Pastor's letter for this week
May 3, 2024
Dear Parishioners of St. Andrew,
I hope you are all doing well and staying strong! I hope you all enjoyed the concert last Friday of the “Little Singers of Lyon” France. It was truly beautiful and inspiring.
Our next concert will take place on Saturday, May 18th at 7:30 p.m. by our very own Pueri Cantores of San Gabriel Valley. Their program for the last concert of this school year will be “Brief Can be Beautiful” featuring two Missa Brevis settings. One by W.A. Mozart and the other by Sir Benjamin Britten. Mozart’s Missa Brevis is one of my favorites as I learned to sing it while in my first year in the seminary a long time ago. Fr. Ted Ley was our professor at the time. I hope you make it for this beautiful concert. Information on our website: www.standrewpasadena.org
Last night I had the joy of hosting our School Principal and teachers for dinner at the rectory. This was my practice in my previous parish, and hoped to start it here also but with all the madness of the Covid shut down, I was finally able to get to it this year. It was a most enjoyable evening and allows me to let them know how grateful we are for their service. We have an excellent teaching staff!
Yesterday our 2nd graders also had their retreat day in the Pastoral Center in preparation for their First Communion on Saturday. They had the opportunity to go to confession once again and greatly enjoyed their day. They are very excited about their First Communion tomorrow.
Next Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension. I still get the occasional question about “Ascension Thursday” which is the traditional day for it. However, the Bishops in the western part of the United States moved it to Sunday in 1998.
Finally, we’re also getting ready for the exciting visit of the relics of St. Jude Thaddeus. They are currently in the Diocese of Orange and will enter the Archdiocese of Los Angeles next week. So far, the crowds have been huge. More information below.
Here’s the rest of the news from the parish:
MOTHERS’ DAY – Sunday, May 12th is Mothers’ Day. There will be a special blessing for all mothers at the end of each Mass. A wonderful gift for your mother (or grandmother or Godmother or sister, etc.) would be a remembrance in our annual Novena of Masses. The novena begins on the Monday after Mothers' Day. The cards are available at the Pastoral Center and at the church gift shop.
MONTH OF MARY – The month of May is traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. During this month we will have the traditional “Crowning of Mary” by our School and Religious Education children. The May Crowning by the children of our Religious Education Program will take place on Monday, May 6th at 7:15 p.m. followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
The St. Andrew School May Crowning will take place on May 13th Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, at 10:30 a.m. followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Everyone is invited to either or both of these beautiful celebrations. I encourage you this coming month specially to pray the Rosary which is the most wonderful of Marian devotions.
OPEN ENROLLMENT – This is also the time of year in which our Parish School holds open enrollment for new students. St. Andrew School provides the finest Catholic education in our community. If you are interested in enrolling your child, please stop by the school office as soon as possible as spaces are limited.
RELICS OF ST. JUDE COMING THIS FRIDAY, MAY 10TH - Our parish is honored to have been chosen to host the relics of the Apostle St. Jude this month. From September 2023 to May 2024, the arm of Saint Jude Thaddeus, venerated in Rome from ancient times, will be on pilgrimage in the United States, making stops in 100 cities.
One of the Church’s most beloved saints, Saint Jude is the one to whom people turn when they are desperate and have tried everything else. When things seem lost or unbearable—when they seem hopeless—Saint Jude is the one to whom people often turn.
Come and experience his transformative presence. Come and see what he has for you. The schedule is as follows:
Friday, May 10, 2024 – Relics are exposed beginning at 2:00 p.m. and continue all afternoon. Solemn Mass will take place at 6:30 p.m. which includes a homily on St. Jude. Veneration of the relics then continues until 10:00 p.m.
FIRST COMMUNIONS – Tomorrow the 2nd graders from our Parish School will receive their First Holy Communion. On Saturday, May 11th the children from our Religious Education Program will celebrate their First Holy Communion at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Everyone is invited to join in this celebration.
CARDINAL MC INTYRE FUND FOR CHARITY – This Sunday, throughout the Archdiocese, a special collection is taken up for this charitable fund. This charity is unique to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It was established many years ago by the late Cardinal James Francis Mc Intyre to assist parishes in meeting the emergency needs of parishioners. The funds from this charity assist in emergency shelter, medicine, utilities, rent, etc. Each parish is allotted $5,000 per year for a variety of emergency charitable needs. Our parish uses these funds regularly to assist in emergencies. Thank you for your generosity to this fund.
In Christ and St. Andrew,
Father Gonzalez
HOW TO RECITE THE HOLY ROSARY
PROCEDURE FOR THE RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION