Confessions (3:00 -- 3:45 P.M.) are Saturday in the Garden of the Religious Education Center.
Weekend Masses: SA 4 P.M. (Fr. Gerard, Presider), SU 8 A.M. (Fr. Gerard, Presider) and SU 10 A.M (Fr. Gerard, Presider)
Daily Mass at 8 A.M.: M, TU, W (Fr. Gerard, Presider) (no Masses on Thursday, Friday or Saturday)
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 Parishioners,
Thanks to all of you who attended 8 A.M. Mass last Sunday as we celebrated Mother’s Day and especially our long-term parishioner of 63 years, Johanna Raab, on her 95th birthday. We had a beautiful celebration of Holy Mass with a presentation of a Rose bouquet to Johanna. I was speaking to her during the week; she was in awe of the celebration but most of all she felt the love of the parish community upon her.
The scriptures last Sunday spoke about the importance of Love in our lives, in our relationships, and everything we do and say. The great command of Jesus is to Love one another. Last Sunday Johanna witnessed that love upon her; this is God’s Love in action, looking out for others in their time of need.
Johanna also wanted to convey to all of you her thanks for the many cards, gifts and floral tributes she received, including a beautiful card from the 8th graders in our school. She told me she is thinking of you all in her prayers. This is what parish is about, supporting one another and sharing the Love of God with whomever.
Today I celebrated a beautiful Mass with our school; our first in over a year for the traditional Crowning of Mary. It was a joy to celebrate Mass with the school community again as I missed the energy of the kids during this long pandemic. Let us pray for our parish school and all schools at this time.
Justin Ordoveza will be ordained a transitional deacon on May 29. Please pray for him on this very special day in his life.
Thank you all for attending Mass on Sunday and, all those who are at home, thank you for your presence in OLR.
Let us pray for our parish community. Let us pray for more normalcy and return to some form of the past. Amen.
We started the upgrade of Fr. Bill’s restroom this past Monday and all is going according to plan.
Fr. Bill has texted me and informed me it’s very hot in the desert. I’m not sure he will stay there two weeks. Let’s hope despite the heat he is having a relaxing time.
Love,
Fr. Gerard
Funds for Msgr. Bill’s restroom: If you would still 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. Reconstruction takes place while he is on vacation.
Virtual Retreat: What is it like to walk in God’s presence? It feels like sanctified peace. A peace within our reach. World renowned spiritual writer, Father Jacques Philippe, is back for another retreat! He will be teaching the simple ways we can place ourselves in God’s loving presence. Let us renew our interior life with 5 moving conferences from Father Jacques Philippe, prayer resources from the Carmelite Sisters, and small group sharing. Discover the joy of His presence. Sponsored by the Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra, May 14-16. Cost is $49.99. The link below directs you to description of the event and registration. https://sacredheartretreathouse.com/
The Knights of Columbus are having a fundraiser at Avenue 3 Pizza in Long Beach over Memorial Day weekend (May 28, 29 and 30). 20% of your order (food and drinks) will be donated to our local Long Beach Assembly 42. The Assembly is the 4th Degree Knights of Columbus; these are the men you see in uniform at parades, funerals, and special Masses. The owner of Avenue 3 Pizza, Charlie Kirk, is a member of the Knights of Columbus and this is his way of helping support our community and the Knights of Columbus. When ordering make sure you mention the "Knights of Columbus." According to Google, Avenue 3 has a reputation of serving the best wings, sandwiches and the coldest beer. As with all Knights of Columbus activities, all are welcome.
DID YOU KNOW? Beware the dangers of online enticement: The events of 2020 pushed most of our lives more fully online than ever before: working from home, virtual schooling, Zoom get-togethers. This past year also saw a dramatic increase in reports of online child abuse, including online enticement. Enticement involves an individual communicating online with someone believed to be a child, with the intent to commit a sex offense or to abduct the child. Online enticement can happen to any child using the internet. Parents should be very aware of what their children do online, including who they talk to and what sites they spend time on. For more information, visit
Baptisms are held once a month on Saturday at 10:00 A.M. Health protocols are in place to keep everyone as safe as possible. Parents and Godparents are required to attend a pre-baptism class online. Call the Religious Ed office with any questions regarding registration. (562) 597-3102
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: People 16 and over are eligible for vaccinations; ages 12-15 may get the Pfizer vaccine.
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
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)