St. John the Baptist Catholic Church & School

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church & School A Roman Catholic Parish and Elementary School, served by the Norbertine Fathers, where the Gospel of
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Faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, and under the pastoral care of the Norbertine Fathers, SJB Parish and School, in the noble tradition of Catholic education, prepare the way for students and our families to build a civilization of love in this world, and know the fullness of God’s love and glory in the next. SJB Catholic Parish, located at the heart of the Roman Ca

tholic Diocese of Orange in California:
•Centers its life on the worship and celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
•Embraces diverse cultures, praising God in four languages.
•Sends forth its people to be effective witnesses to the love and truth of the Gospel. We invite you to join us at our celebrations of God's love and to explore the daily activities we offer.

Aug 26 – St. Teresa of Jesus Jornet Ibars, pray for us!Teresa was born in 1843 in the Catalan region of Spain. From a yo...
08/26/2026

Aug 26 – St. Teresa of Jesus Jornet Ibars, pray for us!

Teresa was born in 1843 in the Catalan region of Spain. From a young age, she had a strong concern for the poor, often bringing them to the home of an aunt to receive assistance. She moved to Lerida to pursue her education, then became a teacher in Barcelona.

Teresa felt drawn to the monastic life and applied for admission to the Poor Clares, but she was not accepted. So she devoted herself to teaching and became a Carmelite tertiary to help the development of her spiritual life. She was encouraged by her spiritual director to undertake caring for the many elderly people of the area who were living alone and in poverty, and she accepted this challenge.

In 1872, she opened a house in Barbastro. Her sister helped her, and the following year a small group took the habit and became a religious Congregation, which became known as the Little Sisters of the Poor. Since Teresa had previously been with the Carmelite Order, she took the name of their foundress, Teresa of Jesus. She was elected the first superior of the new community, which was totally dedicated to the care of the aged. Teresa taught her Sisters to sacrifice their personal comforts for that of the men and women they cared for. In addition to her intense commitment, she was noted for her overwhelming peace, which drew many young women to the Order.

During an outbreak of cholera in 1897, Teresa joined the members of the Congregation in caring for the victims; by the time it ended, 24 Sisters had died from the disease. Physically overwhelmed, Teresa retired to the congregation’s house in Liria, where she died on Aug 26.
At the time of her death, her Congregation had 50 houses.

Teresa was beatified in 1958 by Pope Pius XII, and canonized in 1974 by Pope Paul VI. Today there are over 2600 religious serving the elderly in 210 facilities in different parts of the world, including such places as Puerto Rico and Mozambique.
www.sjboc.org

08/26/2026

Fr. Alcuin Friesen, O.Praem., celebrant
www.sjboc.org

Aug 25 – Blessed Memorial of St. Louis IX, King of FranceLouis was born in 1214, the son of Louis the Lion and Blanche o...
08/25/2026

Aug 25 – Blessed Memorial of St. Louis IX, King of France
Louis was born in 1214, the son of Louis the Lion and Blanche of Castile. Tutors taught him most of what a king must know—Latin, public speaking, writing, military arts, and government.
He was 12 years old when his father died, and was crowned king within the month.

Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority. Louis's mother trained him to be a great leader and a good Christian. She used to say: “I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin.”

Louis’ reign is remembered as a golden age in which France reached an economic as well as political peak. His actions were inspired by Catholic devotion. Renowned for his moderate lifestyle, reason, bravery and chivalrous politeness, he was a splendid knight whose kindness and engaging manner made him popular.

His fellow European rulers esteemed him, not only for his military pre-eminence and the wealth of his kingdom, but for his reputation of fairness and moral integrity: he was often asked to arbitrate their disputes. Louis was a reformer and developed French royal justice. He banned trials by ordeal, and introduced the presumption of innocence in criminal procedure.

Louis was also renowned for his charity. Beggars were fed from his table: he ate their leavings; washed their feet; ministered to the wants of lepers, who were generally ostracized; and daily fed over 100 poor. He founded many hospitals.

