Lydia Deck
ltdeck@me.com
Consolation Ministry
Cecile Cuttitta
cecile.cuttitta@att.net
Men’s Faith Sharing
Jim Frei
jim@ottofrei.com
Kinderchurch
Shanon Ciston
s.ciston@gmail.com
Baptisms and Marriages: by appointment admin@sttheresaoakland.org
To arrange a Funeral call parish office 341.202.0077 or email admin@sttheresaoakland.org
Family Faith Formation (Grades TK-5) & R.C.I.C: Keri Nims ~ keri@sttheresaoakland.org
Middle School Youth Ministry (Grades 6-8): Keri Nims ~ keri@sttheresaoakland.org
High School Youth Ministry/Confirmation: Keri Nims ~ keri@sttheresaoakland.org
R.C.I.A. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: Cathy Brady ~ cathy_b@sttheresaoakland.org
