May 12, 2013 - www.stampk.org – Saint Thomas Aquinas Church

St. Thomas Aquinas Church
Iglesia Católica Romana
1501 South Atlantic Boulevard
Monterey Park, California 91754
May 12, 2013
Parish Information
Parish Office: (323) 264-4447
Chinese Ministry Office: (323) 264-4448
Fax: (323) 264-2524
General Email: sta91754@gmail.com
Parish Website: STAMPK.ORG
Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil
5:30 PM
(English)
Fr. Jay Wu—sta.assocpastor@gmail.com
8:00 AM
(English)
9:30 AM
(Chinese)
11:30 AM (English)
1:30 PM
(Spanish)
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 8:00 AM
Friday
7:00 PM
Holy Days
As Announced
Lorraine Melendez—stamanager1@gmail.com
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday at 4:00 PM
Fr. John Kyebasuuta— stapastor@gmail.com
Administrator Pro Tempore—Ext. 108
Associate Pastor—Ext. 106
General Manager—Ext. 103
Linda Almaguer—sta91754@gmail.com
Parish Secretary/Bookkeeper—Ext. 102
Sherry Tsai—stachinese@gmail.com
Chinese Ministry Staff Support—Ext. 104
Cathy Pang– stachinese@gmail.com
Chinese Ministry Admin. Support—Ext. 105
Safeguard The Children
Carmen Austria—626-993-4933
School Information
School Office: (323) 261-6583
Fax: (323) 261-5972
General Email: sta91754@aol.com
School Website:
www.stacatholicschool.org
Marina De La Rosa— staeagles@yahoo.com
Principal
Renee Torres—sta91754@aol.com
Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper
Sunday
Sacraments
Infant Baptisms:
2nd Saturday-10 AM English
Spanish & Chinese baptism by request only.
Please contact the parish office to make
arrangements.
Religious Education/Confirmation: Please
contact the Religious Education office at
(323) 264-1338.
Weddings: Please make arrangements with
the parish office at least 6 months prior to
desired date.
Anointing of the Sick and/or Communion:
Anointing mass is held every fifth Saturday.
Hospitalized or long-term homebound,
please contact the parish office.
Quinceañeras: Please contact the parish
office to make arrangements.
THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
MAY 12, 2013
OUR PARISH FAMILY NEWS
STA Catholic Charities
Volunteer Recognition Honorees
The past Monday, on May 6th, Catholic Charities
of Los Angeles, San Gabriel Region held their 29th Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner. We are proud to announce the honorees who represented St. Thomas Aquinas. Please join us in congratulating them and acknowledging their dedication to our parish by sharing their time
and talent in a loving and inspiring manner.
A reflection by Fr. John, Administrator Pro Tem:
Mr. Dennis Lim is an active parishioner at St. Thomas
Aquinas. His involvement in the school and parish life
has made the parish a better place for all. Even after his
children graduated from STA he has never stopped to be
involved and support our parish family. Mr. Lim, your
example is a good model for our parish, and we are
proud of your service.
Ms. Jeanette Flores is a phone call away from the
needs of the parish. Her support of the community
through the annual parish fiesta participation is of great
value. Thank you for using your talents and skill to
benefit the community. Your children are following
your example of service. Continue the goodness in you.
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Ayala not only come to Mass on
Sundays, but are full active participants as Eucharistic
ministers and Ushers. Your desire and thirsty for scripture is evident in your weekly bible study here at the
parish and in other parishes. May you continue to make
the word of God relevant and enjoyable.
Mrs. Juo (Joann) Yen Wang is a very active member
in the community encouraging young people to share in
scripture and encouraging them to identify the presence
of God in their daily lives. Joann we as a parish are
proud of what you and your husband do here and beyond our parish boundaries. Continue to inspire others to
come close to God.
Mother’s Day Spiritual Bouquets Cards
From the Desk of Fr. John
Happy Mother’s Day!
In our busy lives, it is good to stop once in a
while and appreciate the gifts we have in our lives. Today
we pause as a nation to give tribute to the mothers. We
not only give thanks to our mothers, we also dedicate our
prayers for them.
Mothers, we thank you for raising us and giving
us a model to follow, a model taken from the Holy Family, where Mary, the Mother of Jesus, manifested her unselfish love to her family. We invoke her protection over
you today and always.