After his unexpected recovery from a serious illness, and to honor a vow he made while ill, Louis led the 7th and 8th crusades. He was captured in the first and ransomed. He died from dysentery during the latter.

Pope Boniface VIII canonized Louis in 1297; he is the only French king to be declared a saint. Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch.
St. Louis, pray for us!
www.sjboc.org

08/25/2026

Fr. Pascal Nguyen, O.Praem., celebrant
www.sjboc.org

Aug 24 – Blessed Feast of St. Bartholomew, ApostleToday we commemorate St Bartholomew (also known as St Nathanael), one ...
08/24/2026

Aug 24 – Blessed Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle
Today we commemorate St Bartholomew (also known as St Nathanael), one of the 12 Apostles.

The name (Bartholomaios) means “son of Talmai,” which was an ancient Hebrew name. It shows Bartholomew was of Hebrew descent and may have been his proper name or simply added to distinguish him as the son of Talmai.

In the Gospel of John, Bartholomew (Nathanael) is introduced as a friend of Philip. Little is known for sure about Bartholomew after the Ascension of Our Lord. Tradition has it that he preached with great zeal throughout the East, traveling to India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, and Armenia—where a monastery remains on the site of his martyrdom.

The Church gives the following Lessons for the life of the Apostle of Armenia: “The Holy Apostle Bartholomew was a native of Galilee. It fell to his lot to preach the Gospel in western India; and he announced to those nations the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of St. Matthew. But after converting many souls to Jesus Christ in that province and undergoing much labor and suffering, he went into eastern Armenia.

Here he converted to the Christian Faith the king Polymius and his queen, as well as 12 cities. This caused the pagan priests of that nation to be exceedingly jealous of him, and they stirred up the brother of King Polymius against the Apostle, so that he commanded him to be flayed alive and beheaded. In this cruel martyrdom he gave up his soul to God.”

Bartholomew was buried at Albanapolis, where he was martyred. Afterwards his body was taken to the island of Lispari, and then to Beneventum. Finally it was translated to Rome by the Emperor Otto III and placed on the island of the Tiber in a church dedicated to God under his invocation.

St. Bartholomew is patron of Armenia, and is often depicted with a knife, which represents the manner of torture inflicted on him. St. Bartholomew, pray for us!
www.sjboc.org

Aug 23 – Joyful 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time!Jesus, the Son of God, became man in order to make all of us co-heirs with ...
08/23/2026

Aug 23 – Joyful 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time!
Jesus, the Son of God, became man in order to make all of us co-heirs with Him, to the divine, eternal kingdom. To carry on His mission, He founded the Church on the 12 Apostles.

The Church’s mission is to bring the message of salvation to all peoples until the end of time. For the Church to carry out its mission, it is necessary to be sure of the road and the aids offered to its members. The Church must be certain that what it tells us to believe and practice is what God wanted us to believe and practice. Today's Gospel tells us how Jesus provided for this necessity.

In making Peter the head, the foundation-stone of his Church, the guarantor of its stability in the symbol of the keys and the promise that all his decisions would be ratified in heaven, Christ gave him the power of freedom from error when officially teaching the universal Church. Peter received the primacy in the Church and the gift of infallibility in his official teaching on matters of faith and morals. As the Church was to continue long after Peter had died, it was rightly understood from the beginning that the privileges given him were given to his lawful successors-the Popes.

This has been the Church’s constant belief from its very beginning. The 1st Vatican Council solemnly defined this dogma and it was reconfirmed in the 2nd Vatican Council. In order to preserve and safeguard the right conduct of all its members He provided a seat of authoritative power in His Church. Through the gift of infallibility He assures us that what we are commanded to believe (faith) or to do (morals) will always be what He and His heavenly Father want us to believe and to do.

We should constantly thank Our Lord for these gifts to His Church! Let us say a fervent: "thank you, Lord; You have foreseen all our needs and provided for them, grant us the grace to do the little part you ask of us in order to continue our progress on the one direct road to heaven."
www.sjboc.org

08/22/2026

Fr. Pascal Nguyen, O.Praem., celebrant
www.sjboc.org

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1015 Baker Street
Costa Mesa, CA
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