Name of Church St. Mary Church of the Immaculate Conception
Address 2039 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Walnut Creek CA 94596
Phone number (925) 891-8900
Website stmary-wc.org
Mass times Saturday vigil 4:30 p.m. Sunday 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (Spanish), 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m., 12:05 p.m. (with rosary after Mass). Saturday, 8:30 a.m.
Confessions Saturday, 3:30 – 4:15 p.m.
Names of priests Father Paulson Mundanmani, pastor. Fathr Mundanmani is originally from India, and was ordained for the diocese of Oakland in 1991. His brother—he is one of nine children—is a Carmelite priest working in India.
School Yes, K-8.
Special parish groups Rosary Makers, Men’s Bible Fellowship, Immaculata Guild, Knights of Columbus, Respect Life Ministry, Servants of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Loving Hands
Music Cantors and choirs, depending on the Mass.
Fellow parishioners A predominantly English-speaking community, although the parish has a Hispanic ministry.
Parking Not a problem at the moment, although there might be some disruption in the near future as the parking lot is expanded.
Cry room No, but you can use the vestibule area if you have noisy children.
Additional observations St. Mary Church of the Immaculate Conception is a pious, traditional Catholic community located in the diocese of Oakland. There are prayer groups and organizations which promote prayer. The Rosary Makers group, for example, makes rosaries for the missions, shut-ins, prisoners and school groups. The church’s charitable groups include Loving Hands, which arranges receptions free of charge for families in need following funeral services of a loved one. Expansion plans are in the works as funds are raised; for example, plans are underway to build a Eucharistic adoration chapel.
I’m still at a loss as to why this is a noteworthy parish.
My satellite dish picked up the phrase “pious” and “traditional”, in the same sentence. Why do I believe this to be code for TLM? What about my parish? We have ministry with those infected with AIDS. Clarification is warranted, here.
This church is located on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. What an awful street name to have for an address, especially for a church. Diablo translated to English is devil or demon. It is just diabolical! May Blessed Mother crush the head of Satan.
I beg to differ. While, it is true that Diablo means devil in just about any language…Don’t forget that It is Mary who will crush its proud head…so think of this as a blessing instead of a curse. Mary through Jesus will sanctify this place and render Satan impotent to act.
I find it interesting that this Parish would be presented as “Worth Driving To” as after several years of attending Mass there starting with the time it’s pastor was Father Mallon the parish Mass Celebration is one that I now drive past to attend Mass at another parish an additional fifteen minute drive. Besides not being able to understand the priests because of heavy Indian accents, if the Mass Celebration can be called traditional we have lost sight of what traditional really is.
This is not a “Traditional” parish, people love to use that word which is incorrect. A Traditional parish is one that has the Traditional Latin Mass and sacraments, so let’s use the correct term. It is in all respect a Novus Ordonarian parish not “Traditional” at all. Once again if the Indian priests were to celebrate the TLM all would understand them.
Janek, maybe we should be more specific about our words. The Novus Ordo Mass is the traditional mass of the church. The TLM is the extraordinary version of the mass. Both impart the same grace, etc., but the NO is the current mass as defined by the magisterium for everyday use. That makes it traditional in the Catholic sense of the word.
Wrong Bob One as usual.. I understand you have contempt for the Traditional Latin Mass, as most modernists do, but IT is the Traditional Mass not the Novus Ordo… I can’t wait for the day the progressive wing of the Church is broken into dust… for your side has caused more souls to be lost and parishes to empty and close…. It will be us traditional who will be left to rebuild the Church from your 50 years of destruction
I have no contempt for the TLM. I attended them for 20+ years, and then the windows of the church were flung open and fresh air was let in. I just don’t believe there is any data that shows that the NO is responsible for the loss of souls or parishes. I suggest that you watch the youtubes of the Pope’s masses in Rio this week. Nothing there that would lose souls. Great music/hymns, piously said Mass, etc. Good enough to draw three million people. By the way, did you note that the Pope distributed Holy Communion by intinction. You don’t see that very often.
