St. Thomas Aquinas Church Iglesia Católica Romana 1501 South Atlantic Boulevard Monterey Park, California 91754 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time January 14, 2018 When Friends Gather for Tea! Hold the date Sunday, February 25th Dear Friends: You are all invited to come and enjoy a fun afternoon of pampering, friendship, and tea on Sunday, February 25th from 1 PM to 4 PM. We ll have a scrumptious lunch, delicious teas and fantastic desserts. We are looking to hire some good looking waiters to help us pamper our guests. We won t work you too hard, but we d like one gentleman per table and we only have 18 tables to sell. That means we need 18 volunteers!! So ladies, if your gents would like to help, please let us know! It will be a fun occasion! In addition we are soliciting monetary donations and gift cards to defer cost of our Tea Party. Please contact Mary Ann Tretter at (323) 627-1273 or matret2@att.net. We appreciate all donations. Tickets sales will start later this month, additional details will be forthcoming. We have a limited amount of tickets, buy early you will not want to miss this afternoon When Friends Gather for Tea, our last Tea Party was a sell-out! Thank you for always supporting our Church events. Without you, it just won t happen! Stay blessed, Tea Party Committee
2018 Fund Raisers Our Fund Raising committee s goal is to build fellowship, have a great time and raise funds. Details will be provided closer to each event date. We hope to see you at our fund raisers! Following is the tentative schedule of 2018 fund raiser events: Date Feb. 9 th Feb. 25 th April 15th July Sept. 16th October TBD October 27 th November 4th Event Casino Night (School Sponsored) Tea Party Parish B-B-Q Fireworks Stand Fall Festival Chinese Dinner Harvest Festival (School Sponsored) Holiday Boutique 2017 Tax Donation Statements You may obtain your 2017 tax donation statement by completing an application which can be found in the parish office and at our church entrances. Return your completed application to the parish office or collection baskets. Statements will be processed after January 8th. Please allow 7-10 working days to have your statement completed. Thank you for your continued financial support, it is truly appreciated! Parish Office Closure Monday, January 15, 2018 Our church and parish office will be closed Monday, January 15, 2018 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr s Birthday, a federal holiday honoring Dr. King for his nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement. From the Desk of Our Pastor A New Day, A Journey from Grief to Healing Dear Parishioners, In the past year some of our parishioners have passed away. This loss can be a very personal journey, yet it does not end with the funeral services. St. Thomas Aquinas church is providing an opportunity to continue the journey with anyone who has experienced such a personal loss. It might have been recent or in the distant past. The pain of loss is always there. If you have experienced a loss of a loved one, you are invited to come and join in the journey from grief to healing. Tim Gust, PhD, a licensed psychologist and author on the topic of moving forward after a loss, will be one of the facilitators. We will have six sessions starting on Saturday, January 20 th in the school in classroom 4. Sessions will start at 9 AM and end at 11 AM. Our sessions will take place on: January 20th January 27th February 3rd February 10th February 17th February 24th Fr. John Seniors Gathering Wednesday, January 17 10:30 AM - Parish Hall Come and join us for our monthly gathering on Wednesday, January 17,2018 in the parish hall at 10:30 am. We will have a wonderful speaker, Kandis Canzano, from the Monterey Park Police Department. She will talk about Earthquake Preparedness. After the talk, we will have a few games of bingo with wonderful prizes, followed by a free lunch. Hope to see you there.
