Msgr. Richard Krekelberg, V. F.

—Pastor
626.355.1292 x. 228 revkrek@st-rita.org
Dcn. Manuel & Chela Valencia—Deacon Couple
626.355.1292 deacon.manuel@yahoo.com
Sheila Palazzolo, Admin. Assist.— x 222 or sheila@st-rita.org
Parish Office/Mailing:
50 East Alegria Ave., Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9am to 7:00pm; Sat. 9am-2pm
Office Phone: 626.355.1292
Pastoral Council Vice Chair
Mr. George Landis: pcvc@st-rita.org
Finance Council Chair
Mr. Bill Sullivan: 626.355.3707

Religious Education and Formation

Director of Religious Education (DRE)
Mrs. Cristina Cullen: 626.355.3841, dreC@st-rita.org
RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults)
Team: Deacon Manuel and Chela Valencia;
Susan Blakeslee: rcia@st-rita.org

St. Rita Elementary School

626.355.6114
Principal: Mrs. Joanne Harabedian: jharabedian@st-rita.org
PTO President: Mrs. Monique Howard: 626.355.6114

SAINT RITA MINISTRIES & ORGANIZATIONS

(See Inside Flap, page four)

Mass Times
SUNDAYS: Sat. 5:30 pm; Sunday 7:30 am; 10 am; & 12 N
WEEKDAYS: Mon., Tues., Fri., and Sat. 8:00 am
(Wed. & Thurs. 8 am Communion Services)
HOLY DAYS: (eve of) 5:30 pm; (day of) 8 am & 6:30 pm.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION (Confessions)
Saturdays 4-5 pm or by appointment
DEVOTIONS
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Devotions: Saturdays 7:50 am
Adoration: First Fridays 8:30 am – 6:30 pm, Rectory Oratory.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
Baptismal Preparation for parents and godparents
7 – 8:30 pm the last Monday of the month.
Please call for a reservation to attend.
Baptisms are usually the first Sunday of the month.
SACRAMENTS OF RECONCILIATION &
FIRST EUCHARIST
Preparation for children who have attained the age of reason
(usually during 2nd grade) is arranged either through the
Office of Religious Education or St. Rita Elementary School.

SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
Contact the parish office upon engagement; at least
six months is needed for preparation of this joyous sacrament!
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
A two-year program for freshman/sophomore age teens.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Apply through the Office of Religious Education.
NOTE: Adult applicants for the above sacraments should inquire at the
Rectory Offices: 50 E. Alegria Ave. or call 626.355.1292
SACRAMENT OF THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK
(See Inside Flap, page four)
 SAINT RITA CHURCH 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME—SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 P-2