Today we also remember the mothers who are
not present, the ones that God has called back to Himself.
For all they did for us, we thank God as well.
Let us also pray for the mothers who need our
support and prayers; those experiencing loss or disappointment on this mother’s day, and let us make them
aware that our STA community is in solidarity with them
and that they are not alone nor forgotten.
A Mother’s Prayer:
Loving God, thank you for the gift of my children.
Your son Jesus brought joy to his mother Mary.
I pray that my children may bring joy to the world.
I ask for your blessing in my life as a mother that I may
bear witness to my Christian faith by what I say and do.
By my word and example may I bring happiness,
compassion, reconciliation and love to the children
you have given me.
Bless them and always keep them safe.
I pray to you through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Confirmation Class of 2013
This past Sunday, May 5th, Msgr. James Loughnane, the Episcopal Vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral
Region, confirmed 29 High School students and 5 adults
from our STA Confirmation programs. It was a ceremony
filled with meaning and promise. Meaning in the fact that
those Confirmed, publicly declared their readiness to go
and make a difference in the lives of others. Promise in
the sense that they now continue to put their faith into
action here at the Church and beyond. These two aspects
are already visible in their lives, but the Confirmation
ceremony made real what they already believe and do.
We congratulate them. We congratulate the parents and sponsors. We thank the teachers in our Confirmation programs. All their efforts celebrate who we are
as a community of STA. May God continue to bless us in
all we do.
Spiritual Bouquet cards are available for anyone
wanting a loved one to be remembered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Mother’s Day. They can be found at
our church entrances.
Mother’s Day Novena starts on Sunday May 12th
and continues through Monday, May 20th. Spiritual Bouquet cards should be returned to the special offering basket in the front of the church by Sunday, May 12th.
2 Fr. John
THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
MAY 12, 2013
SHARED LEADERSHIP
Building Our Community…
For A Better Tomorrow
Capital Campaign For New Parish Hall News
Our fund raising committee put a strategic plan
in place to host a few major fund raisers this year
rather than have multiple minor fund raisers. The first
one was the Lunar New Year Collection raffle. We
raised $5,540, thanks again for your support.
The next major fund raiser will be a parish involved fashion show to be held in the fall of 2013.
Our goal is to raise $20,000. The first planning session will be held on Thursday, May 16th at 7 PM in
the parish office. We welcome anyone interested in
joining our steering committee and look forward to
seeing you there.
Blessings,
Capital Campaign Committee Members
Together In Mission
“Love Never Fails”
2013 Goal:
Collected:
$34,376.90
$22,476.00
Thank you to all who continue to make your
Together In Mission pledge payments and to those who
are contributing to our Together in Mission scheduled
second collections . We are making progress toward
our goal. Our next scheduled second collection will be
next weekend, May 18th - 19th. Your generous and
thoughtful response is very much appreciated. May the
Lord continue to bless all of you who reach out to help
those less fortunate, within our own Archdiocese.
First Communion
Sunday, May 19 @ 11:30 AM
Students of our Religious Education program
will be receiving their First Communion at our 11:30
AM mass next Sunday. These students have completed
a three year program and are excited to receive the
Holy Eucharist for the first of many times. We would
like to thank the teachers, staff, volunteers and parents
who have guided them on their journey. Please keep
the students and their families in your prayers.
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VIRTUS Safe Environment Training for Adults
At St. Thomas Aquinas
Saturday, June 8th 9 AM – 12 Noon
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles mandates this
training for all adults working with children. This education component helps prevent child sexual abuse by
first making every adult employee and volunteer aware
of the issues surrounding child sexual abuse. This includes awareness of the many ways sexual abuse harms
its victims, their families, the parish, and the community. The awareness session also helps adults learn to
recognize the warning signs of abuse and shows them
the appropriate way to respond to suspicious behavior.
Finally, the awareness session empowers each person
with five steps to help prevent child sexual abuse.
All parish and school volunteers, teachers, staff
or other paid personnel, who work in any capacity with
or around children, the elderly or special needs persons
are required to participate in the VIRTUS program.
This includes parish/school staff and volunteers including principals, teachers, D.R.E.s. secretaries, catechists.
parent helpers, ushers, Eucharist Ministers, lectors, etc.
