2024 PSA CAMPAIGN | CAMPAÑA DEL PSA 2024

Rebate to be used for patio improvements | El reembolso se utilizará para mejoras en el patio

Starts February 18th | Inicia el 18 de febrero

2024 Pastoral Services Appeal


Praise the Lord who heals the broken hearted

Alabado sea el Señor que sana a los de corazón quebrantado.


Pledges—Promesas: $27,246.75


Participating families— Familias participando: 96


Given—Donado: $15,626.75


WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!


Our Goal—Nuestra Meta:


$150,000

 

100% participating households


Participating families— Familias participando: 8.0%


THE BELLS OF ST. MARY'S

5th Sunday of Lent


St. Teresa of Calcutta reminds during this season of Lent, “A clean heart is a free heart. A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from his love. Purity, chastity, and virginity created a special beauty in Mary that attracted God’s attention. He showed his great love for the world by giving Jesus to her.” 


In our Sunday Responsorial Psalm from Psalm 51, we invite God to create a clean heart within us. However, working against this is the Devil, who wants us to close our hearts to God’s presence. St. Alphonsus Liguori reminds us, “The devil does not bring sinners to Hell with their eyes open: he first blinds them with the malice of their own sins. Before we fall into sin, the enemy labors to blind us, that we may not see the evil we do and the ruin we bring upon ourselves by offending God. After we commit sin, he seeks to make us dumb, that, through shame, we may conceal our guilt in confession.”


This week, the local parishes will be offering Penance services to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. St. Mary’s Penance Service will be celebrated on Wednesday, March 20nd at 7 pm. And while each parish will arrange for several priest confessors to hear confessions, many often resist this opportunity to go. Why? St. John Paul II invites us to consider, “Confession is an act of honesty and courage – an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.” Perhaps no one likes to go and admit that they have sinned against God, but without acknowledging that we have done wrong against Him, how can we ask for Him for forgiveness and His grace to do better?


Pope John XXIII once taught, “Doing penance for one’s sins is a first step towards obtaining forgiveness and winning eternal salvation. That is the clear and explicit teaching of Christ, and no one can fail to see how justified and how right the Catholic Church has always been in constantly insisting on this. She is the spokesman for her Divine Redeemer. No individual Christian can grow in perfection, nor can Christianity gain in vigor, except it be on the basis of penance.”


Four steps that I would invite you to consider in preparing for this beautiful sacrament are the following:


An Examination of Conscience – Please take the time to reflect upon what you are sorry for. We don’t have to remember everything, but we do have to be sincere. If you are lost in making a good confession, ask the priest confessor, he is there to help you make a good confession.


Confessing our sins – God is not interested in the number of the times we have sinned, but rather that we acknowledge that we have committed the offense, and that we are sorry for it. Sometimes in my zeal to remember all my sins, I forget one that I remember later. You are forgiven for all your sins if you have a contrite heart, God forgives those who sincerely ask for His mercy. But, I may be embarrassed of admitting a sin, and don’t want to vocalize it. Resist this urge, not because God can’t forgive us or doesn’t know what we have done, but we are not admitting to our responsibility. St. Bernadette Soubirous encourages us “So Jesus gives all to those who surrender all.”


Receiving a Penance and making an Act of Contrition – The Penance we receive does not make up for our sins, but rather demonstrates our desire to change. Jesus’ Death and Resurrection is the true penance of our sins. Be sincere in making your Penance, your forgiveness is not dependent upon it, but your willingness to change is demonstrated by it. The Act of Contrition pledges our sorrow and commitment to change.


Absolution of Sins – We are forgiven for our sins through our Lord Jesus. This does not mean that the consequences of our sins do not remain, but rather our responsibility of them is absolved.


Please consider making use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this season of Lent, there is a list of all the local Penance Services in our bulletin. 


Take care and God bless,

                                                                           

Fr Steve Correz

      LAS CAMPANAS DE SANTA MARIA

4o Domingo de Cuaresma


Santa Teresa de Calcuta recuerda durante este tiempo de Cuaresma: “Un corazón limpio es un corazón libre. Un corazón libre puede amar a Cristo con amor integro en castidad, convencido de que nada ni nadie lo separará de su amor. La pureza, la castidad y la virginidad crearon en María una belleza especial que atrajo la atención de Dios. Mostró su gran amor por el mundo entregándole a Jesús”.


En nuestro Salmo responsorial dominical del Salmo 51, invitamos a Dios a crear un corazón limpio dentro de nosotros. Sin embargo, en contra de esto está el Diablo, que quiere que cerremos nuestro corazón a la presencia de Dios. San Alfonso de Ligorio nos recuerda: “El diablo no lleva a los pecadores al infierno con los ojos abiertos: primero los ciega con la malicia de sus propios pecados. Antes de caer en pecado, el enemigo se esfuerza por cegarnos, para que no veamos el mal que hacemos y la ruina que nos acarreamos al ofender a Dios. Después de que cometemos pecado, Él busca enmudecernos, para que, a través de la vergüenza, podamos ocultar nuestra culpa en la confesión”.


