Fr.
Michael Stechmann and Deacon Ascencion Esqueda at the Sunday evening Mass at
Cristo Rey when Elva Amargos celebrated her 101st birthday with great
enthusiasm in the church. One of our
young parishioners, who always sits with his family in the front row and sings
his heart out was silently counting with his fingers to see if he could reach
101. It was too funny to watch him. At the end of Mass, he was invited him to come forward to wish Elva a
Happy Birthday and the church erupted with loud applause and a hearty singing
of Las Mañanitas.
The holy season of Lent is 40 days of preparation for Easter. We prepare ourselves for the Paschal Mystery (the death, resurrection and ascension) of Jesus through a greater time of PRAYER, FASTING AND WORKS OF CHARITY. May these 40 days of Lent be a time of blessing for our community of Cristo Rey!
La temporada de Cuaresma es de 40 días de preparación para la Pascua. Nos preparamos para el Misterio Pascual (muerte, resurrección y Ascensión) de Jesús a través de un mayor tiempo de ORACION, AYUNO Y OBRAS DE CARIDAD. ¡Que estos 40 días de la Cuaresma sea un tiempo de bendición para nuestra comunidad de Cristo Rey!
During the month of February, Pope Francis asks Catholics everywhere to pray that those who have material, political or spiritual power may resist any lure of corruption.
Durante el mes de Febrero, el Papa Francisco pide a los católicos rezar para que aquellos que tienen un poder material, político o espiritual no se dejen dominar por la corrupción.
“Let Us Love” is theme of the Together in Mission Appeal of Archbishop Jose Gomez this year to assist parishes and schools throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Next weekend is Announcement Weekend and Father David Matz, Pastor of St. Agnes Church will be speaking at all Masses to share how your generosity has assisted his parish and school. Welcome Fr. David!
February 3-4 Announcement Weekend
February 11-12 Commitment Weekend
February 17-18 Follow-Up Weekend
IMPORTANT: If you receive a letter from Archbishop Gomez with an invitation to participate in Together in Mission, please be sure that CRISTO REY is listed as the parish name. We ask that all of our parish families give prayerful consideration for their support to Together in Mission. Remember, a pledge is payable over ten month period.
Archbishop Gomez often speaks of the generosity of Cristo Rey Church and we want to show him again that we are united with the life and mission of our Archdiocese.
“Amemos” es el tema de la Campaña Unidos en Misión del Arzobispo José Gómez para este año y asistirá a las parroquias y escuelas de toda la Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles. El próximo fin de semana es el Anuncio y el Padre David Matz, párroco de la Iglesia de Santa Inés, estará hablando en todas las Misas para compartir de como su generosidad ha asistido a su Iglesia y escuela. Bienvenido Padre David.
Febrero 3-4 Anuncio
Febrero11-12 Domingo de Compromiso
Febrero 17-18 Fin de semana de seguimiento
IMPORTANTE: Si recibe una carta del Arzobispo Gómez invitándolo a participar este año otra vez en Unidos en Misión, por favor asegúrese de que el nombre de la parroquia CRISTO REY está escrito en la forma de compromiso. Pedimos a todas las familias de la parroquia que consideren dar su apoyo a Unidos en Misión. Recuerden que el compromiso se paga en un periodo de diez meses.
El Arzobispo Gómez siempre habla de la generosidad de la Iglesia de Cristo Rey y queremos que de nuevo vea que estamos unidos con la vida y la misión de nuestra Arquidiócesis.
The boxes of Sunday envelopes are now available for the new year. You may pick them up after Mass next week. Please, remember your envelope number as they are arranged in numerical order. THIS IS YOUR REGISTRATION IN THE PARISH.
Those who DO NOT have envelopes may take a box without a name/label. For previous and new envelope users, please complete the first envelope (yellow) with your name, address, city, zip code and telephone number printed clearly and, PLEASE BE SURE TO MAKE A NOTATION ON FUTURE ENVELOPES IF YOU HAVE A CHANGE OF ADDRESS. (None of this information is ever shared with anyone).
