Many of our kids dress up this pass October, this is how we celebrate All Saints’ Day in Our Lady of Loretto Church, we have a Mass with procession, that included presentations about some of their lives in the basement of the Church. and how inspire others, and a reception with food, drinks, and above all, much joy among parents, children, and young people in our community. We trust that these children will be inspired by these saints and will carry that inspiration into their future lives.
The Bishop of San Miguel, El Salvador Fabio Colindres visited our parish on Friday, 26 Sep 2025. He celebrated the Spanish mass in the evening, and preached about treating each other more humanely especially in the context of the current immigration situation. He also invited the people to conversion in their personal life. After mass the parish organized a reception for the Bishop with food and drinks.
Pastorella, is the Spanish name for Christmas pageant. We had our annual Pastorella performance on Saturday, December 21 after the 7 p.m. Spanish Mass. The event was organized by the Hispanic youth group Nuevo Amanecer. They brought the magic of the Christmas story to life with their incredible acting and singing. This year there was a greater participation from the teens, which included the altar servers and the member of Idente Youth.
All the confessions will take place from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in the Church. Attendance is required.
| Date | Class |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, December 11 | Johnny Leon & Sandra Portillo |
| Friday, December 13 | Rebeca Zuniga & Briana Sosa; Floriselda & Steven Ardon |
| Monday, December 16 | Alisson Amaya & Stephanie Reyes |
| Tuesday, December 17 | Sheldon Leon & Katherine Marquez; Elias Acosta & Minorka Gonzalez |
The parish catechists from First Holy Communion, Confirmation, and the RCIA program had a BBQ to connect and enjoy the remaining days of summer. There was a lot of food, music, and great conversations. With the student registrations in full swing, we look forward to the new catechetical year.
“I beg you: never tire of being catechists. Not of ‘giving a lesson’ of catechesis. Catechesis cannot be like an hour at school, but rather a living experience of the faith that each one of us feels the desire to transmit to the new generations. Certainly, we must find the best ways to ensure that the communication of faith is adequate to the age and preparation of the people who are listening to us; yet the personal encounter we have with each one of them is decisive. Only the interpersonal encounter opens the heart to receive the first proclamation and to desire to grow in the Christian life with the proper dynamism that catechesis allows.”
“Dear catechists, you are required to make visible and tangible the person of Jesus Christ, who loves each one of you, and therefore becomes the rule of our life and the criterion of judgement for our moral action. Never stray from this source of love, because it is the condition for being happy and full of joy, always and despite everything. This is the new life that sprung forth in us on the day of our Baptism, and which we have the responsibility to share with everyone, so that it may grow in everyone and bear fruit.”
– Pope Francis to Catechists
Idente Youth organized a Day Camp from Tuesday, July 23 to Thursday, July 25 for children in grades 3-7 and Monday, July 22 to Friday, July 26 for teens in grades (8-12). The camp was assisted by adult volunteers. The theme of the camp was “Willed to be Imperfectly Perfect.” We has over 60 children, 45 teens, and 25 adults participating at the camp.
With exciting activities occurring throughout the 3-day day camp, all the campers had something to say at the end of each day. They all experienced the wonderful skits the seminar group had to provide, especially with the last day’s skit where each camper had to walk a designated path while wearing glasses that impaired their vision in an attempt to reach the end. When they couldn’t complete it, a volunteer acting as Jesus came to help them walk the path until they reached the end, demonstrating that with Jesus’ guide, any path becomes walkable. Afterward, the campers either played sports and games ranging from handball to cornhole or they were listening to a state trooper during workshops. Speaking of workshops, campers created slime and grilled cheeses while volunteers helped them by demonstrating how to make it. After these activities, campers were delighted to hear that lunch had arrived, bringing a different food to the menu each day (Tuesdays: Tacos, Wednesdays: Chicken Tenders with Fries, and Thursdays: Barbeque). After eating, campers watched the movie Wonder. Then they went to arts and crafts to paint or design. The camp always closed off with sports and games again, alongside the question “What was the most exciting thing you did today?” Although the majority usually mentioned sports, all were left with smiles in the end.
On Sunday, July 7, 2024, Idente Youth celebrated its 10 years at Our Lady of Loretto Church. The Idente Youth chapter at Loretto was started in 2014 when the Diocese of Rockville Centre handed over the administration of the parish to the Idente Missionaries. While Loretto had a vibrant and active hispanic young adult group “Nuevo Amanecer” they had been lacking a youth ministry for english speaking teens. Idente Youth provided this space for middle and high school students to gather. Beginning with two members in attendance the youth group today has 40 to 50 members attending its weekly meetings. Since its beginning Idente Youth had been meeting on Saturday mornings from 10am to 12noon in the church basement.
We had a graduation mass to celebrate the graduating students from middle school, high school, and college. Fr. Roland P. Pereira, M.Id, our associate pastor, was the main celebrant and Fr. Michael Nam, M.Id, also our associate pastor, was the con-celebrant. The mass was followed by a short reception.
