St. Rita Parish

Dear Church -- Peace and love to you all! We hope you'll treasure a special gift, first given in Holy Week of 2021, and prayerfully presented by the staff musicians at St. Rita: a wonderful sung Rosary. Great thanks to Suzanne Brown, Jennifer Bowen, Olimpia Lucente, and our Director of Liturgy & Music, Paul Puccinelli, for offering this to all our parishioners, ministers, and friends. ... Please, take twenty minutes of time to hold the love of God in your hearts. And please, be sure to click the quality tab in the video window and select "HD" for the best experience. From Jennifer, Olimpia, Suzanne, and Paul - Peace and Love to you all today, and forever.

NOVENA TO ST. RITA: DAY 7 Introductory Prayer for Each Day: O Holy Patroness of those in need, Saint Rita, whose pleadings before your Divine Lord are almost irresistible, who for your lavishness in granting favors has been called the Advocate of the hopeless and even of the Impossible; Saint Rita, so humble, so pure, so mortified, so patient and of compassionate love for your Crucified Jesus that you could obtain from him whatever you asked, on account of which all confident...ly have recourse to you, expecting, if not always relief, at least comfort; be propitious to our petition, showing your power with God on behalf of your suppliant; be lavish to us, as you have been in so many wonderful cases, for the greater glory of God, for the spreading of your own devotion, and for the consolation of those who trust in you. Day 7: Glorious St. Rita, you endured painful illness and the rejection of your sisters because of the terrible stench of your wound. You accepted this in peace. May we too learn to accept suffering and rejection, knowing God will never reject us. We pray especially for (add your intention). Amen. Concluding Prayer for Each Day: Relying then upon your merits before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray you obtain for us our request. We honor your perfect union with the Divine Will, your heroic sufferings during your married life, the consolation you experienced at the conversion of your husband, the sacrifice of your children rather than see them grievously offend God, your miraculous entrance into the convent, your severe penances and thrice daily bloody scourgings, your suffering caused by the wound you received from the thorn of your Crucified Savior, your divine love which consumed your heart, that remarkable devotion to the Blessed Sacrament on which alone you existed for four years, the happiness with which you parted from your trials to join your Divine Spouse, the perfect example you gave to people of every state of life. Pray for us, O holy Saint Rita, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

Happy Friday in the 5th Week of Easter! So, one day while out on a long ride, I was nearly knocked off my bicycle by a flock of Geese. If you know me at all, you’ll know I’m a pretty avid long-distance bicyclist. And you’ll also know that while I’m on rides, I’m no stranger to, well, let’s call them unique encounters with animals. ...Continue reading

Holy Hour with Dcn Chuck and Paul Puccinelli

NOVENA TO ST. RITA: DAY 6 Introductory Prayer for Each Day: O Holy Patroness of those in need, Saint Rita, whose pleadings before your Divine Lord are almost irresistible, who for your lavishness in granting favors has been called the Advocate of the hopeless and even of the Impossible; Saint Rita, so humble, so pure, so mortified, so patient and of compassionate love for your Crucified Jesus that you could obtain from him whatever you asked, on account of which all confident...ly have recourse to you, expecting, if not always relief, at least comfort; be propitious to our petition, showing your power with God on behalf of your suppliant; be lavish to us, as you have been in so many wonderful cases, for the greater glory of God, for the spreading of your own devotion, and for the consolation of those who trust in you. Day 6: Glorious St. Rita, you persevered in your desire to enter the convent, waiting on God’s time. Eventually, everything became easy and you were able to enter. Help us all to persevere in prayer for our intentions and trustingly accept God’s will whatever the outcome. We pray especially for (add your intention). Amen. Concluding Prayer for Each Day: Relying then upon your merits before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray you obtain for us our request. We honor your perfect union with the Divine Will, your heroic sufferings during your married life, the consolation you experienced at the conversion of your husband, the sacrifice of your children rather than see them grievously offend God, your miraculous entrance into the convent, your severe penances and thrice daily bloody scourgings, your suffering caused by the wound you received from the thorn of your Crucified Savior, your divine love which consumed your heart, that remarkable devotion to the Blessed Sacrament on which alone you existed for four years, the happiness with which you parted from your trials to join your Divine Spouse, the perfect example you gave to people of every state of life. Pray for us, O holy Saint Rita, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

