St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Friends,

This past weekend, Fr. Ray and I drove to Visalia.  On Friday, we celebrated the funeral of the wife of my youngest brother, Les Maxwell.  Yoande had suffered with all sorts of medical problems and she died very peacefully with a smile on her face.  Les and his two children are doing well.  They are strong believers in the Resurrection, and that faith helps them to cope with the death of their wife and mother.

Then on Saturday, we shifted gears and celebrated the 50th anniversary of my other brother Jim and his wife Barbara.  It was a huge celebration of life and love and family.

However, I could never have gotten through with all of this without the able assistance of Fr. Ray.  I was not feeling well, but Fr. Ray picked up the slack.

Our parish is blessed with his wonderful ministry.

Also, special thanks to Fr. Hugo, who stayed behind and took care of the parish during my absence.

In 2009-10, we are celebrating the Year of the Priest.  I hope we realize how blessed we are with dedicated and caring priests.

Peace,

Fr. John Maxwell

I can never thank you enough for organizing my 50^th anniversary of priesthood. So many people worked so hard and spent so many hours in the preparation and in the actual celebration. I was so pleased to see so many old friends and esp. to greet so many good parishioners of our parish. I believe that these celebrations bring people together and that builds a community of believers. Thank you….Thank you…..Thank you….

On a sad note, my youngest brother, Les, was not able to come to my anniversary. His wife, Yolanda, was very sick and she died on June 13. When I go to Visalia for the 50 wedding anniversary of my other brother, I will celebrate the life and death of Yolanda Maxwell. One of our great American dramatists once wrote: “In the midst of life, we are in the midst of death.” Life and death are inseparable. We celebrate life and death, and give God praise and thanksgiving.

Very gratefully,

Fr. John Maxwell

On June 13, 1959, I was blessed by God to be ordained a priest, along with eight other young Salesians.  It happened in Mary Help of Christians Church in Watsonville, Calif.  I had no idea where life would lead me, but I trusted in the Holy Spirit.

In 1960, I was asked to be one of the founders of Salesian High School in Richmond, where I was the first vice principal, and then the second principal.  I thought that I was going to spend my priestly life as an educator.  However, the Holy Spirit had other plans.

In 1967, I was asked to help out in St. Andrew-St. Joseph Parish in Oakland and then in 1968, I was named as pastor of this poor church, which was predominantly African-American and Latino.  Salesian pastors usually have a term of six years, but somehow I stayed in West Oakland at St. Andrews’ for 26 years.

I thrived there and with the wonderful assistance of many men and women, mostly poor, we were able to improve life in West Oakland.  We founded a soup kitchen to feed the hungry each day; we started a child-care center for our children; we helped found the West Oakland Health Center; we built a 68-unit senior housing facility across the street from the church.  At the very same time, we developed vibrant liturgies according to Vatican II.  There were many priests and sisters involved in this poor parish, and the bishop ordained three African-American men as permanent deacons from our parish …

Then the Holy Spirit stepped in, and Bishop John Cummins asked me to leave Oakland and move down San Pablo Avenue to St. John the Baptist Church in El Cerrito.  I have been very happy here for these 15 years.  (I do not seem to move very often.)

The very diverse congregation of St. John’s was a blessing to me.  The rich cultures of so many people have been a fantastic gift.  I have one again been blessed with very dedicated women and men who supported me and helped me grow as a priest …  So here we are after 50 years of priesthood, still open to the call of the Holy Spirit.  I have no plans for retirement.

The priesthood is my life, and with your prayers and encouragement, I will continue until the Lord calls me home.

Gratefully,

Fr. John Maxwell