Esta semana, las parroquias vecinas ofrecerán servicios de Penitencia para celebrar el Sacramento de la Reconciliación. El Servicio de Penitencia de Santa María se celebrará el miércoles 20 de marzo a las 7 pm. Y aunque cada parroquia hará arreglos para que varios sacerdotes escuchen confesiones, muchos a menudo se resisten a esta oportunidad de ir. ¿Por qué? San Juan Pablo II nos invita a considerar: “La confesión es un acto de honestidad y valentía: un acto de confiarnos, más allá del pecado, a la misericordia de un Dios que nos ama y perdona”. Quizás a nadie le guste ir y admitir que ha pecado contra Dios, pero sin reconocer que hemos hecho mal contra Él, ¿cómo podemos pedirle perdón y su gracia para hacerlo mejor?


El Papa Juan XXIII enseñó una vez: “Hacer penitencia por los pecados es un primer paso para obtener el perdón y ganar la salvación eterna. Ésta es la enseñanza clara y explícita de Cristo, y nadie puede dejar de ver cuán justificado y acertado ha estado siempre la Iglesia católica al insistir constantemente en esto. Ella es la portavoz de su Divino Redentor. Ningún cristiano individual puede crecer en perfección, ni el cristianismo puede ganar en vigor, a menos que sea sobre la base de la penitencia”.


Cuatro pasos que te invito a tomar en cuenta al preparase para este hermoso sacramento son los siguientes:


Un examen de conciencia - Tómese el tiempo para reflexionar sobre las cosas de las cuales se arrepiente. No tenemos que recordarlo todo, pero sí tenemos que ser sinceros. Si está confundido en cómo hacer una buena confesión, pregúntele al sacerdote, él está ahí para ayudarles a hacer una buena confesión.


Confesar nuestros pecados - A Dios no le interesa el número de veces que hemos pecado, sino que reconozcamos que hemos cometido la ofensa y que nos arrepintamos. A veces en mi afán por recordar todos mis pecados, olvido uno que recuerdo más tarde. Se te perdonan todos tus pecados si tienes un corazón contrito, Dios perdona a quienes sinceramente piden su misericordia. Pero puede que me dé vergüenza admitir un pecado y no quiera vocalizarlo. Resista a este impulso, no porque Dios no pueda perdonarnos o no sepa lo que hemos hecho, sino porque no estamos admitiendo nuestra responsabilidad. Santa Bernadette Soubirous nos anima: "Así que Jesús da todo a quien lo entrega todo".


Recibir una Penitencia y hacer un Acto de Contrición - La Penitencia que recibimos no compensa nuestros pecados, sino que demuestra nuestro deseo de cambiar. La Muerte y Resurrección de Jesús es la verdadera penitencia de nuestros pecados. Debemos ser sinceros al hacer nuestra Penitencia, de ella no depende su perdón, sino que de ella se demuestra nuestra voluntad de cambiar. El Acto de Contrición compromete nuestro dolor y compromiso con el cambio.


Absolución de los Pecados - Somos perdonados por nuestros pecados a través de nuestro Señor Jesús. Esto no significa que las consecuencias de nuestros pecados no permanezcan, sino que nuestra responsabilidad por ellos queda absuelta.


Por favor tome en cuenta hacer uso del Sacramento de la Reconciliación durante esta tiempo de Cuaresma; hay una lista de todos los Servicios Penitenciales en nuestras iglesias vecinas en nuestro boletín

Cuídense, y que Dios los bendiga,

                                                 

Padre Steve Correz

GriefShare, a special help seminar and support group for people experiencing grief and loss, will be held on

Thursday Evenings (7-9pm) at St Mary's Catholic Church...

Beginning June 1, 2023


Griefshare features nationally recognized experts on grief recovery topics. Seminar sessions include "Is This Normal?" "The Challenges of Grief," "Grief and Your Relationships," "Why?" and "Guilt and Anger."


For more information call

Deacon Tony Mercado

714.525.2500

Altar Servers

Is your child interested in becoming an altar server?

Have they made their First Holy Communion?

We would like to invite you to contact the parish office at 714.525.2500

to see about serving during Mass as an altar server


Please tune in to listen to deacon Tony and Rosie Mercado on the New podcast show "Called to Serve"

Called to Serve is a show that is to remind how much Jesus loves us and how ordinary people love Jesus by answering the call to serve our Lord in every day ways...

Called to Serve is a show that is to remind how much Jesus loves us and how ordinary people love Jesus by answering the call to serve our Lord in every day ways...

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Upcoming Events 

  • Baptism Classes - 2024

    Second Sunday of the month


    January 14


    February 11


    March 10


    April 14


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    June 9


    July 14


    August 11


    September 8


    October 13


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    December 8

  • Baptisms - 2024

    Third Sunday of the month


    January 21


    February 18


    March 17


    April 21


    May 19


    June 16


    July 21


    August 18


    September 15


    October 20


    November 17


    December 15


And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."
Matthew 28: 18-20 (RSV-CE)

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