Join LA s Walk for Life! One Life LA 12 noon Saturday, January 20,2018 Location: beginning at La Placita/Olvera St. ending at LA Historic Park All are invited to an event celebrating the beauty and dignity of human life on January 20, 2018. There will be speakers, food and entertainment! The event ends at 4:00 PM, and all are invited to continue celebrating life at the Requiem Mass for the Unborn at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angeles at 5:00 PM. Merciful Companion Presentation By Sharon St. Pierre Friday, January 26th 6 PM Church Shame, guilt, lack of forgiveness and sorrow are some of the feelings after a pregnancy loss. Come learn about ways to help those who grief silently, if any, to provide a listening ear and offer a referral. Join us on Friday, January 26th at 6 PM in the church to learn about disenfranchised grief and how to offer support to those who are in need of healing. Learn what you can say and not say as well as receive the resources to give out. Help spread the word of compassion and love to those who hurt in silence, who may feel unforgiven, lost, empty. For questions call Sharon at (714) 743-5834. Winter Church Hours For safety and security reasons, our church will be opened Monday Friday, 8:00 AM Dusk. Those wishing to meditate or individual devotion may use the outside Our Lady of Guadalupe or Divine Mercy Shrines. SCHOOL NEWS Catholic Schools Week Since 1974, National Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week, which in 2018 is January 28 - February 3. The theme for the National Catholic Schools Week 2018 is Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service. Schools typically observe the annual celebration week with Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. Through these events, schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation. Did you know... Catholic education provides all students with top quality education Catholic schools in the Archdiocese have a graduation rate of 98% College acceptance rates are much higher than the average school throughout the state Open House Friday, February 2, 2018 Come take a tour of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School during our Open House event which is taking place on Friday, February 2, 2018 from 6:30 PM until 8 PM. Our home will be open to the public and our school families to take a tour of the classrooms, meet our teachers, and view the work of our students. We welcome everyone to come see what makes STA School a place of family, friendship, and faith. Hope to see you there! Dr. Gloria Castillo, Principal
READ & REFLECT ON THE SCRIPTURES JANUARY 14 JANUARY 21 Sunday: 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19; Ps40: 2, 4, 7-10; 1 Cor 6: 13cl 5a, 17-20; Jn 1:35-42 Monday: 1 Sm 15:16-23; Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23; Mk 2:18-22 Tuesday: 1 Sm 16:1-13; Ps 89:20-22, 27-28; Mk 2:23-28 Wednesday: 1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51; Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10; Thursday: Mk 3:1-6 1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7; Ps 56:2-3, 9-13; Mk 3:7-12 Friday: 1 Sm 24:3-21; Ps 57:2-4, 6, 11; Mk 3:13-19 Saturday: 2 Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27; Ps 80:2-3, 5-7; Mk 3:20-21 Sunday: Jon 3:1-5, 10; Ps 25:4-9; 1 Cor 7:29-31; Mk 1:14-20 KEEP IN PRAYER Bertha Acuna Esther Aguilar Rafael Aguirre Oscar Alberto Anthony Arroyo Fred Bracco Jose Calderon Flor Cantara Dorothea Canzano Rita Cardenas Elvira Chaidez George Chale Leroy Chavez Soya Chavez Rosario Delas Cynthia Espinosa Auggie Esquer Debby Ferguson Barbara Frumento Taylor Gallardo Guadalupe Galvez David Garcia Tristan Garcia Maria Gaytan Nico Gaytan Jean Genera Jaime Germain Eric Giambalvo Eliseo Gonzalez Elizabeth Gonzalez Sal Gonzalez Jr. Emma Gonzalez Ellie Govea Henry Guerrero Aurora Guillen Carmen Gutierrez Vivian Hamilton Maria Ibarra Peggy Jasso Richard Jerome MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2018 