Happy Thursday in the Fifth Week of Easter! Do you pray every morning when you wake? I do and it’s a simple prayer that I wrote some years ago, which begins my every single day. Ok, well, maybe not *every* morning. I mean, there are those days when I wake up late or distracted, or in a snit of some kind and when that happens, I end up missing my Morning Prayer. Today was one of those days. I’d woken up very early as the result of a nightmare, and just couldn’t get bac...Continue reading

Happy Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time! Do you have a garden? What is planted there? What is growing there? I’ll bet it doesn’t do very well unless you tend to it... In today’s Gospel (Matthew 9:32-38), Jesus is being followed by crowds of people, all seeking healing. His heart was moved with pity for them, because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus says, The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. Ask the master to send out laborers for his harvest. The mistakes we make, the pains we endure, the troubles and horrors we experience in our society and world during our life here on earth are plentiful, overflowing crops which require no cultivation. We’re inundated with the copious baskets of rotten fruits which come from the work of the evil reaper. We are the Abundant Harvest, so very much in need of God the Great Laborer’s saving hand. The classic song , Here I Am, Lord, by Dan Schutte, tells of this God. Our God, who hears his people crying out from darkness, who bears our pain, who is moved to tears out of such immense love for us, who cares for the sick and outcast Our God, who will give his very life for us. Our most wonderful Triune God Father, Son, and Spirit is waiting to lift all who are hurting out of darkness and into glorious light. Our amazing and loving God, who needs laborers for his harvest. Our God, who asks, Whom shall I send? How will we respond? Can we cry out, Me. Here I am, O Lord Send me.? Can we hold God’s people in our heart? Will we tend to our part of God’s garden? May God’s tremendous, healing peace and love envelop you today, and forever. -paul.

welcome to the Sierra Madre 4th of July parade from the St Rita Entry!

Happy Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time! "Be still, beloved, for I am with you." In today's Gospel (Matthew 9:18-26), Matthew writes about a woman, suffering hemorrhages for twelve years, who came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel on his cloak, saying, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured. Jesus turned around and said "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.... Imagine it Nothing more than just a swipe of the fabric that touched his body. She must have been so frustrated - so tired. And still, after twelve long years in misery, she still has hope. She carries not only this cross, but also the confidence and faith in the promise of healing and salvation... Peace that the world cannot offer. The saving grace that only Jesus can give. And her prayers are answered. "Daughter, your faith has saved you." How often have we found ourselves in a situation which seemed hopeless? We, as human beings, suffer. From toothaches to trauma, broken bones to broken relationships, colds to cancer we carry burdens, emotional and physical, throughout our entire life. And yet, thanks to the example set by the unnamed woman in our Gospel, we know that, with faith, we can take the next steps with courage and trust, knowing that God is there, waiting to save. "Be still, beloved, for I am with you." Dear God, let me touch your cloak. Heal me from my every ill. Take my hand and help me walk by faith. Amen. Peace and love to you today, and forever. -paul.

Good evening, friends - apologies for the lateness of the post! Click on the link below to access the worship aid for our masses this weekend, July 3 & 4, celebrating the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Peace and love to you all. https://files.constantcontact.com//0888c4a7-c1d6-40eb-97f0

Just a reminder, in case you need to get your peace on.