Seal the windows, weld the doors shut NO MORE FRESH AIR
Yes Bob One I saw some of the videos from Rio, I saw Cardinal, princes of the Church acting like 15 years girls at a dance club. Before you excuse ask yourself do you think St. Nicholas, St Borromeo, or St. John Fisher would act in such a stupid way.. I see modernist Church accommodate every trend and fashion that comes down the pike but throw away sacred tradition, I’m sure that is fine with you….SMash the 60’s generation
Canisius, have you ever read the Psalms, or do you avoid them because of their modernist clap-trap about singing and dancing for the Lord?
I applaud the person who noted what TLM actually is, I attend a Traditional Latin Mass at a Traditional parish with all that it implies, been there for 20 years so I must be very happy there, also note that if you are attending a Traditional Catholic you hear the Mass only in Latin, your missal will have the English translation, as you attend you get familiar with Latin. we need to dismiss Novus Ordo, it’s of the devil, if you don’t believe me, just watch!
Sad!!!!! Go too You Tube and watch the wonderful, pious masses that the Pope let in Rio this week. If you think that is not holy, you are looking for the wrong thing!
Tell me Bob One, what should we be looking for,,, women in bikini’s that’s what I saw at the mass on Copacabana beach. I have a very bad feeling that Francis will reverse the Summorum Pontificum, if that does happen I will be exclusively SSPX or an Eastern Rite Divine Liturgy. How long oh Lord before the fools of Vatican 2 turn to dust
I don’t understand all the people here advertising for SSPX. And Sah, what religion are you, saying that our Novus Ordo Catholic Mass is of the devil. What is so terrible about the English language? Why is the Mass in English less than the Mass in Latin?
That’s because PA you fail to understand how Faithful Catholics feel about what in the hell is going on with the Church right now…. You are too worried about the rights of gays
But it is an imitation of a Catholic Church and it is the sin of schism for you to attend there.
Uh they are not in schism, modernist lie….I will trust the SSPX long before I trust these modernist gay loving parishes with their rainbow flags and gay outreach
“Bob One”: It does not matter that Pope Francis likes to use the N.O. Mass;; the TLM is the true Mass of the Church. The “every day” use of the N.O. is not likely to change for a long time, given that two generations of priests were trained in it and many bishops are vested with its use. In other words, it is a political decision, nothing more. But, there are some other things to be worried about with Francis: what is this statement attributed to him that he simply takes homosexual priests at their word about seeking forgiveness and that God “forgets” when a sinner confesses? This would seem to suggest a Protestant view of the afterlife: one without Purgatory (where God “remembers” our confessed sins and seeks our further purification before Heaven). Or, is this belief now gone the way of so many others. Vatican “clarification” soon to come on this, most likely. In any event, this is definitely not a “Traditional” parish.
Wow such heresy!
The crackdown has started. Today The Franciscan Friars of The Immaculate were ordered to stop saying the TLM as of August 12th 2013. This was approved by none other than Pope Francis (or Jorge Bergoglio, Bishop of Rome, as he likes to be called.) We all knew this was coming, it was just a matter of time. Many will be seeking refuge in the S.S.P.X. A sad day indeed for Tradition, but no surprise.
Ave Maria!
Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to his holiness Pope Honorius and his lawfully elected successors and to the Church of Rome.
(Rule of St. Francis, Ch. I)
There is nothing more traditional than obedience and reverence to the Pope, and this is exactly what the Franciscans of the Immaculate will offer. The blogosphere (both in Italian and English) is buzzing because of the intervention of the Holy See with the Franciscans of the Immaculate. But the fact is that Pope Francis has not forbidden the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite to the Franciscans Friars of the Immaculate. Simply put, after personally examining our situation and praying, he has decided that the ordinary form of the Sacred Liturgy for the FFI will be that of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite.
