Confessions (3:00 -- 3:45 P.M.) are Saturday in the Garden of the Religious Education Center.
Weekend Masses: SA 4 P.M., SU 8 A.M., and SU 10 A.M
Daily Mass at 8 A.M.: M, TU, W (Fr. Gerard, Presider), TH & F (Msgr. Bill, Presider) (no Saturday Mass)
Video of Mass https://www.ourladyofrefuge.org ; From the homepage, select “Videos”
Masks are required for all over the age of 3 on parish grounds.
Greetings my good friends,
Thanks to those of you who donated to Fr. Bill’s restroom upgrade. He will be on vacation from May 9th to the 21st so that we can work on the project. Our plan is to have the majority of the work completed by his return. If any of you would like to donate, I would be most grateful. As I mentioned before, Fr. Bill never mentions anything, so it is so fitting that he should enjoy a beautiful updated restroom and shower facility in the rectory which he has called home for so many years.
Since Easter we have been listening at Mass to the Acts of the Apostles and the beginnings of the early church which we now have the privilege to enjoy. The early church got its strength and spiritual nourishment from the breaking of the bread, the Holy Eucharist, from their communal gatherings, the Mass, and their shared faith in the belief of the Risen Christ, the Word of God. This gave them the passion to speak out boldly with the power of the Holy Spirit in their hearts as they travelled from town to town with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
This is what makes us Catholics unique -- our love of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and our longing to receive it constantly. This is the core of our church, Holy Mass on Sunday, the Word of God broken open ,and the celebration of the Eucharist. The Eucharist gives us spiritual food to live the Gospel of Love here in the now.
As you well know, over the last year, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, celebration of Mass has been very limited. Yes, one could watch it online but actually being present physically was not possible. At present we are slowly getting back to gathering as a community of faith in church, but some people are still wary of attending Mass on Sundays. I am making an appeal to all of you who are not attending Mass in church to come back to your spiritual house of worship, Our Lady of Refuge. For our parish to be strong spiritually, we all need to receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass. We need to gather together socially distanced and listen to the Word of God just like the early church did with passion in the midst of much fear. They totally trusted in our God of Life. They were fearless because in their hearts the spirit of the Lord was present. Please, please, consider it and help build up the Body of Christ here at OLR. We offer 3 masses over the weekend; the 10 A.M. Mass is the most popular of the 3. How I wish all three were popular. You are missed and I would love to see you back. I am convinced our church is the most sanitized in the Archdiocese and I would like to thank all the volunteers for your unbelievable service to the church community. Our parish is blessed with so many passionate and faith-filled volunteers.
The Body of Christ is waiting for you, waiting for your yes to return home, waiting for your Amen of belief. Let’s take on the challenge.
Peace upon all the parishioners of OLR and Fr. Bill.
Love,
Fr. Gerard
Please remember in your prayers Robert DeCoudres and Mateo Diaz.
Mass Procedures: Please be polite to the volunteers who arrive early to sanitize the church, implement the parish plan on capacity and social distancing, and attempt to seat all comfortably. Our church has re-opened, but we have Federal, State, County, City and Archdiocesan regulations to follow. Please follow the directions of the ushers.
Mothers’ Day (May 9) Novena envelopes and cards (novena envelope enclosed) are available as you enter the church. Please return completed envelopes to the collection before Mothers’ Day.
Not available: Currently the church is not open for visitation. Candles for the shrines are not available.
Funds for Msgr. Bill’s restroom: If you would like to donate either in Faith Direct or by check, please mention your donation is for Msgr. Bill’s restroom upgrade. His restroom and shower unit are in a dreadful state and the floor will also need to be replaced. We want the best for Msgr. Bill.
Baptisms: Please welcome Saint Khali Umali, King Sakai Umali, Brody Gonzales, Evan Isla Makena, and Khalista Pamon into our parish community. They were baptized on Saturday, April 24. Call the Religious Ed office with any questions regarding registration for future Baptisms. (562) 597-3102
Spring Opportunity Raffle -- Thank You! Hello Our Lady of Refuge Parishioners: On behalf of the school community, I want to thank you all for your beautiful support of our school's Spring Opportunity Raffle. The drawing takes place on Friday, May 7th, and the winners will be notified shortly thereafter. We will send the Zoom information for the drawing in an upcoming bulletin. Thank you again for your continued support and prayers. -- Mr. Green
April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month. Archbishop Gomez affirms his continued commitment to report allegations of sexual misconduct to law enforcement, support victim-survivors in their healing journey, and protect children and the vulnerable. The website https://protect.la-archdiocese.org has comprehensive resources for protecting children and reporting abuse. There is a candle on the altar that is lit during the month of April to remind us all to pray for the healing of anyone affected by sexual abuse.
United Together in Prayer: We ask you, as the People of God, to unite in a special prayer for victims of child sexual abuse. (C. 2014 USCCB): Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts, heal your people's wounds and transform brokenness into wholeness. Grant us the courage and wisdom, humility and grace, to act with justice. Breathe wisdom into our prayers and labors. Grant that all harmed by abuse may find peace and justice. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen
Free Document Shredding Event: Tired of those old documents collecting dust and taking up space? Start your Spring Cleaning with Our Lady of Refuge School and this drive-thru event made just for you! When: Saturday, May 1, 9 A.M.-11:45 A.M. (sharp) Where: Our Lady of Refuge Church/School parking lot. Sponsored by Michele K, Broadmoor Realty Inc. Donations welcome and will go to the OLR Parish TK-8 school. https://betterlivinginlongbeach.com/free-shred-e-waste-long-beach/
Virtual Retreats: The Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra is offering virtual retreats until they are able to open for on-site events. May 1 (10 A.M.-1 P.M.); May 14-16. The link below directs you to descriptions of the events and registration. https://sacredheartretreathouse.com/
Bequests: Please consider including Our Lady of Refuge Parish and School in your estate plan. Our correct legal title is: The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles, A Corporation Sole for the sole benefit of: (Our Lady of Refuge Parish and/or School) For further information, please contact Karen Dunphy at 213-637-7512 www.ADLALegacy.org
Where to get vaccinated for Covid-19: Effective April 15, people 16 and over are eligible for vaccinations and can make appointments at the locations listed below.
The City of Long Beach http://www.longbeach.gov/health/diseases-and-condition/information-on/coronavirus/vaxlb/
Primary Care Providers
CVS www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine or 800-746-7287
Ralphs www.ralphs.com/covidvaccine
Rite Aid www.riteaid.com/pharmacy/covid-qualifier
Walgreens www.walgreens.com/schedulevaccine.
Long Beach Memorial https://mymemorialcarecovid.memorialcare.org/MyChart/covid19#
Orange County https://www.othena.com/
Southern California Kaiser 866-454-8855 or https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine
Long Beach Health Department Clinics provide up to 500 non-appointment opportunities to get vaccinated only at the Convention Center Monday through Saturday from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M., depending on vaccine availability. Once those opportunities are full, anyone arriving onsite without an appointment will be scheduled for a future opportunity.
Mobile Vaccination Team for individuals who are not able to travel to the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center vaccination site https://veoci.com/veoci/p/form/qwb9bjkavaq5#tab=entryForm
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 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 your account) or the app Connect – our Church Community, ACS Technology Group (Realm Connect)