Flowers, flowers and more flowers… In anticipation of Easter Sunday we are once again looking for your help with donations of SPRING FLOWERS; please bring your 6” (minimum) potted lilies, hydrangeas, tulips or bright SPRING flowers to the kitchen anytime this week so they will be available to help welcome the Resurrection.
Attention Parents: A reminder, as is our custom, there will be no Good Shepherd program offered during the Holy Saturday Vigil or Easter Sunday Masses next weekend. Please plan accordingly.
April 21 Holy Thursday, Triduum begins, 7:00 p.m., Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Altar of Repose in Meeting Rooms 3 & 4 until Midnight.
April 22 Good Friday Prayer Breakfast at 7:00 a.m. (previous reservations required)
Triduum continues with Good Friday Liturgy with veneration of the Cross, 7:00 p.m.
April 23 Triduum continues with Easter Vigil at 7:00 p.m., reception of catechumens and candidates into the Church through Baptism or Profession of Faith (please note….NO 5:00 p.m. Mass.)
April 24 EASTER SUNDAY –REGULAR SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE, 8, 10 and 12 Noon, Masses INDOORS in the GRAND Hall. With overflow seating outdoors…dress accordingly. Special extra parking ON THE STREET has been arranged for EASTER SUNDAY ONLY. Please cross the street only at the lights.
LAST CALL….RSVP by THIS TUESDAY!!!
The Twelfth Annual South Orange County Good Friday Prayer Breakfast April 22, 2011 $55 per person
‘Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies…’ Most Reverend Gordon D. Bennett, S.J,
A reference to our painful encounters with the Cross of Jesus, this year’s theme: ‘Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies…’, speaks to how we reap our deepest, if not at times conflicted, encounters with the grace of Jesus through the shedding of our external impediments. The morning will feature The Most Reverend Gordon D. Bennett, S.J., Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica. A successful and happy school administrator, ‘Father’ Bennett’s elevation to Bishop thrust him into the cauldron of ecclesiastical politics and racial sensitivities within the Catholic Church. Following his assignment to the impoverished Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica, he suffered a stroke, and within his recovery came to the painful awareness and appreciation of the cross of Jesus being present within the very things we love, in his case, the inner workings of the Church itself. Bishop’s Bennett’s words and reflections on Good Friday morning will speak to many who likewise experience the painful cross of Jesus within their own entwined lives. Bishop Bennett will guide us to
perceive the grace of God within the painful circumstances that are part and parcel of the very things that frequently define our individual lives.
As is true with Christmas, next weekend will be filled with VAST numbers of our Roman Catholic family members flocking to share and be nourished by our celebration of Easter. Between indoor and outdoor seating we will have 1400 chairs set-up…but even with so many chairs, space will still be at a premium. Please plan accordingly. If you are accustomed to arriving right on time (or late) for Mass, chances are high that you won’t even be able to park your car in our lots or on a nearby street…much less be seated indoors! Rather than get yourselves all in a bundle on Easter morning, plan to come early and settle in comfortably and get to know those assembled near you. Let’s remember, to welcome those who are new amongst us…and please help to remind those who forget that we are not a theater…to leave their food and drink outside. While there is no Good Shepherd childcare for Easter weekend, the cry room will be fully available…and newcomers might not know of its presence or purpose. Above all, even with the crowds, remember…it is Easter Sunday…and Jesus is alive…and HE LIVES IN YOU! FKB
Our SPRING Sacramental Prep Session approaches…
A reminder, our parish policy is that any family seeking the Sacrament of Baptism, First Reconciliation or First Eucharist, Marriage, needs to have been a REGISTERED PARISHIONER for a minimum of THREE MONTHS prior to the setting of any Sacramental dates. (Thus, someone registering today, may call in three months to begin the process of scheduling a date….not register and schedule at the same time.)
Our next Sacramental Preparation Session for families of children desiring First Reconciliation and First Eucharist here at Corpus Christi is scheduled for Saturday, May 14th at 2:30 p.m., concluding with the 5:00 p.m. Mass. Please note that participation at one of our quarterly Sacramental Prep Sessions prior to scheduling a First Reconciliation and First Eucharist is a parish requirement. You will receive your Sacramental Registration Form at the conclusion of the session. This policy is binding for ALL families, both those who have multiple children (who may have already received one or more First Eucharists, fresh attendance at the Sacramental Prep for each child is necessary) and for those approaching the Sacraments for the first time. To ensure adequate supplies, please call Ali Gaby at (949) 389-9209.
It is important to note that these Sacramental Preparation Sessions augment but DO NOT replace our parish policy of parents teaching their own children the essentials of our faith and introducing their own children to the person of Jesus Christ. These Prep Sessions are final steps to ensure that parental education has indeed been happening.
