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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time | Sept. 1, 2024

NEWS & UPDATES

St. Luke Special Needs Ministry Meeting


The St. Luke Special Needs Ministry, God’s Hands, will next meet on Wednesday, Sept. 4, in Room 404. Individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities (autism, Down’s Syndrome, CP and other neurological conditions) of all ages, along with their families, are invited to attend. We are here to support each other! 


We will have a potluck at 6:30 pm (optional). Prayer and a lesson about angels will begin at 7:30 pm. For more information or to RSVP, call or text Trina at (626) 484-8289.

New Bereavement Sessions to Begin 


St. Luke Church will be offering an eight-week Bereavement Support Program for those who have lost someone dear. The program is non-threatening, caring and very loving toward those who have suffered a loss and open to all faiths. The two-hour sessions will begin on Thursday, Sept. 5, and continue through Oct. 24.


Sessions will begin at 7:00 pm in the Parish Resource Center (located in the Rectory). The only cost involved is $15.00 for the workbook. (Financial help is available for those who cannot afford the workbook). Please call the Pastoral Office at (626) 291-5900 for additional information.

First Friday Mass & Adoration



First Friday Mass on Sept. 6 will be held at 9:00 am and 7:00 pm. All are welcome. Adoration will be held 9:00 am-Noon in the Chapel in the Pastoral Office (Closed Noon-1:00 pm). The chapel is also open 1:00-4:15 pm. Flowers on the Chapel Altar for the month of September have been donated by The Griselda Garcia Family. 

Senior Citizen Bingo & Potluck

 

The next Senior Citizen Bingo & Potluck is Monday, Sept. 9, at Noon in the Parish Hall. Cards are $3 each or 2 for $5, and they are good for the afternoon. Bingo games will follow lunch. There will also be a 50/50 Raffle. All are welcome! Questions? Contact Joan Sutton at (626) 824-2105.


Dine Out and Support St. Luke Catholic School!


Dine out at Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ in Montebello on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Bring this flier with you!


Upcoming VIRTUS Classes


A Keeping the Promise Alive (Recertification) VIRTUS class will be held Tuesday, Sept. 10, 7:00-8:30 pm in the Main Hall. A Protecting God’s Children VIRTUS class (initial training) will be offered Saturday, Sept. 21, 9:00 am-Noon in the Parish Hall. Please call the Pastoral Office to register. (The recertification class is for those who have taken the VIRTUS class in the last 4 years and need to recertify.)

Join St. Luke, SVdP Conference for the ‘Friends of the Poor’ Walk


Join the members of the St. Luke Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society for the Friends of the Poor Walk on Saturday, Sept. 14, at St. Frances of Rome Church in Azusa. Mass will take place at 8:00 am and the Walk will be held 9:00-10:00 am. If you would like to walk with us, please contact Angelica Fernandez at (626) 773-0727. 


All funds collected from St. Luke go directly to assist our Neighbors in Need through our SVdP Conference. Please consider a donation whether you join us in the walk or not. Donations can be made to St. Luke, SVdP Conference and can be sent to the Pastoral Office. Write in the check memo: Friends of the Poor Walk. St. Frances of Rome is located at 506 N. Saldano Ave., Azusa.


Youth Ministry Olympics Social Night


All high school students are welcome to attend

St. Luke Youth Ministry’s Olympics Social Night on 

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 6:30-7:30 pm in the Upper Room. 

Join us for fun and fellowship!


Lightshine Choir to Resume – New Members Welcome!


Greetings in Christ! We are excited once again to announce that our Lightshine Choir, that sings at our 10:30 am Mass on Sundays, will resume on Sunday, Sept. 29, with the first rehearsal on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 7:00-8:30 pm in the choir loft.

 

For those who have sang in the choir in the past, of course, you are welcome and encouraged to join us as we begin a new season of fellowship, shared love of Christ, and a mission to pray the Mass through singing.

