St. Paul Chong Hasang Bulletin

Hunt, William Holman. (1853). The Light of the World [Oil on canvas].

Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me".

Welcome back to the newsletter, CCD students and families! We have quite a few announcements this week, so please make sure to scroll down for the full list of events. It will be a packed October!

This week's readings heavily focus on the metaphor of the vineyard. Grapes were an important part of life in the Judea and Galilee regions during the 1st century, where Jesus lived. They were not only an important agricultural (farming) product of the region, but also significant in the culture and lifestyle of the people who lived there. For thousands of years, grapes were the lifeblood and sustenance for a whole group of people that lived in the Levant - used to make wine and other products that gave life. Accordingly, grapes and vineyards are mentioned many times in the Bible as allegories for life, abundance, blessings, and the divine. Keep this in mind as you hear the readings for the week; they're not just talking about the grapes we eat, but of our spiritual salvation!

*By the way, if the readings are ever off from what you hear in mass, this is because of variations between churches. I translated the Korean mass directly two weeks ago, but we had an English priest so we went with the official USCCB readings. The week before, I used the USCCB readings only to find out that we were doing something different hahaha. I'll try to communicate more with the Priest to see which ones we're using beforehand!

• First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
• Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 -- The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.
• Second Reading: Philippians 4:6-9
• Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43

Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?

(Acts 2:8)

Happy 30th Anniversary of St. Paul!!

I hope everybody had a great 30th Anniversary (and for the students, a break from CCD hahaha). It's time to get back to studying our faith :) Hopefully the break was restful for everybody, and we can return to classes with a restful and focused mindset.

CCD/YG News

We have SEVERAL big announcements today! I'm going to sum them up briefly in this section from now on, and if you want to know more, keep scrolling to the bottom to see the expanded sections.

- FALL SPYG Bake Sale : this week! - This week, YG PTO will be holding a bake sale to support our YG. The sale will be held after 7am, 9am, and 10:30am mass, at the entrance of the church. Please consider buying baked goods to support our YG program and students!! :)

- Volunteer Readers needed - CCD PTO is seeking volunteer readers for English mass, ideally 3rd grade or older. Participants will be recognized by Father Michael, and given a small reward each semester (reward to be determined). If you are interested, please speak to Fr. Michael after mass. Thank you!

- First Communion (2nd grade) Parent Orientation : this week! - Parents of 2nd grade students preparing for First Communion are invited to a Parent Orientation on Sunday, October 4, immediately following CCD class. It will be held in the 2nd grade classroom.

- WYD 2027 - World Youth Day is hosted once every 3 years for youth between the ages of 15-35. It was started by Pope John Paul II in 1985, and participants have a chance to engage spiritually with other youth + see the current Pope (Leo XIV)!

This year, it will be held in Seoul! If you or your child is interested in participating, please scroll down for more info + dates + deadlines.

2027 Theme: "Take courage! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33)

WYD Seoul 2027 Website

In these uncertain times, I believe that Pope Leo is giving us directions that we should take into account as we move forward both in Church and in our daily lives.

Pope Leo is not making a broad condemnation of AI, and acknowledges that it is integrated with much of our daily lives already. However, he has recently cautioned against excessively using it, particularly with regards to forms of expression that are explicitly human - such as art.

Did you know that, for most of recorded human history, the Catholic Church has been one of the premier patrons of the arts? AI was not really a thing before the recent few years - AI "art" is an amalgam of existing artworks, a predictive average taken off of millions to billions of existing human works.

Recently, you may have seen news about Pope Leo taking a hard stance against AI art. As mentioned in his encyclical, Pope Leo isn't taking a general stance against AI usage in particular - rather, as the spiritual leader for the entire Catholic Church, he wants to advise us to remember that AI must be used as a tool rather than as a replacement for humanity. You may have seen news articles recently about Pope Leo standing firm against major AI CEOs on this issue.

Yes, AI can be a useful tool. But what Pope Leo said this week about AI art is also true, scientifically speaking. The science behind these algorithms seems like magic, but it is actually quite simple when you cut it down to its basics. Data is aggregated in massive amounts, collected into a predictive algorithm that creates a predictive "output" from the desired input. AI "art" would not exist if the machines did not absorb massive amounts of art created by humans, for humans, everything from wall paintings 2000 years ago, to the beautiful Catholic works of the Renaissance, to small sketches from children.

