FIREWORKS FOR SALE BY THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS - Open Daily from 10 am to 10 pm

OPEN NOW!  Conveniently located in the parking lot of SMART AND FINAL, 725 East Main Street, Alhambra, the Knights of Columbus FIREWORKS TNT STAND is just a short distance away! Purchase your celebratory fireworks and show your support! Booth hours are 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day through Thursday, July 4.   You are encouraged to come early and come often for your big bang boxes! 

MAKE REPARATION TO THE SACRED HEART! - Now with Exposition of the Eucharist

You are invited to come to the church for a weekly Holy Hour of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus  EVERY FRIDAY from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the church, beginning with Exposition of the Holy Eucharist. (Click on the first image above to enlarge it for easy reading; click on the second image to take you to a site where you can purchase the booklet that will be used during the holy hour).

 A PASTOR'S RESPONSE TO FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS

My Dear Parishioners of St. Therese:  

I want to address the recent document from The Holy See on the blessing of couples in irregular or same-sex relationships. Before proceeding, let it be said that it’s good for all of us to read the actual document and then read good commentaries on the document so that we’re not forming our opinions on false or misleading reporting. Doing so will also give us greater peace of mind and conviction to pray for our Church leaders. Below, I have provided links to the Vatican document along with three commentaries to aid you in this endeavor. They are all very thoughtful, fair, and critical—yet not mean-spirited.

DOCUMENT:

https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20231218_fiducia-supplicans_en.html

1) https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2023/12/the-cost-of-making-a-mess

2) https://catholicherald.co.uk/fiducia-supplicans-an-exercise-in-smoke-and-mirrors-where-spin-becomes-substance-and-appearance-reality/

3) https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/12/23/fiducia-supplicans-appears-to-have-failed-spectacularly/

The first commentary is from Archbishop Emeritus Charles Chaput, the former Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. One especially insightful excerpt from his essay reads: “The document is a doubleminded exercise in simultaneously affirming and undercutting Catholic teaching on the nature of blessings and their application to ‘irregular’ relationships. And it was quickly interpreted as a significant change in Church practice.”

The second article makes an important distinction between doctrine and practice: “The Vatican….has set out to appear to change the Church’s teaching without in fact changing it. The distinction is achieved by changing the practice but not the principle. Orthodoxy remains untarnished, but orthopraxy—correct practice and worship—has been subverted.”

I encourage you to read these articles along with The Holy See document so that you can formulate for yourselves an educated opinion. My personal synthesis of what I’ve read on this topic leads me to conclude that no matter how much Fiducia Supplicans reaffirms the teaching of the Church on marriage and the inability to bless sin, the actual practice of giving blessings to couples in irregular or same-sex relationships by its very action sends the opposite message, thus leading to more confusion and pastoral abuse. In spite of this, I want to encourage each of us not to allow this poorly conceived and executed document to rattle our faith as it does not change the perennial teaching of the Church on the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. More than anything, it should impel us even more to pray for our leaders. 

—Fr. Peter Mary, O.C.D. 

HEALING PRAYER MINISTRY 

“O Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help and you healed me!”    -Psalm 30:3  

The Healing Prayer Ministry of St. Therese Church provides personal prayer for the Parish community.  You can find them after the Monday evening Mass (7:15 p.m.) in the church. They also offer private in-person sessions, phone sessions, and are available for outside events. Come and join! Thank you for your support! For more info, email hpmStc1@gmail.com.  

FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS 

Mark your calendar for the next First Saturday: July 6, to honor Our Lady of Fatima. On that day, join us to pray the Rosary and meditate for 15 minutes after the 8:00 a.m. Mass! For any questions, please contact Maria Alejandra at (626) 993-4236.

FORMED: CATHOLIC FAITH ON DEMAND

St. Therese Church has purchased a parish subscription to the Catholic media website, FORMED.ORG, for the benefit of ALL of you!  Discover all the best Catholic content in one place:  Entertaining movies, enlightening programs, inspiring talks, audio dramas, and a great selection of popular e-books--all just a link away!  To register, click on the image above.  Then, enter St. Therese Church, Alhambra, CA, click on it when you see it, and then enter your name and your email address--and get started enjoying all they have to offer! Click HERE to sign up.

CALLED TO RENEW 

Thank you to everyone who made a five-year pledge or a one-time donation to the Called to Renew campaign. (To go to the website, click HERE.)

For those who pledged, depending upon what time period you selected, you will receive notices in the mail every month, every quarter, or every year reminding you of your pledge.  The monies collected will allow St. Therese Parish to renovate our facilities. Fifty percent (50%) of all funds raised up to our goal will remain with our parish to address the following needs:  

• Church interior renovations  

• Painting the church Interior  

•Repairing the stained glass windows  

•Repairing the church’s tile roof  

•Repairing / updating the lighting/wiring  

•Repairing our school classrooms and parish offices (built over 70 years ago!)  