 

There may be those who have never been in this (or any) choir but have been interested in possibly becoming a choir member. We would love to have you come to an information meeting on Sunday, Sept. 22, at noon in the choir loft so that we can share with you what is involved and expected from choir members. Current choir members are encouraged to join that conversation as well. You can also speak to me after the 10:30 AM Mass on Sunday if you prefer. We hope you will join us and look forward to meaningful, fun, and musical experiences together! -Frederick Johnson, Lightshine Choir Director and Organist

RCIA Classes to Begin

For New Members of the Catholic Faith


St. Luke Parish welcomes new members into the Catholic Church as well as those who need to complete their Initiation Sacraments. This is done through a process of education, faith sharing, and rituals known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). 


This process includes several Rites which take place within the context of the Mass. Gatherings are provided to encourage conversion and an awakening of faith as we study the Gospel in light of Catholic tradition and dogma. Please note that these meetings are held on weekday evenings to accommodate those who may be attending school or working during the day.


The RCIA team will be holding an Information Evening on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 7:00 pm in the Parish Resource Center. Please join us if you or someone you know has considered being baptized or completing their sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation and is 16 years of age or older. If this time is not convenient for you, please call the Pastoral Office at (626) 291-5900 and we will arrange to meet with you at a more convenient time. 


We look forward to meeting with you, answering any questions you may have regarding the Adult Sacramental process, and taking this faith walk together!


Upcoming Special Masses


Mass in Chinese  

The next Chinese (Mandarin) Mass will be this Sunday, Sept. 15, 3:00 pm.


En septiembre la misa mensual en español

será el 8 de septiembre (en lugar del 1º) a las 12:30pm



Praying for Those Who Serve in the Military


The “Called to Serve” banner in recognition of active-duty military members on the south wall of the church has been temporarily removed so it can be updated. We are asking you for your help. 


If you, your spouse, your child or grandchild, or other family member is serving in any branch of the military or if you know of a parishioner who is serving in the military, we invite you to provide us with their name and the branch of the military in which they are currently serving. 


Please call the Pastoral Office at (626) 291-5900, e-mail kerrin@stluketemplecity.org, drop by the office or submit information online at www.stluketemplecity.org (click here). After Labor Day we will submit the updated list to the banner maker. Thank you.

Praying for Those in Church Ministry


Besides remembering those who serve our nation in our prayers it is important also to remember those who have dedicated their lives in a Church vocation. 



If you know of a member of our parish community who was ordained as a priest or a deacon or professed vows as a member of a religious community, please give us their name and the year of their ordination or year of profession of vows (and, if applicable, their religious community).


Please call the Pastoral Office at (626) 291-5900, e-mail kerrin@stluketemplecity.org, drop by the office or submit information online at www.stluketemplecity.org (click here) between now and mid-September to give us their names. We hope to have the banner made in time for the Feast of St. Luke in October. Thank you. 


Religious Education Information


Registration for 2024-25 Religious Education Programs


Please download the registration packet for more information.


Registration packs can be mailed or turned

in to the Pastoral Office, or e-mailed to Barbara Hansen.

Classes begin in September.


Please contact Barbara Hansen, DRE, at (626) 291-5900 Ext. 227

or Barbara@stluketemplecity.org for more information.



PARISH STEWARDSHIP

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!

Catechetical Sunday Collection


Next weekend, Sept. 7-8, a Second Collection will be taken up at all the Masses to help defray the costs of the various St. Luke Catholic Community Religious Education projects and catechetical workshops that are held throughout the year. 


Thank you for your continued support of our Religious Education programs. Envelopes are in the pews. Please make checks payable to “St. Luke Church.”

LIFE, JUSTICE & PEACE SPOTLIGHT

The Value and Dignity of Work


Monday is Labor Day. It’s a good day to reflect on the value and the dignity of work, especially from the perspective of our Catholic faith’s rich teachings on work. In our minds, we might think of work as drudgery. However, when we look to scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, our Catholic Social Teaching, and the writings of our popes about work, we gain insight on God’s meaning of work.  