If you have not created art before, it may be difficult to understand - if it looks good, then what makes it bad? Well, the point of art is not always just the output, something that looks good visually. This idea that art is solely a product to be consumed is the final conclusion of a deeply materialistic world that devalues spirituality and meaning in favor of efficient solutions. What efficient means is different to everybody, but to most artists, it can be concerning and scary to find that a machine has stolen your works and is outputting something that shares similarities, but is alien to you. The missing second and third parts that AI art forgets is the intentionality of the artist's vision, and the process they go through when creating the art. Without these two essential pieces, the entire work is fundamentally, ontologically incomplete - just as the Father is incomplete without the Son and the Holy Spirit, an artwork is incomplete without the intention and the effort that the artist went through to create it.

Pope Leo in the encyclical:

"So-called artificial intelligences do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain, do not mature through relationships and do not know from within what love, work, friendship or responsibility mean. Nor do they have a moral conscience, since they do not judge good and evil, grasp the ultimate meaning of situations, or bear responsibility for consequences. They may imitate language, behavior and analytical skills, or even simulate empathy and understanding, but they do not understand what they produce, for they lack the affective, relational and spiritual perspective through which human beings grow in wisdom. Even when these tools are described as capable of “learning,” their way of doing so is different from that of a human person. It is not the experience of those who allow themselves to be shaped by life and grow over time through choices, mistakes, forgiveness and fidelity. Rather, it is a form of statistical adaptation based on data and feedback, which can be very effective, but does not imply inner growth."

Some of the most famous artworks in human history were created by or for the Catholic Church. Naturally, I agree with Pope Leo on how we must engage with AI, and with AI art in general. AI art is absent of skill of its own; it is "statistical adaptation based on data and feedback" based on the skills and lived experience of millions of human artists.

Of course, as Catholics, we have our own free will as well - and certainly we should not judge others, only ourselves. I would just like for us to take care to heed Pope Leo's warnings and consider on a personal level how we engage with AI, and how our examples shape the way the next generation will engage with these tools.

Bake Sale:

Date: Oct 4(Sun)

Time: After 7am, 9am and 10:30am Mass

Location: Church front entrance

The Youth Group will be selling a variety of baked goods. All proceeds will benefit the Youth Group’s activities. We appreciate your support!

(Picture: Bake Sale from 2024!)

<English Mass Reading Volunteer Reward Program>

Hello, parents!

We are happy to introduce a small reward program to encourage our CCD children to

participate in the English Mass reading.

The rewards will be given twice a year, in December and May. During English Mass, Fr. Michael

will recognize and encourage the children who have participated in the reading and present

them with a small reward.

Especially for parents of children in 3rd grade and above, we kindly ask you to talk with your

children and encourage them to try the reading when they feel ready.

We hope this opportunity will help our children experience the joy of serving and sharing God’s

Word, while becoming more involved in the English Mass.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement!

<CCD PTO Team>

WYD Registration & Schedule Information – Registration deadline: October 31, 2026

Fundraising & Volunteer Opportunities

1. WYD Registration
First Registration (to determine the number of participants): By October 31
Second Registration: December 1–31

2. WYD Information Session:

Oct. 11 (Sun.) after 10:30 English Mass / Cafeteria

3.WYD Fundraising Lunch: $10
Oct. 18: Yukgaejang
Oct. 25: Hwangtaeguk

If you are interested at all or have questions about fundraising etc., please speak to Fr. Michael!

To keep things running smoothly during Mass, please try to sit toward the inside (towards the middle aisle) of the pews. This will make it easier for latecomers to find their seats. We really appreciate your help!

Also, if mass has already started, please make sure your children are coming through the outer aisles, not the middle aisle where the Priest walks!

If your child has a cough, we suggest you give them a mask, at least while we are doing indoors mass! :)

Sorry, much of this is still a work in progress!

We may have more updates once we've settled into our roles somewhat.

In the meantime, please feel free to check out the Korean-Language Bulletin for the latest updates.

Peace and love be with you always! 💙

- Shaye