After the beginning of the new year, you may contact the Parish Office for a statement of your donations to the church and/or to the Together in Mission Annual Appeal. These statements can be used when preparing your Income Tax. THANK YOU FOR USING ENVELOPES AND REGISTERING IN THE PARISH!
Las cajas de los sobres dominicales del año nuevo están disponibles. Pueden recoger los sobres después de Misa la próxima semana. Favor de recordar su número de sobre. Las cajas estarán puestas en orden numérico. EL NUMERO DE SOBRE ES LA REGISTRACION EN LA PARROQUIA.
Los que NO TIENEN SOBRES pueden tomar una caja que no tenga nombre/etiqueta. Todos, los que tienen sobres y los que no tienen, favor de llenar el sobre amarillo claramente con su nombre, dirección, código postal y número de teléfono. FAVOR DE INFORMAR ALGUN CAMBIO DE DIRECCION QUE OCURRA EN EL FUTURO. (Su información personal es confidencial y no se le dará a nadie.)
Después del año nuevo, pueden solicitar en la oficina el estado de cuenta de las donaciones que han dado a la Iglesia o a la campaña de Unidos en Misión. Se les recuerda que el estado de cuenta de las donaciones a la Iglesia se puede usar cuando hagan su declaración de impuestos (Taxes) GRACIAS POR USAR LOS SOBRES Y REGISTRARSE EN LA PARROQUIA.
Our Gospel today reminds us that we need to journey to the Lord in order to grow in our faith. One of the lessons of this Third Week of Advent is that if we want to meet the Lord, we must be willing to seek him and want to find him. As we continue in this Advent journey, may we be “witnesses to the light” and may our hearts and minds look to the coming of Christ.
En el Evangelio de este domingo, se nos recuerda que, si queremos llegar a la fe, debemos estar dispuestos a emprender un viaje. Una de las lecciones para esta tercera semana de Adviento es que, si queremos encontrar al Señor, tenemos que estar dispuestos a buscarlos. A medida que esta semana comenzamos las etapas finales de la preparación del Adviento, seamos “testigos de la luz” y centremos más plenamente el corazón y la mente en la venida de Cristo.
We have bi-lingual Catholic Calendars for 2018 with listings of holidays and feast days of the saints. The cost of the calendars for the parish was $2, however we would ask you to consider a donation of $1 for each calendar. Calendars are available in the Sacristy or in the office.
Tenemos calendarios católicos bilingües para el año Nuevo 2018 que incluye días festivos y días festivos de los santos. El costo de los calendarios para la parroquia fue de $2, pero le pedimos una donación de $1 por cada calendario. Los calendarios están disponibles en la Sacristía o en la oficina.
I received a wonderful
gift from my brother – a pilgrimage to Portugal, France and Spain which took
place from Oct. 17 – 26, to celebrate my 45th anniversary with the
Order of Augustinian Recollects. We were
three priests and a group of 35 pilgrims.
We arrived in Lisbon, Portugal and traveled to Fatima, where I had the
privilege to be the principal celebrant for our Mass there to begin our
pilgrimage.
It was wonderful to be there
to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to
the three young children. Afterwards we
participated in the Rosary and the candlelight procession.
We returned to Fatima the
following day and celebrated Mass with other pilgrim groups at the Chapel of
the Apparitions. We prayed in the main
basilica where Saints Jacinta and Francisco are buried along with Sister Lucia,
the third visionary.
The morning of the 20th
we visited the birth places of the children outside of Fatima as we traveled to
Coimbra. There we celebrated Mass at the
Carmelite Convent, where Sister Lucia lived until her death in 2005.
From there we left Portugal and traveled to
Santiago de Compastelo in Spain, the burial place of St. James the Apostle. The “Camino” is a very popular experience for
pilgrims.
We celebrated Mass there and
were privileged to have the “Butafumiero” at the end of the Mass. This is a very large censor (weighing about
400 pounds) that is attached to very strong rope and swings from side to side
(ceiling to ceiling) with eight men controlling the rope. The incense billowing through the air is a
sight to see. (You can see the “Butafumiero” in action in the video below.)
On the morning of the 21st
we celebrated Mass in the Chapel of Our Lady of Pilar there before leaving the
Galicia region and traveling by bus to Astorius and to the town of
Santander.