Scripture gives us numerous references to work, and highlights both the worker and the employer. Here are just a few examples:


· Genesis 2:15 - God settles man in the garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it.

· Deuteronomy 14:28-29 - The Lord blesses our work so that we may share its fruits with others.

· Sirach 34:20-22 - To deprive an employee of wages is to commit murder.

· Jeremiah 22:13 - Woe to him who treats his workers unjustly.

· Matthew 20:1-16 - All workers should be paid a just and living wage.

· Luke 3:10-14 - Practice integrity in your work.

· James 5:1-6 - Those who become rich by abusing their workers have sinned against God. 


The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that work is an obligation, and also a right. Workers and employers both have responsibilities under God. 


· Economy within God's Moral Order (2426) - Economic activity is meant to serve the needs of the human person. Its goal is not merely to multiply goods or increase profit. Economic activity must operate within the moral order by a social justice according to God's plan. 

· Work as a Duty (2427-2428) - Human work comes from God's call to prolong his original work of creation. Therefore, work is a duty. "If anyone will not work, let him not eat" (2 Thess 3:10). By enduring work, man shares in Christ's cross and redemption. By work, man fulfills the potential inscribed in his nature. Work is for man, not man for work. Man is both the author and the beneficiary of his work, which should supply what he needs and also benefits the community.

· Duties of Owners (2432) - Owners are responsible for the economic and ecological effects of their businesses. Although profits are needed to guarantee employment, owners must consider the good of persons and not just their own profits.

· Just Wage (2433-2434) - Everyone must have access to employment without discrimination (men and women, healthy and sick, natives and immigrants) …. To refuse a just wage or to withhold it is a grave injustice. 


The fifth theme of our Catholic Social Teaching, The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, echoes what we learn from the Catechism: “The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.” (Catholic Social Teaching: https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching)


Lastly, we hear from the writings of our popes about the value and dignity of work. Here are a few examples given by the USCCB (https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/the-dignity-of-work-and-the-rights-of-workers):  


“It is clear from the very first pages of the Bible that work is an essential part of human dignity . . . (Gen 2:15). Man is presented as a laborer who works the earth, harnesses the forces of nature and produces ‘the bread of anxious toil’ (Ps 127:2), in addition to cultivating his own gifts and talents. Labor also makes possible the development of society and provides for the sustenance, stability and fruitfulness of one’s family . . .” (Pope Francis, The Joy of Love [Amoris Laetitia], nos. 23-24) 


"In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment or underemployment), or 'because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family'." (Pope Benedict XVI, Charity in Truth [Caritas in Veritate], no. 63)


"Work is . . . an obligation . . . a duty, on the part of man. . . Man must work, both because the Creator has commanded it and because of his own humanity, which requires work in order to be maintained and developed. Man must work out of regard for others, especially his own family, but also for the society he belongs to, the country of which he is a child, and the whole human family of which he is a member, since he is the heir to the work of generations and at the same time a sharer in building the future of those who will come after him in the succession of history." (St. John Paul II, On Human Work [Laborem Exercens], no. 16)


Let us pray for all workers, for those who are unemployed and underemployed, for those who are seeking work, and for employers.

St. Joseph, the Worker, pray for us!


~St. Luke Life, Justice and Peace Ministry

Saints and Observances

Week of September 1, 2024


Sunday

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time


Monday

Labor Day


Tuesday

St. Gregory the Great,

Pope and Doctor of the Church 


Next Sunday

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Grandparents' Day


The one who does

justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

-Psalm 15


Daily Readings



The E-bulletin is a supplement to the Parish Sunday Bulletin and is sent weekly to the e-mail address(s) in parishioners' registration records in our Gabriel Software Database. To update your parish records, click here or call the Pastoral Office. Please do not use the "Update Profile" link below.


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