Happy Saturday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time! Choices. Some years ago, something happened in my life that was a titanic shock. And so, I was faced with a decision a possibility that, were I to choose it, would end up being a monumental change for me, my family, my career, just about everyone that knew me. Even though it wasn’t necessarily a good vs. evil decision, it still made me think of The Fight The Angel vs. devil on my shoulders. ... I’ll bet you’ve had decisions like that to make in your life, too. Well, I thought and thought. I made lists about the pros and cons of each side. I took time to seek advice, ask questions, get help. I mapped out the imagined possibilities and outcomes for my/our future. I stressed about it for the longest time. I did my best it was a Wait & See. Today’s Gospel (Luke 16:9-15), we are challenged to choose wisely. Jesus tells us, in no uncertain terms, that we cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and mammon. We must make a choice between God and the earthly things that hold us down from living a life of grace and glory, of eternity, with Him. And wow, did I not like that when I first heard it. I like my stuff! However, I’ve found that the more stuff I accumulate, the more I concern myself and stress about taking care of it. All those items I need have become burdens that weigh me down. Would you like to know what weighs me down even more? What it is that keeps me from God? It’s the baggage of past pains and hurts... of all the mistakes I’ve made, as well as those which other people have inflicted on me. And, again, I know I’m not alone in this feeling. Sure, we all need things in order to live life on this planet, and we all have a past that weighs heavily on our hearts and spirit... But when we die, they’ll all remain here, because we don’t need them. God, alone, is our peace, our joy, and our true destiny. So, let’s you and I do this together... Let’s sweep away the unneeded baggage we carry, and live in the freedom of God’s true love and mercy. By the way I ended up choosing to continue journeying the path I was on. Did I choose wisely? It’s a Wait & See. Love and Peace to you today, and forever. -paul.

Dear Church - Tune in from 5-6pm Saturday for Vespers with Paul. Peace and love, everyone!Dear Church - Tune in from 5-6pm Saturday for Vespers with Paul. Peace and love, everyone!

Welcome to the First Friday Holy Hour with Fr. Tom & Paul. November 6th, 2020

FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION with Fr Tom & Paul is live-streamed today, Friday, Nov.6th at 12Noon. Peace to you all.FIRST FRIDAY ADORATION with Fr Tom & Paul is live-streamed today, Friday, Nov.6th at 12Noon. Peace to you all.

Happy Thursday in the 31st Week of Ordinary Time! One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Have you ever heard that? Have you ever experienced it?... There are thrift-stores, yard-sales, flea-markets, ads, and websites galore which sell and advertise One Person’s Trash. If you take the time and care to sift through it all, you can find items of great value. For example, not too long ago, while at a thrift store which benefits local Arts & Music programs, I found a pair of perfect, in-the-sealed-box, brand-new Waterford Crystal martini glasses, for which I paid $7.00. That’s about a $193 discount! (I think my martini tastes a little better in them) The thing is, I had to go searching through another person’s trash. In our Gospel today (Luke 15:1-10), Jesus is found communing with the tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. Jesus’ reply, though, shares a beautiful insight into the heart of God: "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? The Pharisees & scribes say sinners, and Jesus says Lost Sheep, and Coin. The trash discarded by the Pharisees and scribes are actually those who are of the greatest value to Jesus. I’m so grateful to God, because Jesus doesn’t see me as a sinner. He sees me as a coin, valuable enough to seek me out. He searches through all the rubble and the refuse, rejected and cast away by so many. He’s not disgusted by my scars and brokenness, my faults and failings he just wants me home with him, no matter the cost. And you, too. We are so valuable to Jesus that he does whatever he has to do to find us, to call us, and to carry us home. He sets [us] on his shoulders with great joy and calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ (Luke 15:5-6) Peace & love to you, dear friend and valued Sheep, dear Sister & Brother Coin, today and forever. -paul.