VIDEOS OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FR. ED BROOM, OMV,  gave four talks at St. Therese on The Acts of the Apostles. Click the picture above to watch them on our YouTube channel. The first one was recorded on May 5, 2022. 

VIDEOS OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF ST. IGNATIUS

During February through April, 2022, Fr. Ed Broom, OMV, was here at St. Therese to give ten talks on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  The talks were all recorded, and you may view them by clicking the above picture.  You will be taken to the page with the links to each talk and to the accompanying handouts for each talk.  (Note: Once you are on that page, you may have to scroll down until you find the same picture you see above.)  

 FEAST OF OL OF MT CARMEL, WITH SUNG VESPERS AS PART OF TRIDUUM

We will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Tuesday, July 16, with a special Mass at 7:15 p.m. (in English),  preceded by three days of special Masses to prepare for it (July 13 and 14 at 5:00 p.m., and July 15 at 7:15 p.m.). (Note: There will be a special collection on July 16 for our Carmelite seminarians.) On Sunday, July 14, there will also be a sung Vespers service at 7:30 p.m., in the church. Credo Catholic Choir (with music director Charlotte Lansberg) and friends will sing a Solemn Vespers with Baroque orchestra, incorporating portions of Handel's settings of three Vespers' psalms (Dixit Dominus, Laudate Pueri, and Nisi Dominus) commissioned in 1707 in Rome for the Carmelite Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The antiphons and selected verses will be chanted in Latin, and the Magnificat will be chanted and sung in polyphony. 

Don’t miss these days of celebration to honor Our Lady! (Click the picture above to open it for easy reading.)   

Pray the Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel after the daily Masses from July 7 through 15: O most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of Christ,  Immaculate Virgin, we praise and honor you as our Queen and Mother. Help us to persevere in constant prayer for the needs of our world and share with you in the work of redemption. Be with us, Holy Virgin, and guide us on our way, as we journey together in faith, hope, and love to your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Mary, Queen Beauty of Carmel, pray for us and obtain our requests. Amen.

CENTENNIAL TEES & HOODIES

Centennial tees and hoodies will be sold at the tables in front of the church following the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Sunday Masses.

PRAY FOR OUR CARMELITE VOCATIONS

Click on the picture above to read Fr. Matthias Lambrecht's latest newsletter about those discerning a vocation with the Carmelites (Fr. Matthias is the Vocation Director).  These vocations need your prayers as they continue their formation and discernment!  Offer your Masses and Holy Communions for them and pray for them before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  God bless you!

 INTERVIEW BY TERRY BARBER ABOUT SAINT THERESE CARMELITE SCHOOL

Alma Cornejo, Principal of St. Therese Carmelite School, and former pastor, Fr. Thomas Koller, join Terry to discuss the definition and importance of a “classical” Catholic education in these most trying of times when our children are targets of an increasingly secular and amoral society. If you have school-aged children, take a look!  Just click on the picture above to access the video.

 PRAYER BEFORE RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, who according to the will of the Father and with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit hast by Thy death given life unto the world, I adore and revere this Thy holy Body and this Thy holy Blood which was given over and poured forth for the many unto the remission of sins. O merciful Lord, I beg of Thy mercy that through the power of this sacrament Thou wilt make me one of that many. Through faith and love make me feel the power of these sacraments so I may experience their saving power. Absolve and free from all sin and punishment of sin Thy servants, Thy handmaidens, myself, all who have confessed their sins to me, those whom I have promised or am obliged to pray for, and so too those who themselves hope or beg to be helped by my prayers with Thee. Make our Church rejoice in Thy constant protection and consolation. Amen.    

ONLINE GIVING  

  Enroll Today!   

Through Faith Direct you can make all of your contributions to St. Therese Church via automatic payment from your checking account or credit card--just as you may do now with your mortgage, household bills, and other monthly payments.  This is a great way to simplify your giving--as well as being very cost-effective and environmentally-friendly.  Of course, it's voluntary!  The first step is to enroll in the program.  To do so, click on the picture logo above.  You will then be taken to the Faith Direct website.  During your enrollment, you may choose from weekly donations, monthly donations, school donations, special collection donations, or one-time gifts.  To watch an instructional video, go to the Online Giving link (next to the HOME page link at the top of the page).  Thank you for your donations to St. Therese! May God bless you!

 SAINT THERESE CARMELITE SCHOOL VIDEOS

Watch the video, "THE BEST SCHOOL IN THE WORLD"--ONE OF ONLY TWO SCHOOLS IN THE L.A. ARCHDIOCES USING A CLASSICAL CURRICULUM (click on the photo below to view it): 

WATCH "LITTLE THINGS," by clicking on the photo below:  

Watch "CLASSICAL NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE," by clicking on the photo below:  

Watch a short film, "THE VEIL REMOVED" (When Heaven Meets Earth), by clicking on the photo below:

Watch this CARMELITE VOCATION VIDEO by clicking on the photo below (features friars you know and love!)