The goal is to have all adults learn how to help stop
child sexual abuse before it happens.
To register for our class or for more information log on to: www.virtus.org/virtus. Continuing education is the key to creating safe environments. It is
available to everyone.
STA-SO-JUST Ministry
Month of May Outreach Program
Maryvale, founded by the Daughters of Charity
in 1856, was the first orphanage for the growing city of
Los Angeles. Today, it is a residential facility located in
Rosemead that provides care for girls between the ages of
10 to 17 years. Given that May is the month of Mary, our
Blessed Mother, we will be collecting the following items
for Maryvale (please keep in mind that these items should
be for girls, ages 10-17):
Clothing
School Supplies
Toiletries
Games
Hair Items
Bedding
Please place these items on the food collection
cart located by the north entrance to the church. For questions or pickup of large quantities, please call Craig or
Teresa Gill at (323) 728-2015. Thank you in advance for
your generosity. Deadline for donations is 5/26.
TWENTY-NINTH
THE
ASCENSIONSUNDAY
OF THE IN
LORD
ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER
MAY 12,
21, 2013
2012
PRAYER AND REFLECTION
SATURDAY, MAY 11TH–
8:00 am– MASS
9:00 am– Tutoring Program-Classrooms/Multipurpose Rm
9:00 am– Youth, Parents and the Law-Parish Office
12:00 pm– Baptism– Church
5:30 pm– MASS
SUNDAY, MAY 12TH–
8:00 am – MASS – English
9:30 am – MASS – Chinese
11:30 am – MASS – English
1:30 pm – MASS – Spanish
MONDAY, MAY 13TH7:00 pm– Spanish Workshop- Parish Office
TUESDAY, MAY 14TH–
8:00 am– MASS
9:00 am– Legion of Mary English-Dining Room
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15TH–
7:00 pm– English Bible Study-Parish Office
THURSDAY, MAY 16TH8:00 am– MASS
6:00 pm– Adult Faith Formation- Parish Office/Church
7:00 pm– Capital CFundraising Mtg-Parish Office
FRIDAY, MAY 17TH–
5:00 pm– School Movie Night-School/Open Grounds
7:00 pm–MASS
7:30 pm– Legion of Mary– Mandarin-Parish Office
7:30 pm–Chinese Bible Study-Classroom 5
7:45 pm– 1st Holy Communion Practice-Church
8:00 pm– Chinese Youth Bible Study-Dining Room
8:00 pm– Legion of Mary– Cantonese-Parish Office
SATURDAY, MAY 18TH–
8:00 am– MASS
9:00 am– Tutoring Program-Classrooms/Multipurpose Rm
9:00 am– Baptism– Church
9:30 am– Baptism Preparation Class– Parish Office
5:30 pm– MASS
KEEP IN PRAYER
Rudy Tamayo, Norma Vanegas, Irene Veloz,
Lilia P. Villajin, (Baby) Eric Francis Walters,
Sofia V. Yepez, Wilson Young, Bertha Acuna,
Esther Aguilar, and Oscar Alberto.