He also clearly states that each priest/friar and even community can request to make use of the Extraordinary Form. That said, Pope Francis is not “anti-Tridentine Mass” nor is he forbidding us in the future from offering the Holy Sacrifice in the Extraordinary Form. But he is saying that the friars/communities must request it and obtain permission first.
Briefly, the motu proprio, entitled Summorum pontificorum, created divisions within our Religious Family (exaggerated resistance and exaggerated zeal and a lot of confusion). So think of it this way, Holy Mother Church is, as it were, giving us a new opportunity to implement the Summorum pontificorum with her assistance and guidance. So we start the implementation from scratch with the loving hand of Mother Church. Let us entrust this journey to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart!
In the meantime, starting August 12th (presuming that permission is not received before then – our request is already in the mail), the contemplative branch will be offering Mass in Latin using the Roman Canon I, ad orientem, with the celebrant wearing a fiddleback. The friars will continue to sing Gregorian chant for the antiphons and Mass parts, and there will be no lack of bells, flowers, candles and incense.
This also means that our Novena of Latin Masses will be in the ordinary form until we obtain permission to celebrate in the extraordinary form.
Fiat voluntas Tuas!
“Janek”: You are correct. This is enormously sad for many Catholics. All dictatorships like to control their version of worship. Either Francis is not paying enough attention to what his liberal administrators are doing, or he is out to greatly limit Catholic Tradition. Remember, a Pope is not a diety; he can make mistakes, major ones. This has nothing to do with the leadership of the Holy Spirit, only that not many within Catholic leadership value Tradition. Benedict should never have left, except when called by God. Pray for Francis, but be wary. He was never much of anything but a N.O. priest and bishop, paying lib service to Summorum Pontificum. We will see if there is push back on this decision, which seems very crude and political, even for the Curia. There will be many demands by bishops, as has already been the case with the Italian bishops, to outright ban the TLM, calling is “divisive”. Of course, it will ultimately come to this, as the form of worship carries with it so much regarding the practice of the Faith. The comments of Francis about homosexual priests, for example, would suggest that the TLM will be limited. Homosexual clergy, and their apologists, despise Tradition, including the TLM: masculine, command and control, sin and redemption, Heaven and Hell, man and woman, all out of bounds by the homosexual lobby. Not happy times coming.
I doubt that Pope Francis will change anything that is dogma. But, I forsee the possibility of another “opening of the window to let fresh air in” from him. If the church is to survive, it must rid itself of the pomp and circumsatance way of doing things. Get rid of the trappings that take away from the true faith. Most, if not all of the Cardinals in Rome need to be replaced, some with just plain priests, some by women, some by qualified lay people, don’t you think? How close is a Bishop to his flock when he is driven around by a priest-driver. How close to the people is a Bishop who has a mansion for a home and cooks and butlers to take care of him. The Cardinals should live in parish rectories, say parish masses on Sunday, hear confessions once in a while, and attend parish events. They need to be of the people. If they do that, I won’t rant when they go off the reservation to say the ocassional Mass in a dead language.
Bob One,
Your previous posts have paid great homage to the ACLU. This showed that you are still caught in the deadliest quicksand trapping known as secular sinking.
That’s mighty slippery slime that you are dancing around Bob. Trying to slip in a fast one? Why is your masculinity always caught in the trappings of a woman’s purse? How close to God can you be when you suggest that His only begotten Son did not know what he was doing when he gave the Keys of the Kingdom to Peter and chose men to be his apostles?
Bob One spoken like a true modernist…”fresh air in” we tried that 45 years and we got the auto demolition of the Church…so at least now you admit you want women priests, great more feminization of a Church that is already emasculated. No Bob One what we really need is the final and utter destruction of your side (liberal, heretic, whatever) of the Church. Once the Church is purged of your modernist poison then the recovery can begin…Hey Bob One, since that window was opened how many parishes and schools have been closed. Modernist like you are insidious and evil, your goal is destruction of Holy Mother Church
Canisius, 45 years ago this week was the publication of Humanae Vitae. If you want to trace the decline in Church membership to something, trace it there.