This was a free evening.About 15 of us took a nice walk and stopped
in the Casino which is a very prominent building.(I placed 5 euros in the machine and won,
much to the delight of everyone.I then
treated all of them to gelato.)
We traveled to France on
the 22nd to the village of Lourdes and joined the candlelight
procession there.
The following morning
we attended Mass at the grotto where Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette. I was invited to be one of the principal
concelebrants.
The rest of the day was
spent at our own leisure. We had the
opportunity to visit the baths with the holy water and in the afternoon it was
a wonderful experience participating in the procession of the Blessed Sacrament
with the sick in wheelchairs and on stretchers.
I was able to escort one lady with her wheelchair.
That night we returned to the basilica which
was just a few blocks from our hotel and joined the candlelight
procession. (The evening processions in
Fatima and Lourdes are very impressive and during the praying of the Rosary,
everyone raises their candles at the Glory Be and sing the Marian hymns with
such enthusiasm.) I was able to treat
myself to Quiche for lunch and Crepes for an afternoon snack.
We left France on the
morning of the 24th and traveled back to Spain with tremendous views
as we crossed the Pyrenees mountain range.
The scenery was beautiful with the mountains and the trees which were just
beginning to change colors. Our
destination was the Abbey of Montserrat, Spain.
(The road to the Abbey winds through the mountain range and the name
“Montserrat” is where we get the name for a “serrated knife” as the mountains
are so rough and jagged.)
Here, in the
abbey church is the image of Our Lady of Montserrat and this is a very popular
destination for tourists and pilgrims.
The abbey is so high in the mountains that we found ourselves above the
clouds. I was able to be the main
celebrant that evening in the abbey church under the image of Our Lady of
Montserrat.
When I arrived in my room,
there was a surprise – a chilled bottle of champagne. I inquired of the other two priests and
several pilgrims if they found a surprise in their room – they hadn’t. I was able to bring the champagne to dinner
and everyone had a chance to share and to offer a toast.
On the 25th we
went into Barcelona for Mass at the cathedral and after lunch, we visited the
Sagrada Familia Basilica which is the inspiration of Antoni Guadi – this is a
work in progress. (It would be worth
visiting www.sagradafamilia.org to learn more about its history.) It is scheduled for completion in 2026.
Whether calculated left to right or top to bottom, the numbers add up to 33, the age of Christ at the time of his death.
Sagrada Familia Basilica
We returned to the Abbey
in Montserrat for dinner and to prepare for our journey back to the United
States. We were blessed with fantastic
weather all throughout our trip and a wonderful spirit among the pilgrims. This was a trip of a lifetime!
As we approach the feast of our parish, Cristo Rey, this is a wonderful opportunity for us to prepare ourselves spiritually as members of the Kingdom of God. The novena prayers will continue each night at the 7:00pm Mass from November 17-25.
The Solemnity of Cristo Rey is Sunday November 26, and we will have the regular schedule of masses. Plan on joining us for the festival here from 8:00am until 4:00pm. There will be a variety of food booths and music.
The procession through the streets with the image of Christ the King, accompanied by the Band “Nueva Ilusión” will begin at approximately 1:30pm. This is OUR feast and the opportunity to come together as the community of Cristo Rey.
Nos estamos acercando a la celebración de la fiesta de nuestra parroquia de Cristo Rey. Esta es una gran oportunidad para prepararnos espiritualmente como miembros del Reino de Dios. La novena en honor de Cristo Rey será cada noche en la Misa de7:00pm empezando el Viernes 17 de Noviembre al Sábado 25 de Noviembre.
La Solemnidad de Cristo Rey es el Domingo 26 de Noviembre. Tendremos el horario regular de las Misas dominicales. Los esperamos a la fiesta de 8:00am a 4:00pm. Habrá variedad de comida y música.
La procesión por las calles con la imagen de Cristo Rey comenzara aproximadamente a la 1:30pm con la Banda “Nueva Ilusión”.” Esta es NUESTRA fiesta y una buena oportunidad de reunirnos como comunidad de Cristo Rey.
