- A Eucharistic Community Living the Good News Daily -
This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.
(John 15:12)
Welcome to Our Lady of Fatima Parish—virtually! For over 61 years, this parish has been Revealing the Light of Christ to the San Clemente community. The parish reflects a rich diversity of ages, cultures, languages, occupations, and life experiences all united in our one Lord, Jesus Christ.
At Our Lady of Fatima, we believe that each person has been blessed with unique gifts from God, gifts to be offered in service to one another. This is the message of love that Jesus proclaimed through his life, death, and resurrection. Our love of God is manifested in our praise and worship of Him, and in our care for all His people. This website provides a means for us to ‘proclaim from the e-housetops’ the power of God’s love working through our sacramental life, faith formation opportunities, and outreach ministries.
Whether you are a current parishioner or a first time visitor, I invite you to take a few moments to walk through our website to experience the faith, hope, and love that the members of this community share with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. As we travel this grace-filled journey of faith, may we continue to love one another as Jesus has loved us!
Fr. Jack Sewell
Pastor
Building Our Future - New Facilities Revealed
Fifty years ago the parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima Parish envisioned facilities that would provide sacred space for worship, formation, and fellowship. The parish has benefited from their vision, their commitment, and their sacrifices. Since 1995 the parish has discerned the need for new facilities that can accommodate the wonderful growth in ministries and in population that the community is experiencing. Responding to this growth in parish life, Fr. Jack Sewell, Pastor, along with Parish Staff, Pastoral and Finance Councils, School Boards, and parish leaders decided to proceed with forming a committee to develop new facilities. The committee selected an architect, and design work began.
In December, 2007, Bishop Tod Brown and the Diocesan Construction Board approved a Development Master Plan for Our Lady of Fatima Parish. Phase I will be a new parish hall. Phase II will be a new church, meeting rooms and office building. Phase III will be the school renovation. Through a capital campaign in 2004, and the capital campaign that is underway, over $6.3 million in funds and pledges have been gifted to this effort. The campaign continues as our vision of new facilities becomes a reality.
Inspired by The Servant Song by Richard Gillard, this space features stories from the community – stories of lives transformed by and through Jesus’ command to love and serve.
For more details and a listing of regularly occurring activities, please see the parish calendar
Coming Events
Updated: 7/11/2009
Updated: 7/11/2009
Jay came to San Clemente with his wife Liz and three children (all now college-age) in the summer of 2003 and immediately joined the community of Our Lady of Fatima. Jay is an executive with Cisco Systems providing global technical
Jay Pederson
support for Linksys (home networking) users and travels extensively around the world. In fact, much of this website was built during his travels to China or South America or other foreign locale. Jay is also coordinator of the parish’s lector ministry along with Ray Lynn and when he is “in country” he supports his wife’s work with the Children’s Liturgy of the Word and Family Assistance Ministries. When asked about his involvement with developing this website Jay responded, “I see it as a powerful way to bring parish members even closer together by keeping
I have come to learn one very important thing through my faith journey. I believe that once you internalize and truly recognize what God has given you, you become compelled to share back with God. And sharing with God really means sharing back with everyone else.
them informed and engaged…" Bringing people together and helping them connect with one another is a passion for Jay and is what motivates him to share his gifts with his parish. In his encounters with many cultures and peoples around the world, he realized that "we are all so much more the same than we are different. There's a unifying thread with all of us -- namely the reflection of God: the love of one another."
Meet our website designer
Jay recognizes that his faith truly is a gift. Jay was not born into the Catholic faith but rather married into it. He supported his wife's desire to bring their children up in the church and began to attend Mass with them. As Jay recalls it was "more so as a role model for my children and less for personal growth." But gradually Jay says, "I began listening less with my ears and more with my heart." He credits his then eight year old son for asking the question which prompted him to take the next step, "Daddy, when are we going to go to your church?" Jay knew it was time to make a decision. Soon after he was confirmed, he became a lector, a ministry he enjoys to this day.
It is out of gratitude for what he has been given, that he feels compelled to share his faith and himself with others and maybe make things just a little bit better. Jay sums it up this way, "If I can make some small contribution to improving things for others, then I know I am fulfilling what for me is the meaning of life." It has deepened his relationship with his community and with God. Jay continues, "this attitude brings me peace in my mind and in my heart. This helps me stay centered and focused on what is important in life."
Jay sees our parish at its best when it brings people together regardless of where each individual is on her faith journey. It's about accepting people where they are and helping everyone to grow. There are lots of opportunities to become engaged at Our Lady of Fatima -- opportunities to grow in faith and share that faith with others. Jay invites everyone to explore this new website and see for themselves.
A little over a year ago, the parish staff recognized the need to rebuild our old and out of date website. The internet has become a vital source of information in so many areas of our lives and the parish was no exception. A call went out to the community for someone with the skills and desire to lead this project. Our first ChristLight feature is about that individual – Jay Pederson.