Coming from you YFC I am not surprised since sex for you is wholly based on pleasure… Smash the phallic gay god….
Canisius, I never said that. Please do not put words into my mouth. Thank you.
There you go again!!!!! I never said I wanted women priests. But, there are a lot of women who are qualified and able to run various parts of the church. I take it you don’t want women having any leadership positions in the church. Too late. They already run most parishes, lead the faith formation programs, the RCIA, etc. I never thought of myself as a modernist, but if you think that is bad, I will redouble my effort to live to 100. Long life is the sweetest revenge, you know. I have a sneaky suspicion that the new Pope will do what he has to do to make the church the way the magisterium said it should be at VII. Let us pray for his success.
Yes women have too much leadership in the Church perhaps that explains why there are so few men in pews on Sunday morning, and why there has been a complete fall off in the Faith in the past 40 years. We are enemies Bob One, so every time I rip down a rainbow flag in a modernist parish I will be thinking of you and smile…The fruits of Vatican 2 are rotten to the core
Quite the opposite, Canisius. Women left the Church in droves beginning with Humanae Vitae, and as society began to give women more equality, they saw that the Church was handing them some roles but only non-sacramental ones. As women came to find their rightful place in society, they realized their ecclesial inequality wa even more profound than before. Church going became an activity for older women, who first of all were outliving men, and second of all were beyond the child raising stage. Without church going being a family activity, men just stayed home.
This will continue to happen so long as church is seen as a place of inequality, as a place that doesn;t listen to families about how best to raise a moral family, and as their children are being taught that there is something wrong with them and their peers just for being who they are.
Bob? One writes…”Long life is the *sweetest revenge*” Now we clearly see that Bob One has really never been that interested or sincere when he/she talks about LOVE. Then Bob? writes…. “I have a sneaky suspicion that the new Pope will do what he has to do to make the church the way the magisterium said it should be at VII.”
Bob One has always been more obsessed with women holding positions of authority instead of upholding or defending any Church teaching. Now Bob tells everyone that he/she is living for “sweet revenge” instead of that LOVE that Bob always talks about and pretends to care about. The gig just might be up!
I have a sneaky suspicion that Bob just might be a Roberta from the sound of that last very mean spirited ungodly raged hunger for “sweet revenge” post that worries more about women having power instead of Catholics being taught the true teachings. This might be the reason why Bob/Roberta defends the ACLU more than defending the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Liberals always expose themselves to be terminal hypocrites
No no no Catherine. Bob One and Your Fellow Catholic and Francis are all k in disguise. Anonymous 1, Anonymous 4, Anonymous 9 are also k. TEM is k. Mark PA is k.
Get it?
k
Sometimes, Catherine, I just use the wrong words at the wrong time, out of frustration. Sorry! But I truly believe that if we take Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are compelled to toward ensuring justice for all.
Taken from Father Z’s blog
Card. Braz de Aviz moves on the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, curtails use of Usus Antiquior. Fr. Z rants, offers tough love.
Posted on 29 July 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
This next part is going to sting a little.
You more conservative or traditional Catholics out there and in here…. clean up your act and be smarter.
Liberals and progressivists seem to be able to set aside some of their differences to band together to create a larger force and lobby. Together with the effects of Original Sin and the help of the Devil, their ability to work together is one of the reasons why they usually win. They still control most of the structures and entities in the Church. The Biological Solution is working on them, but slowly. It works on all of us, by the way.
On the other hand, traddies, conservatives, call them what you will – self-righteous debating about these imperfect labels is tedious and you know what I mean by them – seem to want to defend every wrinkle of turf they think they own. They don’t want anyone who doesn’t agree with them perfectly in the sandbox with them. They bite at those with whom they have far more in common than they have differences. That has got to stop now. The terrain is shifting quickly and we need a new approach lest we screw up and lose the good ground we have gained.
