Gather and Rejoice!
The theme throughout the Diocese of Orange for this weekend is “Gather and Rejoice” as all parishes are getting back to life, all liturgies are now in the parish churches, and many of our parishioners are returning to celebrate Mass. This is a weekend for each one of us to reach out to others, meet some new parishioners or get reacquainted after our separation, and to welcome those who might be new to our parish.
The responsorial psalm for this weekend speaks clearly about the festive nature of this weekend: “Lord, it is good to give thanks to You” (Psalm 92) and certainly we do!
The Shrine to Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church
The Shrine to Mary has been reimagined and made worthy for personal prayer and devotion. Through the artistic and technical skills of some parishioners, the volunteer labor of other parishioners, the underwriting by five parishioners, and be beautiful faux painting by the renowned artist Lisa Bryant, the Shrine to Mary is now complete. As you see from the before and after photos, we have further enhanced the simple beauty of our Church. The phrase “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” is taken from Mary’s prayer (the Magnificat) which she prayed while visiting her cousin Elizabeth (Luke 1:46).