5:30 PM In thanksgiving to the Berumen Family In memory of Damien Cavallaro by Rachel Ramos SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2018 8:00 AM In memory of Alice Gust by Tim Gust In memory of Jessie Sais by Laura Stevens 11:30 AM In memory of Margaret Mena by Mena Fam. In memory of Becky Lim & William Young by Sofie Sim In memory of Franciso, Rosario, & Josefina Flores by Gonzalez Fam. 1:30 PM In memory of Juan Antonio Guerrero by Mara Guerrero In memory of Luisa Casillas by Rosaura Ocegueda TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018 8:00 AM In memory of Dien Huynh THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018 8:00 AM In memory of Dien Huynh FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2018 7:00 PM In memory of Dien Huynh SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018 8:00 AM For all STA Parishioners 5:30 PM In memory of Dien Huynh In memory of Jesus Tesoro by Lourdes Sakazki Sunday, January 14th 9 AM FHC CL1,3,5 10 AM-RCIA-Dining Rm 11 AM-Chn. Choir-Dining Rm. 11 AM Ch Bible Study-CL3 11 AM-Chn FHC All CLs 11 AM RCIA Hall Mtg Rm. 4 PM Fantasy Folk Dance Hall Monday, January 15th 7 PM RCIA Hall Mtg Rm. Wednesday, January 17th 10:30 AM Seniors Gathering Parish Hall 7 PM Bible Study Church 7 PM-Youth Legion of Mary- Copy Rm. 7 PM-Folk Dance-Hall WEEKLY SCHEDULE Thursday, January 18th 7 PM RCIA Dining Rm. 7:30 PM Cursillo Mtg Copy Rm. Friday, January 19th 8 AM School Workshop-Hall 10 AM Funeral Mass Church 5:30 PM-Girl Scouts-Hall 7:30 PM St. Teresa Family Group Dining Rm. 7:30 PM Family Fellowship Hall Mtg Rm. Saturday, January 13th 9 AM Bereavement-CL4 9 AM Cantonese Legion of Mary-Copy rm. 9 AM Baby Shower Hall 9:45 AM-Mandarin Legion of Mary Dining rm
SAFEGUARD THE CHILDREN DID YOU KNOW? Ask kids open-ended questions Communication is key for making sure you are up to date with your kids lives, especially as they grow older and you can t be with them every step of the way. One way to keep communication strong is to ask your kids open-ended questions. Kids may not spontaneously tell you things that would be important for you to know, so you have to consider how to phrase questions that draw them in and allow them to share their thoughts and experiences. When you do ask open-ended questions, make sure you are patient in waiting for the answers. For a copy of the complete VIRTUS article visit http://www.la-archdiocese.org/org/protecting/ Pages/VIRTUS-Current-Online-Articles.aspx. Parish Information Parish Office: (323) 264-4447 Chinese Ministry Office: (323) 264-4448 General Email: sta91754@gmail.com Parish Website: STAMPK.ORG Fax: (323) 264-2524 Hall Rental: (323) 264-4447 ext. 102 Parish Staff Fr. John Kyebasuuta Pastor stapastor@gmail.com Ext. 108 Fr. Peter Wei Cao Associate Pastor sta.assocpastor@gmail.com Ext. 106 Lorraine Melendez General Manager stamanager1@gmail.com Ext. 103 Linda Almaguer Parish Secretary sta91754@gmail.com Ext. 102 Sherry Hsu Chinese Ministry Staff stachinese@gmail.com Ext. 104 IN GRATITUDE TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED OUR PARISH with your contributions on: January 6th/7th: $7,778.50 Faith Direct-Online Giving Link: membership.faithdirect.net/ca779 Mass Schedule Saturday Vigil 5:30 PM (English) Sunday 8:00 AM (English) 9:30 AM (Chinese) 11:30 AM (English) Monday 1:30 PM 7:00 PM (Spanish) (Chinese) Tuesday 8:00 AM (English) Wednesday 8:00 AM (Chinese) Thursday 8:00 AM (English) Friday 8:00 AM (English) **1st Friday ONLY 7:00 PM** Saturday 8:00 AM (English) Reconciliation Saturday at 4:00 PM Jessie Wang Chinese Ministry Staff stachinese@gmail.com Ext. 105 Safeguard The Children Carmen Austria 626-993-4933 School Information School Office: (323) 261-6583 Gloria Castillo Principal Email: principal@stampkschool.org General Email: info@stampkschool.org Website: stampkschool.org Religious Education Information Office: (323) 264-1338 Sr. Rocio Nieto DRE Email: stareligioused@gmail.com