Be smart about this. I’ve watched the combox here and on other more traditional blogs which have some focus on the Extraordinary Form and blogs which would surely identify as being “moderate” but which manifest a kind of no-risk conservatism. All of us still over here on the ‘C’atholic side of things have to do better.
Nevertheless, I’ve also been watching the growing division between hard-identity Catholics and those who are a little squishy around the edges. We have to do better! We can’t afford mud fights with those who are for the most part fellow travelers.
I call on both traddies and – I don’t know what word to use – neo-cons? You probably know the range of people and bloggers, etc., I am talking about – to find more common ground.
To those on the trad side of things, you are going to have to stop biting in such a nasty way at those with whom you mostly agree. Moreover, bitchy moaning about Pope Francis in the comboxs of blogs is going to bring about the realization of your fears. Cui bono? You are going to spoil everything gained in the last years through your petulance.
To those on the – I dunno – neo-con side, it is time to rethink your no-risk conservatism and toughen up your Catholic identity a bit. You have your nasty moments too, especially toward those who have more traditional inclinations than you.
Goodness gracious! It’s like something from a fable by Aesop!
The time has come for hard-identity Catholicism, but hard-identity in a smarter tone.
This is going to cost something on both sides.
Let us all start with an examination of our consciences. We have to root out our personal faults, especially through the sacrament of penance.
We have to be smarter about what we are doing.
Yes, he always offers practical advice. I had to laugh at his expression “spittle flecked nutties” for tirades. ha. Well, this is not the least funny, I know, but his advice to be a little smarter and to not storm off in a huff should speak to many of us here. Rememer Riff and the Jets after the knife fight …’Boy, boy, crazy boy / Get cool, boy / Got a rocket in your pocket / Keep cooly cool boy / Don’t get hot / ‘Cause man you got / Some high times ahead / Take it slow…’
Canisius, the Church is you and me and all of us. We need you!
Dana.. I think its time for the SSPX…
I don’t know if we even have any SSPX groups in our diocese. I have a friend that goes to an SSPX Mass in another diocese and he says they have 150 people at the Mass. The priest comes from out of state. We did have a traditionalist group set up shop in our diocese. Skai has actually mentioned this group. They wanted to form a traditionalist Catholic community but it turned out that the one priest was a pedophile and our diocesean paper put in a notice that they were not connected with the diocese.
Well, everyone must answer to his or her own conscience. I will honor the magisterium and Rome for the same reason I’m faithful to my husband. I married him for better or worse, and when I became a Catholic I felt the same way. I knew when I joined I would not always like the priest, or a certain pope or a particular church or congregation, but I love the Bride of Christ and most of all I love our sweet Lord, His Mother, the Holy Spirit that leads us to our Heavenly Father, which, after all, it is all about. He is our all in all and unless I’m shown that the Catholic Church is in error or is not teaching the infallible Word of God, I will remain Roman Catholic until death and I live in hope, after. The liberals that flaunt Church teachings are to me pesky flies that are pretty content with whatever happy manure pile they can find and no matter what maggoty thoughts they hold or whatever error they spread has nothing to do with the purity and beauty of the Truth of our Lord. Again, to quote my dad, “to hell with ’em”.
PS, God bless you Canisius. Your Father in Heaven, who loves you so dearly, is just waiting for you to pour out your heart to Him. You’ve always had a dad waiting for you with His arms open. Don’t let the prickles get you down. Prickles, tares and weeds are always waiting for their big chance to take over the garden.
Things like WYD and now the total shutdown of The Traditional Latin Mass for The Franciscans of The Immaculate drive people to the S.S.P.X. is this what Francis and Rome want??? Restore the TLM to all of our altars and then and only then will you have UNITY. For all of us will understand the Holy Mass when it is said in LATIN the official langauge of Holy Mother Church. Enough with Spanish, Cantonese, Portugese, German, French, Hindi, these divide a parish not unify it. LATIN LATIN LATIN