The Epiphany of the Lord | January 5, 2025

Confirmation Retreat Collection

A Second Collection will take place this weekend, Jan. 4-5, for the Year I & II Confirmation Retreats. This collection helps defray the expenses involved in presenting these meaningful retreats to our Confirmation students. Envelopes are in the pews. Please make checks payable to “St. Luke Church.”

St. Luke’s Special Needs Ministry Meeting



The next meeting of the St. Luke’s Special Needs Ministry – God’s Hands – is Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 6:30-8:30 pm in Room 404. Individuals of all ages with developmental/intellectual disabilities (Down Syndrome, autism, CP and other neurological conditions) along with their families and caregivers are invited to attend. Pizza at 6:30 followed by a discussion of our hopes for 2025. To RSVP, text or call Trina at (626) 484-8289.

St. Luke Ministry of Moms Sharing (MOMS)



The Ministry of Mothers Sharing (MOMS) will host its first meeting on Saturday, Jan. 11, 10:00 am-1:00 pm in the St. Luke Upper Room. MOMS is a study/support group for women to share, learn and bond in our Catholic Christian Faith, while gaining insight into our mission as mothers, whether we are biological, step, adoptive or spiritual moms. 

Through peer ministry, self-discovery and prayer, together we will become more aware of our inner sacredness as women and as moms. Women who are not mothers are also welcome!  

We will study a book entitled, “My Book of Badass Saints” (Ave Maria Press 2015), by Maria Morera Johnson. We have used copies available for a small donation or you can purchase directly on Amazon in new or used condition. We meet once a month from January through June. Please e-mail us at stlukemoms@gmail.com for more information or register.

Parish Ministry Fair



Our Parish will host a Ministry Fair on Sunday, Jan. 12, from 7:30 am-12:30 pm in the Parish Hall. All are welcome! Come learn about our ministries and organizations and many volunteer opportunities! There will be coffee and goodies available.

Upcoming Special Masses

Misa en español

La próxima misa en español es el domingo,

5 de enero (la celebración de la Epifanía), a las 12:30pm. 

Chinese (Mandarin) Mass

Sunday, Jan. 19, at 3:00 pm

Join St. Luke Parishioners at OneLife LA on January 18!

OneLife LA is an annual event hosted by the Los Angeles Archdiocese to celebrate and honor the beauty and dignity of every human life. This year, the 11th Annual OneLife LA will take place on Saturday, Jan. 18. Join with thousands from all over Southern California to witness, in the streets of Downtown LA, that each human being is sacred from conception to natural death.

This free event will kick-off at Noon at the Mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Church of Our Lady Queen of the Angels (La Placita) on the corner of Main Street & Paseo Luis Olivares, and the one-mile Walk for Life begins at 12:30 pm. The event continues at Los Angeles State Historic Park at 1:00 pm with the OneLife LA Festival featuring inspiring speakers, live music, and food. The day concludes with a Requiem Mass for the Unborn at 5:00 pm at the Cathedral.



Visit the website https://onelifela.org/ for more information about OneLife LA. Register for free at https://onelifela.org/register-2. If you want to join others from St. Luke, please leave a message for Wendy McGrail with the Life, Justice and Peace Ministry at (626) 233-0786.

Glass Display Cases and Desk for Sale

These items from the Gift Shop are available for purchase.

Please contact the Pastoral Office at (626) 291-5900 if interested.

(Click for pictures)

Your Gifts Support Our Parish

Our thanks to the many generous individuals and families of our parish! 

These gifts benefit the parish in so many ways, including helping to meet everyday expenses for liturgy, faith formation, and operations. For your convenience, gifts may be made several ways:

Envelope Users: Offertory envelopes can be placed in collection baskets during weekend Masses, mailed to the Parish Office, or dropped in the office mailbox.

Online Donations: Click here to give electronically one-time or make a recurring gift.

May God Bless You and Your Family for Your Continued Generosity!

LIFE, JUSTICE & PEACE SPOTLIGHT

What is Catholic Social Teaching?

Happy New Year! We thought it would be helpful to begin this year with a discussion about Catholic Social Teaching since the Church’s teaching on issues of justice, fairness, and human dignity is central to our lives as Catholics and one of the Church’s great gifts to the whole world.

Catholic Social Teaching is not new. It has its roots in the Hebrew prophets who announced God’s special love for the poor and called God’s people to a covenant of love and justice. It is a basic teaching of Jesus, who came to “bring glad tidings to the poor…liberty to the captives….recovery of sight to the blind.” (Luke 4:18). Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:40, “Whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers of mine, you did for me.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren (1397).

St. John Paul II summarized Catholic social teaching by saying that the foundation of social justice “rests on the threefold cornerstone of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity.” Catholic social teaching starts with one person, expands to the community, and then embraces the whole world. Let’s look at this in more detail:

1. The dignity of the human person: Life matters! We must respect, embrace, cherish and fight for it…from conception to natural death. The US Catholic bishops tell us “We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.”
2. The family and the community: Again, from the US bishops: “The person is not only sacred, but also social. How we organize our society -- in economics and politics, in law and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.”
3. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable: A basic moral test is how the most vulnerable members of our communities are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
4. Solidarity: The US bishops say, “We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. Solidarity goes beyond just helping others.” Pope Francis explains, “It is a matter of justice,” which requires us to care about the conditions under which many people are forced to live.

The tenets of Catholic Social Teaching are not optional. They are woven into the Gospels, into Christ’s teachings and into the very fabric of our faith. They ultimately come down to one word, LOVE.

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God.

We love because He first loved us.

This is the commandment we have from Him:

whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 4:7, 19, 21

St. Luke Life, Justice and Peace Ministry’s purpose and mission is to educate and promote awareness among our parishioners about our Catholic social teaching, life and justice topics, and to provide our parish with opportunities for service and advocacy related to Acts of Mercy. Issues we address include respect for life from conception to natural death; human trafficking; poverty and homelessness; Fair Trade; restorative justice; immigration; and other topics related to the dignity of the human person. 

St. Luke Life, Justice and Peace Ministry welcomes new members! The Ministry meets bi-monthly, typically by Zoom, on the first Tuesday of the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November. To attend a meeting, assist at our events, contribute to our bulletin column, or to get more information about what we do or how you can help, please leave a message for Wendy McGrail at (626) 233-0786.

~St. Luke Life, Justice and Peace Ministry

Saints and Observances

Week of January 5, 2025

Sunday

The Epiphany of the Lord

Monday

St. André Bessette, Religious

Tuesday

St. Raymond of Penyafort, Priest

Next Sunday

The Baptism of the Lord

Daily Readings

Parish Mission Statement

St. Luke the Evangelist Parish is a Roman Catholic Community

dedicated to carrying out the Gospel message of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Our mission is to - welcome, evangelize and educate;

provide spiritual nourishment; promote Christian values;

foster peace and justice; encourage service to others.

Pastoral Office

5605 Cloverly Ave., Temple City, CA 91780

Monday-Friday: 8:30 am-4:30 pm (Closed Noon-1:00 pm)

(626) 291-5900 |(626) 287-2332 (FAX) | www.stluketemplecity.org