Blessing of the Animals – Saturday, October 3 at 11:00 A.M.
Confessions are Saturday 4-5:00 P.M. in the Garden of the School of Religious Education
Weekend Masses: SA 5:30 P.M., SU 8:00 A.M., SU 10 A.M.
Daily Mass: 8 A.M. (M, Tu, W)
Greetings parishioners,
Watching the debate last night got me thinking about the lack of civility in society today. People just accept this form of communication. I think it’s just basic Christian behavior to treat another with the same respect you would expect to receive yourself. What we witnessed last night was the total opposite. It was a very sad reality of the USA right now. Let us all pray for peace and calm in this election period. Let us pray for President Trump and Vice President Biden to respect one another with Christian dignity in the Spirit of Jesus Christ Who challenged us all to love our neighbor as ourselves. AMEN.
On Saturday we celebrate our third Mass for the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Please pray for all the children receiving for the first time. Thanks especially to Mary Ellen Faubert and her team for preparing them.
We also have the blessing of animals at 11 A.M. Saturday in the parking lot in memory of St. Francis of Assisi whose feast day is October 4.
I attached a few photos of the rectory office and the priests’ residence to show the on-going improvements. I want to thank all those in the parish who have donated to these projects. On Monday we laid strip carpet on the stairs; we laid new tiles in the kitchen and, in the church office, new carpet and paint. Next projects in the rectory are replacing 4 rotting windows and then installing a heating and AC unit for the ground floor. Hopefully we will have heating for the winter.
Thanks to all who signed up on Faith Direct, our online giving platform for the parish community. It is such a blessing for the parish, and I thank everyone who donates to our parish regularly. God bless you all.
Our digital learning continues in our parish school and kudos to our Principal Mr. Green, school staff, and teachers for doing an amazing job; thank you all. To the parents and students, thank you so much for a job well done. You are all amazing.
It is so good to see so many attending Mass on Sundays; thank you all for your YES to Christ.
Love,
Fr. Gerard
Blessing of the Animals -- Saturday, October 3 at 11:00 A.M. The bond between a person and pet is like no other relationship because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a person with a dog or cat, are two creatures of love, but there are many other pets as well. Bring your pet for a blessing on October 3 at 11:00 A.M. in the OLR parking lot. Masks required for all humans!
Our Lady of Refuge School invites the parish community to participate in its annual Fall Opportunity Drawing. School parents will sell tickets for $5.00 each at the end of every Mass the weekend of October 3-4. The three winning tickets will be awarded $1,000, $500, and $250 respectively. The drawing takes place on Friday, October 30, and the winners will be notified shortly thereafter. GOOD LUCK!! Checks may be made payable to Our Lady of Refuge School and, of course, cash is accepted. Plan ahead.
Please welcome into the OLR community Tyler and Keilani Villanueva and Kaenon Castro who were baptized last Saturday. Baptisms have resumed outdoors in the Our Lady of Refuge Chapel. For registration information, call Shirl Giacomi (562-597-3102).
RCIA: RCIA begins with Inquiry held on Saturday evenings after 5:30 P.M. Mass. Inquiry is just like it sounds: a place to ask questions. Contact Shirl to set up an appointment (562-597-3102).
School of Religious Education: It’s not too late to sign up for Religious Education classes. We will begin the second week of October and meet the second and fourth weeks each month. Grades 1-5 meet on Mondays from 6:15 P.M. - 7:30 P.M., and Jr High - Confirmation twice a month on Tuesdays from 7:00 P.M. - 8:30 P.M. Sacrament Preparation for Reconciliation and Eucharist is a two-year program and meets 6 times per year on Mondays, 6:15 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. Calendars will be sent when you register https://forms.gle/cARY5qSA2cFb74X97. Follow the prompts. If you need assistance, call 562-597-3102. We will begin with Zoom classes at first but hope to meet in person soon! Our catechists are ready and looking forward to a new year.
Wanted: Zoom Producers. A volunteer Zoom producer manages the Zoom functions so that the elementary catechists can focus on presenting the faith formation lessons. Time Commitment: 3 hours per month, the Second and Fourth Monday evenings from 6:15 - 7:15 P.M. Salary: Lots of graces and deep appreciation. Call Shirl to volunteer (562-597-3102).
Bible Study: Have you ever felt you didn’t understand God and the way He works? Perhaps you have been frustrated over unanswered prayers and, in your impatience, you asked Him why. Well, if we are honest, we must confess that at times it is difficult to know why God did certain things or what He meant by what He spoke. However, we are not alone. The disciples had the same problems. Yet in the Scriptures, we see that His disciples discovered how to understand God, and by studying the Scriptures you can discover this, too. You are invited to join OLR Bible Study on Tuesday, October 6 at 7:00 P.M. via Zoom (until we can get back in the classroom). For more information contact Cathy Hoover (562-688-1922).
OLR Church Office (562) 498-6641 9:30 A.M. -- 2 P.M. (M-F)
5195 Stearns Street, Long Beach, CA 90815-2901
OLR website -- https://www.ourladyofrefuge.org
Betty Guevara, Parish Secretary -- [email protected]
Shirl Giacomi, Director of Religious Education -- [email protected]
(562) 597-3102 9 A.M. -- 3 P.M. (M-F)
Donnie Green, OLRS Interim Principal -- [email protected]
OLR Catholic School -- (562) 597-0819 7:30 A.M. -- 3 P.M. (M-F)
5210 E. Los Coyotes Diagonal, Long Beach, CA 90815
Team Refuge – Holly Cavallaro, Coordinator (562) 822-9191
Faith Direct -- https://membership.faithdirect.net/enroll/CA966 or the app Faith Direct – eGiving for Churches
Realm -- https://onrealm.org (to access to your account) or the app Connect – our Church Community, ACS Technology Group (Realm Connect)