Happy Wednesday in the 31st Week of Ordinary Time! Letting go is hard. Chances are, as children, we all had a stuffed animal, toy, blanket, or something that was our constant companion. It was the friend that never left us, the joy that never failed to brighten and bring peace to the moments of our play, our living, our sleeping, our growing, our journey. It was the the love that never betrayed us.... And, chances are that, eventually, we stopped reaching for that friend who accompanied us everywhere and in every thing. We may not have consciously decided to, but at some point, we grew we out-grew we let go. Letting go is hard. When my daughter was little, she and I would go everywhere together and spend all our days together. Then, one day, she went to Kindergarten. I remember, like it was yesterday, dropping her off at school, and needing to pull her off of me, crying, and wailing, Papa, don’t leave me! Ten minutes later, when I shut the door of my car and sat quietly, it was me, crying and wailing. It broke my heart to have to let her go and even worse, to hear her grief in her little, yet huge voice, when she screamed,Papa, don’t leave me! I had once used those same words myself just a few years earlier, as I wept while sitting on the floor of a hospital room right after my father died. He had to let go of his failing body in order to reach the beauty and infinite goodness and love. We both had to let go. But, letting go is so very hard. In today’s Gospel (Luke 14:25-33), Jesus says, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. In the same way, every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." Jesus jolts us into thinking about the freedom we need to be truly what God is calling us to be. Our crosses can come from something that’s been done to us, something we’ve done to others, something we’ve done to ourselves These hardships, brutal hurts and difficulties, addictions, temptations and desires all rob us of our freedom our joy. Jesus calls us to let go of all that shackles us all that weighs us down. Even in simple prayer, to let go of all else it becomes just you and God; for a while all else is given up. We need nothing to pray except ourself, and that can be an experience of great freedom, great joy. Offering ourself to God, without the possessions which bind us to the muck, allows our hearts and souls the opportunity to soar, to fly to the loving arms of God. Yes, letting go can be hard but wow is it worth it. What do you possess that keeps you from the tremendous joy and love that God wants for you? What is it that you need to let go of? Love and Peace to you today, and forever. -paul.

Happy Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time! Have you ever wanted to help a friend, but just didn’t know how? There are many times when friends, family, and people I know who are hurting, afraid, broken, in need. It could be emotionally, physically, financially, mentally, or any other kind of -ally there is. And me being me, I want to snap my fingers and fix everything that hurts them. I would do anything if I could take their hurt and cast it away. But I can’t All... I can do is just be there. In our Gospel today (Luke 14:15-24), Jesus tells a parable about "A man [who] gave a great dinner to which he invited many. But when it was time, the man’s servant reported that those invited did not accept his invitation. The man replies, Then go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame. Have you ever declined an invitation from Jesus? The deeper questions which gnaws at me always is this: What kind of banquet is Jesus inviting me to today? Who is invited, and who is coming? What kind of banquet? Can you recall deciding to not visit that old friend living alone? Or reaching out to a person who needed help, or someone who was sick and in the hospital? A friend in jail? The person grieving? I can. I’ve avoided the call to love all these, and more. I suspect I’m not alone in this, and reflecting on it, my failures become palpable I can feel them. And yet we are called not to fix every problem, but to just be. We don’t need to be perfect. We just need to be there. It really all comes together for me when I read Romans 12, where we are told We, though many, are one Body in Christ and individually parts of one another. (v.5) Love one another. (v.10) Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (v.15) Sharing the journey, sharing the banquet Are we not all called to the banquet? Are we not all one family, the Body of Christ, under God, Our Father? We’re all in this together. We’re all invited to the party. We’re all walking with each other to the Table of Grace. And sharing in each other’s journey, we’re given the opportunity to share the great love of God, which invites us to a party of unimaginable joy. Dear God, thank you for the gift of each other. Allow us the grace to be lovingly present to to all our sisters and brothers, no matter what kind of banquet we’re invited to. Amen. Peace, grace, and a full banquet of the most amazing love to you today, and forever. -paul.

Welcome to the 8AM Tuesday Mass with the St Rita Parish & School Community. All music used in this live-streamed service is used with permission - license number A-621551

Good evening, St. Rita Families! Here is the worship aid for tomorrow morning's school mass. See you here at 8:00 a.m.

Welcome to the mass of the Holy Souls.

Dear Church - be sure to tune in for the Livestreamed 6:30PM Mass on November 2nd, All Souls Day. Peace to you.