Ministry Fair – Last weekend, the parish had a wonderful Ministry Fair. On Saturday night, thanks to the hosting skills of Elizabeth Gamarra, we had a nice spread of cheese, crackers and wine for those who came to the fair. Each ministry in the parish had a table with balloons and a poster board showing their work. Ministries such as the Under 5 (parents with children under 5), the Knitting Group, the Welcoming Committee, Scouts, San Dimas (Detention Ministry), Liturgy, Men’s and Mother’s Club, SVDP and many others were present. There are over 30 ministries in the parish. It was an opportunity for people to discover the different ministries of the parish and also to inquire and sign up if they had the time. For example, the Knitting Group, besides being a social group, actually knit scarves for the homeless as well as make little booties for babies baptized in the parish. On Sunday morning, coffee and donuts were available after all the masses. Raffle prizes were also awarded. Anyone who stopped at a booth and inquired about a ministry received a raffle ticket. If they signed up for a ministry, they got 5 tickets. Prizes were awarded after each mass and all the raffle tickets made it into the pool for the grand prizes. I want to express my gratitude to the different ministries for donating prizes for the raffle. A great big thanks to Kimberlea McManigal for coordinating all the gifts, Gus Del Puerto for putting together a collage of pictures depicting the life of the parish, and Sr. Sharon Brannen for being the overall coordinator. She put together a Ministry Booklet, listing all the ministries, a short description of each and how to contact them. She, along with all the volunteers from the different ministries, made the weekend lively and fun.
Thank you all…
Congratulations to Bret McManigal – Bret along with his wife Kimberlea and their 2 children were welcomed into the parish last November at the parish Thanksgiving Dinner. Kimberlea has been volunteering as a co-chair of the Under 5 Ministry. Bret, a police officer at Northern Station, has been taking classes with Sr. Catherine, learning more about the Catholic faith. Last Sunday, at the 9:30am mass, we formally welcomed him as a catechumen, one who is preparing for the sacraments of initiation at Easter. On that same day in the afternoon, he and hundreds of other catechumens from different parishes across the Archdiocese, met at the cathedral with Archbishop Cordileone. They signified the seriousness of their commitment by writing their names in the Book of the Elect, which means “Chosen.” Although we choose God, but God also chooses us to be His own. So keep him in your prayers this Lent that he may grow deeper in the knowledge and love of God.
Fr. Dan
