PLAN AHEAD: EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 24, THE VIGIL MASS WILL BE AT 4 P.M. AND CONFESSIONS FROM 3-3:45 P.M. in the Garden of the School of Religious Education
Weekend Masses: SA 4:00 P.M., SU 8:00 A.M., SU 10 A.M.
Daily Mass: 8 A.M. (M, Tu, W)
Greetings my good friends in Christ,
Pope Francis participated in the International Gathering for Peace in the last few days in Rome. Faith leaders traveled from throughout the world to discuss and pray together in Unity for Peace. Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, and Buddhist leaders with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Pope Francis “gathered to affirm their communities’ commitment to peace, dialogue, fraternity, and assistance to the poor and needy.”
The first scripture reading at Tuesday’s Mass from St. Paul to the Ephesians had a powerful quotation, which links us by coincidence with the gathering for peace in Rome. “He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who are near.”
Right now, our beautiful country needs so much peace. Jesus is constantly gifting us peace though so many reject it for violence, hatred, and division.
All those faith leaders in Rome are praying that this God-given gift is embraced by all, especially Government leaders whose responsibility is to unite rather than to divide, to reconcile rather than reject, to uplift rather than condemn.
We live in the midst of so much fragility, so much poverty, so much fear and doubt. Why not pray for peace like those in Rome? I invite all the parishioners of Our Lady of Refuge to pray for Peace in the USA on a daily basis until Nov 2nd. Then we will gather in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the eve of the election at 7 P.M. Will you take up the challenge?
Let God’s Love Reign. Amen.
Seven children will be baptized this coming Saturday, so please pray for their parents and Godparents. Also pray for Samantha and Kris who will marry this coming week; blessings on both of them. On Sunday morning, three children will receive the First Eucharist at the 10 A.M. Mass; prayers for them and their families. Three beautiful Sacraments over a few days!
We trimmed some of the trees and palms during the week. Remember last time we trimmed was 2 years ago when I just arrived in the parish.
Please continue to help the parish financially. Thanks to those who have donated over the months since the lockdown last March. God bless you all for your generosity.
Recently we had the sound system in the church checked and replaced two speakers; hopefully when we return to the church, our sound system will be in better order.
Thanks once again to all the volunteers around the parish, especially at the Sunday Masses.
Love and Blessings,
Fr. Gerard
In anticipation of the return to Pacific Standard Time, effective October 24, the Saturday Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 4 P.M. This will allow Mass to conclude and the altar to be cleared before sunset. Confessions will be from 3-3:45 P.M. (Daylight Savings ends at 2 A.M. on November 1.)
Our Lady of Refuge School Fall Opportunity Raffle Update: Thank you to the entire parish community for your amazing support of the school's fall opportunity raffle. With your support ($1,055) we are well on our way to reaching our school goal of ($21,100). I also want to invite everyone to our raffle drawing on Friday, October 30th on Zoom at 12:00 P.M. (noon). Winners will be contacted shortly after the tickets have been drawn. The event will be recorded and shared with the community. Zoom ID: 961 7242 6122
Blessings and Good Luck!
Mr. Green
Register for Online Regional Congress 2.0 – REJOICE! On Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14, 2020, the San Pedro Regional Office of Religious Education will host a virtual conference. https://lacatholics.org/2020/06/18/rc-rejoice/
From Treats for the Soul by Fr. Medard Laz (Bringing values and meaning to our troubled world) www.treatsforthesoul.org
“I Worried”
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers flow in the right direction, will the earth turn as it was taught, and if not, how shall I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven, can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing? Even the sparrows can do it and I am, well, hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it, am I going to get rheumatism, lockjaw, dementia?
Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing and gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning and sang. by Mary Oliver
When was the last time you took your old body and went out into the morning and sang?
Dear God, Thanks For This Beautiful Life and Forgive Me If I Don’t Love It Enough!
All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day
November 1: All Saints’ Day is the day that our Church honors all who have died and now live with God as Saints in heaven. These saints include all whose who have been declared saints by the Church and many others known only to God.
November 2: All Souls’ Day is the day in which our Church remembers all who have died as friends of God. We pray that our family members and friends may rest in peace.
Prayer Ribbon Wall: Often the parish has had a book to write down the names of our deceased. This year Our Lady of Refuge will have a prayer ribbon wall. On October 31 and November 1 at all Masses, we will have tables with ribbons for you to print the name of your beloved dead and then you can hang the prayer ribbon on the wall (fence to the right of the outdoor altar). Members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Ministry will be there to assist you. The Filipino-American Ministry also helped with this effort. The ribbons will hang on the fence to remind us of our family and friends who have died and remind us to pray for them in a special way during this time.
Envelopes for the All Souls’ Novena are available at Mass. This novena commemorates all the faithful departed we have lost. Remember your beloved deceased. Check the small tables or ask an usher to provide an envelope. Return the envelopes in the collection by November 1; the novena begins November 2. You may also make a one-time donation with your Faith Direct account or securely make a one-time gift to Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church by texting a dollar amount to (562) 414-6831; in Notes section, please add All Souls and names of deceased. Names will be added to the Prayer Ribbon Wall next weekend.
Giving Back to God What Is God’s
Yes, God can choose anybody and other ways to do His good works.
🐕 A loving four-legged pet to help us feel God's unconditional love more strongly,
😇😇 Volunteers filled with the Holy Spirit to bring forth their God-given gifts for the mission work in the church,
💕😊😊 Friends who are supportive, especially the young-at-heart with their smiles and laughter to fuel one's heart in gladness,
🌱🌿🌳 The earth's bountiful gifts of God's everlasting love, which we must protect in the name of the Holy Spirit.
"Giving back to God" YES, ourselves as God gives to us His unconditional love and faith in us.
-from a loving OLR parishioner
Mark your calendars:
Friday, October 30 noon OLRS Opportunity Drawing on Zoom
Sunday, November 1 2 A.M. turn clocks back 1 hour (end of Daylight Savings)
Monday, November 2 7 P.M. Adoration to pray for peace in USA
Saturday, November 7 9-11:45 A.M. Document shredding
F & SA, Nov. 13-14 Regional Religious Ed Conference 2.0 (virtual)
Thursday, November 26 9:30 A.M. Thanksgiving Mass
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-TH), 7:30 A.M. -- 1 P.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. To securely make a one-time gift to Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church, text a dollar amount to (562) 414-6831.
Realm -- https://onrealm.org (to access to your account) or the app Connect – our Church Community, ACS Technology Group (Realm Connect)