All Active Older Adults are invited to our Annual St. Paddy’s Day lunch on Friday, March 12th, 2010. We will gather at church at 11:30 for a Penance Service followed by “traditional Irish fare” at Noon in the parish hall. Please call Bridie at by 310-488-4807 to reserve your spot. For more information,
please call the parish office.

We have a new section on our website, dedicated to the Friary Remodel! Did you know that the home where our Franciscan Friars live used to be their offices and living quarters? It also only used to house 4 Friars comfortably. However, for the past 8 years, there have been 5 Friars living in the home (two are assigned as Chaplain at Providence Little Company of Mary and another as an Associate at St. Lawrence in Redondo Beach). Because the house was never "updated" since the late 50's, one of our Friars lives in a converted former-office.

Please check out how the remodel is progressing by viewing the photos, graciously taken by our own Parishioners, Joe Carson and Ron Alpine. You can find them by either going to the "Friary Remodel" section and clicking on the "Remodel Photos" or by clicking on "Photo Gallery" > "Friary Remodel"

Also, through gracious donations, we are nearing our goal for this building fund. We still need your help! Please consider making this dream a reality by contributing to the Friary Remodel Building Fund. You can conveniently do so online (using your credit card via Paypal) or through ParishPay. If you prefer to give via the traditional methods, please mark your check "Friary Remodel Building Fund" and mail it to the Parish Office or drop it off during any Sunday mass. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Fasting means that a person eats only one full meal per day. The obligation to fast applies to people in good health aged eighteen through fifty-eight. The obligation ends on the fifty-ninth birthday.

Abstinence means that a person does not eat meat. The obligation to abstain begins at age fourteen. In the United States, Catholics are obligated to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. We abstain from meat on all Fridays of Lent as well as Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Do you remember Fiesta 2009? It was a HUGE success, and we all had a great time, but….do you remember Fr. Ray running around on the weekend of Fiesta trying to sell remaining 700 Club Tickets? Well, that is not going to happen this year. Let’s all get our numbers now!!!! Applications are available at the back of the church or in the parish office. There is also an explanation on the back of the application on how 700 Club works. This year’s Fiesta is April 30, May 1, & 2. That gives us exactly 3 months to sell all of the tickets. WE CAN DO IT!!!!! Call Jodi at the parish office for questions or if you would like an application form mailed to you.

The Archdiocese mandates that all people who work with children and youth in our parishes and schools must undergo child abuse prevention training through the VIRTUS program. The training details five steps to prevent child sexual abuse. 1) Know the warning signs of an inappropriate relationship with a child. 2) Control access to children by carefully selecting the adults who work with children and youth. 3) Monitor all programs for the safety of children and youth. 4) Be aware of and sensitive to what is going on in the lives of children. 5) Communicate concerns to the appropriate person in authority. For more information, please call the Archdiocesan Safeguard the Children Office at (213) 637-7227.

Come share a quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and enjoy the peace that Jesus gives to all who come to Him. Join us every Tuesday from 4-7PM in the chapel of the Church.

Through the sacraments Jesus continues to feed us, forgive us and heal us just as he did the people in Gospel times. Jesus continues to reach out and touch people, just as he reached out and touched them when he walked the dusty road of Galilee. Just as Jesus acted through the earthly actions of his physical body in Gospel times, so he acts in our times through the sacramental actions of his mystical body, the Church. This past
year our parish community grew in wonderful ways as a result of the celebrations of our sacraments. In 2009, we celebrated:

115 Baptisms
86 1st Communions
63 Confirmations
14 Weddings

“You are mine do not be afraid, I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me, I will bring you home: I love you and you are mine.” Within these words we are reminded of the 21 who died, and of the promise Jesus gave us of eternal life, brought to be with God. We  would at this time like to officially welcome 137 families who have joined the community of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2009. May God continue to bless us as we prepare to see Jesus’ continuing presence in us in the year 2010!