Are you presently CIVILLY married but have never had your marriage blessed by the Catholic Church? Then perhaps our Late-Spring Marriage Blessing Event on Sunday, June 19h is for you!? In order to participate, the following requirements need to be understood:
1. Both persons have NEVER been married before (this is a first marriage for both) and at least one spouse needs to be Roman Catholic.
2. If one or both persons have been married previously (in any manner or capacity) the prior marriage(s) need to have ALREADY been annulled by the Roman Catholic Church (or the previous spouse is deceased.)
3. The couple needs to be already REGISTERED and participating within Corpus Christi as of March 1st , 2011. (Sorry, this is not available for extended family or friends who are not already REGISTERED Corpus Christi parishioners.)
4. Both spouses need to attend a preparation meeting on Sunday, May 1st at 2:00 p.m. in the Grand Hall. This is an adult-only meeting, please arrange to leave all infants, toddlers and children with sitters.
All necessary paperwork will be explained at the May 1st meeting, no documents need to be brought with you at that time. Please call our Front Office Receptionist, Susie Hays, at 389-9008 to confirm your eligibility and RSVP.
Adult Confirmation for those ALREADY 18 and Registered at Corpus Christi…
Are you an Adult (over 18) who is a Baptized Catholic and who has received your First Reconciliation and First
Eucharist…BUT….have never received the Sacrament of CONFIRMATION? Well,
the VIGIL OF PENTECOST is coming (June 11th to be exact), and on that occasion, Bishop Tod authorizes parishes to offer the Sacrament of Confirmation to ADULTS who are our own parishioners. So, if you are a REGISTERED ADULT, 18+ here in
Corpus Christi (sorry, no outside family or friends who are not already registered and participating here at Corpus Christi) as of March 1, 2011, and would like to be CONFIRMED on Saturday, June 11 …please contact Susan Hays at 389-9008 for information and to confirm eligibility. (P.S. We will eventually need a copy of your Baptismal Certificate and a copy of Your First Communion Certificate so you may want to start scrounging around for them.)
On Good Friday, the collection that is accepted goes to support the places of special spiritual merit in the Holy Land. This is a collection that is taken up throughout the entire world, all the parish’s Good Friday collections are sent to the Holy Land. Your generosity and kindness in preserving our ‘historical roots’ is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Food collection for South County Outreach….
It was two years ago in Holy Week that our parish officially designated the LAST WEEKEND of EACH MONTH as ‘Feed Our Family Weekend’, with the collection of non-perishable food items being donated to South County Outreach Food Bank. Faithfully and generously YOU have kept food on the table for thousands of our fellow-south-countians who rely on our generosity. THANK YOU! Aptly, the tradition continues next weekend, EASTER Weekend, April 23-24, please remember to bring your non-perishable food items and place them in the hamper…which may be hidden amongst the 700 folding chairs set-up outside!
So that you can start reading now….our Corpus Christi Book Club welcomes you! Join us on Monday, May 2, 7:00, Meeting Room 4, to discuss The Devil and the White City by Erik Larson.
‘La Cena’ (Lah…Chain…Ahhhh) is coming back!!!
Last year’s Summertime mega-hit, ‘La Cena’ is coming on Saturday, July 16th and again on Saturday, August 6h. Each evening will commence following the 5:00 p.m. Mass. Pre-paid advance reservations will be required but in a nod to everyone’s tightened budgets the tiered pricing for each evening will again be only $25 per adult (15 and up), $15 for children (10-14) and only $10 for wee-ones (2-10), infants under 2 are free. This being a fund-raiser we are of course looking for whatever donations of food, beverage or supplies we can obtain that will cut down on our initial costs. If you know of any generous suppliers of quality sausage, pasta, bread, salad fixings or good vino…please make contact with either Lisa Aguirre (lisa-a@cox.net) or Georgina Yacap (gyacap@cox.net.) Thanks….or as they might say in Italy…. Ringraziarla molto!
We are again grateful for the generosity of Modern Tree Service who responds to our call for palm fronds for this weekend’s Palm Sunday blessings.. They not only offer them to us free of charge, they call back to make sure we have enough. With Spring gardening chores upon us, if you find yourself in need of any trimming or tree repairs, please consider giving a call to Jim Klinger at Modern Tree Service at 494-7273. Let them know that Corpus Christi recommended you!
Help your Community, help support two great causes, get some community service hours, and spend a day or two in a high-energy very fun filled environment with athletes, family members, supporters, and volunteers at the City of Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon. Renegade Racing is producing this event on Monday, May 30, 2011. It’s a Half Marathon, 5K and Kids Run benefiting two great causes: South County Outreach and the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, of the 1st Marine Division (DARKHORSE) described below. We are reaching out to schools and groups who might be interested in volunteering for the event on race day, as well as for the Registration & Packet Pick-up on Saturday 5/28 and Sunday 5/29. Call the City of Laguna Hills for more information.