IN GRATITUDE TO ALL WHO
SUPPORTED OUR PARISH
with your contributions on:
MAY 4 & 5:
Cardinal McIntyre:
$6,790.00
$1,466.00
Thank you for your continued support of our Parish! 4
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013–
8:00 am
AUSTINE HU
5:30 pm
LAURA S. BERUMEN (D)
SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2013–
8:00 am
ALL MOTHERS
9:30 am
ALL MOTHERS
11:30 am
ALL MOTHERS
1:30 pm
ALL MOTHERS
TUESDAY, MAY 14, 20138:00 am
ALL MOTHERS
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013–
8:00 am
ALL MOTHERS
FRIDAY, MAY 17, 20137:00 pm
ALL MOTHERS
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013–
8:00 am
ALL MOTHERS
5:30 pm
ALL MOTHERS
FOR MASS INTENTIONS CALL THE PARISH OFFICE
May 12—May 19
Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Acts 7:55-60; Ps 97:1-2, 6-7, 9; Rv 22:1214, 16-17, 20; Jn 17:20-26; or, for Ascension, Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-9;
Eph 1:17-23 or Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23;
Lk 24:46-53
Acts 19:1-8; Ps 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab;
Jn 16:29-33
Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Ps 113:1-8; Jn
15:9-17
Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68:29-30, 33-36ab;
Jn 17:11b-19
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; Ps 16:1-2a, 5, 7-11;
Jn 17:20-26
Acts 25:13b-21; Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 1920ab; Jn 21:15-19
Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; Ps 11:4, 5, 7;
Jn 21:20-25
Vigil: Gn 11:1-9 or Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b
or Ez 37:1-14 or Jl 3:1-5; Ps 104:1-2,
24, 35, 27-30; Rom 8:22-27; Jn 7:37-39
Day: Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104:1, 24, 29-31,
34; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Rom 8:8-17;
Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26
READ & REFLECT ON THE SCRIPTURES
TWENTY-NINTH
THE
ASCENSIONSUNDAY
OF THE IN
LORD
ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER
MAY 12,
21, 2013
2012
NUESTRA COMUNIDAD HISPANA
OUR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY AT LARGE
Sepan que yo estaré con ustedes todos los días…
Solemnidad de la ASCENCIÓN DEL SEÑOR
SAFEGUARD THE CHILDREN
La necesidad de volverse a Dios. Antes de
volver al Padre (ASCENDER), Jesús recuerda a sus
amigos que el propósito último de su “encarnación,
su vida, su pasión, su muerte y resurrección”, ha sido
para recordar a todos los seres humanos “la necesidad de volverse a Dios”. Hace dos mil años era comprensible esa “necesidad” ya que la gente NO conocía como era Dios, y tampoco tenía “urgencia” de
volver a ese Dios. Tenían muchos dioses y muchos
problemas. Un dios para cada problema, un dios para
cada urgencia o acontecimiento…. Pero faltaba el
AMOR al hermano, la misericordia, la justicia y la
verdadera PAZ en los corazones. La gente vivía en
el vacio “existencial”. Exactamente como HOY, siglo veintiuno. Pero con una gran diferencia: nosotros
ya sabemos que Jesús se encarnó y dio su vida por
nosotros (pero a muchos esto parece no importarles
nada). Ellos no lo sabían. La gente de hoy tiene tantas cosas y, desgraciadamente, ninguna llena su vacío existencial. Un vacio que solo se llena con la
presencia de Dios en el corazón. Por eso el evangelio
es actual.
Permanezcan en la ciudad hasta que reciban
la fuerza de lo alto. La ciudad es Jerusalén. Es una
invitación en metáfora: “permanezcan en la paz, en
la visión de la paz”, hasta que reciban la fuerza de lo
alto. Que mientras no haya paz en el corazón, predicar no sirve de nada. Porque NO es de PALABRA
que se predica, sino con las obras del amor a los hermanos.
Ellos después de adorarlo regresaron a Jerusalén, llenos de gozo… alabando a Dios. Ver partir
al amigo, al maestro, al hermano, al que cambió sus
vidas para siempre con el SACRIFICIO DE SI MISMO, quizá fue doloroso para los discípulos. Sin embargo el Evangelio nos recuerda que esa partida los
“llenó de gozo…, y que permanecieron en el templo
alabando a Dios”. Él cumplió su tarea, hizo real y
verdadero el Reinar de Dios entre nosotros con su
amor extremo por el pobre. Es el turno ahora del
DISCÍPULO. Es tu tiempo, es mi tiempo, es nuestro
tiempo de ACTUAR: de llenar de gozo nuestras vidas por el servicio a los hermanos, como Jesús.
Cell Phones: A mixed blessing
DID YOU KNOW?
Cell phones with photographic capability are
a great blessing but they can certainly be misused as
well. Have a healthy suspicion of anyone using a
cell phone in an awkward or unusual way.
Be especially cognizant of any suspicious
cell phone use in areas where people could be in
various states of undress or where children are gathered. If you see someone using a cell phone in a way
that appears suspicious, don't be afraid to ask what
he or she is doing or to alert someone in a position
of authority about your concerns. For a copy of the
complete VIRTUS® article above “Taking A Closer
Look at Cell Phone Video Voyeurism” email: jvienna@la-archdiocese.org.
OUR CHINESE COMMUNITY
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