PASTOR’S CORNER TODAY’S READINGS

First Reading — Who can ever know God’s counsel unless God
Dear Parishioners, gives wisdom and sends the Holy Spirit from on high?
Jesus said to the crowd following him: (Wisdom 9:13-18b).
“. . . anyone who does not renounce all his possessions Psalm — In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge
cannot be my disciple.” (Psalm 90).
Second Reading — Paul asks Philemon to accept back his slave
The late great Cardinal Timothy Manning once told a crowd of Onesimus, not as a slave but as a brother (Philemon 9-10, 12-17).
priests on retreat that he was moved by the fact that any priest in Gospel — To be a disciple of Jesus one must carry one’s own
the archdiocese could pack up all he owns and put in the back of cross and renounce all possessions (Luke 14:25-33).
a station wagon and move to a new assignment on a moment’s
notice. His point, of course, was that we were all living the spirit
of renunciation and detachment spoken of in today’s gospel M A S S S C H E D U L E
passage. [Most of us felt like sliding
under our chairs, since it would in fact SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4
require at least a medium sized U-Haul 5:30 PM For All Parishioners
to transport all of our earthly SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5
belongings. Having been in Cardinal 7:30 AM Carolyn Peterson INT
Manning’s rooms at St. Vibiana, I did 10:00 AM William Barnes RIP
take consolation in knowing that there 12:00 NOON Jorge Figueroa RIP
is no way he could himself have gotten MONDAY SEPTEMBER 6
all his belongings into the back of a 8:00 AM David Blakeslee RIP
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7
station wagon.]
8:00 AM Betty Tomlin RIP
Point well taken, though. Each of us on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8
retreat with his Eminence knew that what he described was the 8:00 AM Communion Service
way it ought to be. Jesus even speaks of “hating father and THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 9
mother, wife and children”; that is, we should hate anything that 8:00 AM Communion Service
would in fact distract us from salvation and bringing about the FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10
reign of God. These words are not different from his other 8:00 AM Rev. Evangelist Kelly RIP
sayings, e.g., “if your right hand deceives you, cut it off.” Nothing SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 11
but nothing should get in the way of discipleship. 8:00 AM Victims of Terrorism
5:30 PM Al Woodcock RIP
The Book of Wisdom gives a stark and ominous description of SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12
how our human condition can become weighed down with 7:30 AM For All Parishioners
crippling concerns: “For the corruptible body burdens the soul 10:00 AM Rosemary Hagerott INT
and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many 12:00 NOON Luis Escalante RIP
concerns…” It always seems to take something shocking or
drastic—like the latest hurricane or news from the war zones—to
shake us out of our preoccupation with personal problems or SATURDAY, SEPT. 11TH, 10 AM—CATHEDRAL MASS
challenges to focus on the things that may really matter much Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Principal Celebrant and Homilist
more. St. Paul serves as a good example. As we know, he was not Please see the poster in the Vestibule for complete information.
always the “super apostle.” It took a dramatic conversion for him
to become free to serve the Lord. Ironically, he writes his
powerful letter to Philemon in service of the Gospel—from
prison! The difference for Paul is that now he views his life PASTOR’S NEWS NOTES
through the prism of his vocation as an apostle and this has set
him free to serve—even from prison. THANK YOU for your support of Mercy Center Hospice for
Women and Children. The collection to date is in excess of
It is my experience that many of us who, for instance, experience $9,000. I will be most happy to report this to Fr. Ken Deasy
a certain “leveling off” in life or who get “caught in a rut” have ANNUAL PRAYER BREAKFAST
actually lost sight what our calling is—what our mission in life is. Once again, St. Rita Parish will participate in the Cathedral of Our
Oftentimes we can regain that sense of mission and purpose by Lady of the Angels Annual Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday,
recalling what our talents and gifts are; and by further reflecting September 21st. A bus will leave from St. Rita at 5:30 am to be in
upon whether or not our skills and talents are being realized or time for the recitation of the Rosary. The event includes the
being put to best use. This is why people who enter some kind of celebration of the Holy Eucharist followed by breakfast on the
ministry, often express a new excitement about life and experience plaza with guest speaker, The Most Reverend Archbishop
renewed joy. This was certainly the case for St. Paul; it even gave Timothy Dolan of New York.
him cause for declaring that he “found glory in the cross of Jesus
Christ.” This is to say, then, that when life gets the best of us, in There are still a few available spaces left. If you are interested,
Jesus there is always a way out. Always. please call Paula Guettler at the parish office (355-1292), or email,
—Fr. Richard paula@st-rita.org.
SAINT RITA CHURCH 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME— SEPTEMBER 5, 2010
THE FOLLOWING PARISHIONERS ASK FOR OUR PRAYERS FOR A
SPEEDY RECOVERY AND THEIR RETURN TO HEALTH:
Anne Marie Torre, Mary Ann Slivka, Maria Blust, Roger Renner, Cliff
Hancuff, Lori Little, Marie Larson, Ailey Gardner-Ybarra, Alex Gould,
Hal Finney, Jeffrey Dunagan, Matthew Hatfield, Shirley Seiler, Rudy
Wunderlin, Helen Mary Woodcook, Stacy Hinds-Reed, Annette Collins,
Kenneth Wise, Matteo Begnoche, Lancelot Loera, Edith Olah, Anne
Campbell, John Nese, Claudia Valencia, Fred Mycroft, Clare Marquardt,
Bea Hutchinson, Mary Ann Tellez, Brian Eck, Judy Howard, Charles
Day, Alex Arranaga, Marie Venegoni, Robert McCarraher, Anna Mary
Hession, Betty & Tom Concidine, Mildred Vocelka, Alicia Holt, Jonie
Rose Hall, Ann Twedell, John McCoy, Valentina Tibor, Joseph Moore,
Norma West, Effie DeGroot, Thomas Remillard, Ned Vento.
WE PRAY GOD WILL GRANT ETERNAL REST TO
Florence Fisher (former parishioner of over 40 years)
†††
RELIGIOUS ED. REGISTRATION—CONFIRMATION
All parents interested in registering their child for Confirmation
should attend the parent meeting on Monday, September 13, in
Msgr. Gara Hall. First year parents meet at 7 pm; second year
parents meet at 8 pm. Please direct any questions to John Perez at
ym@st-rita.org.
RCIA CLASSES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 14
Are you interested in becoming a Catholic? Perhaps
you’re not sure and simply want to inquire about
the Faith. Orientation for the Rite of Christian
Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is Tuesday, September
14, at 7:30 pm in the St. Rita Rectory. The RCIA
classes meet every Tuesday, from 7:30-9 pm, with
classes concluding during Holy Week 2011.
For information, please call Deacon Manuel at 626/355-8322.
CALL FOR LECTORS AND EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS
The parish is asking you to consider serving God as a Eucharistic
minister or lector at St. Rita. This is an excellent opportunity not
only to help meet one of the many needs of our church
community, but also to grow in faith and service to Our Lord.
Join our community of ministers and serve twice a month at your
usual Saturday evening or Sunday morning liturgy. Scheduling is
flexible and accommodating if you already have a busy calendar.
Our group of ministers represents a diverse range of ages and
faith journeys. All we ask of potential ministers is they be of
confirmed faith and willing hearts. Training sessions will be
offered this month, and new ministers will then be commissioned
for service by Msgr. Krekelberg. We also train ministers to serve
Communion to our homebound parishioners on a weekly basis.
To learn more, please contact David or Jill Muhs at 626/255-9180
or em@st-rita.org.
SEPTEMBER PARISH NOVENA
This month we have chosen a Novena for
the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in honor of
this month’s important Feast Day. Please
take a copy of the Novena (in the Vestibule)
—and pray it!
P-3
CARMELITE SISTERS EVENT—THURSDAY, SEPT. 9
Breakfast and Lecture Series: Healthcare and You
Call 626/256-3059 for information. Flyer posted in the Vestibule.
PETRUS YOUTH NIGHT—SEPTEMBER 11, 6-9 PM
At the St. Joseph Campus of the Sacred Heart Retreat House.
Call for more information 626/289-1353 x302.
COMMUNITY EVENTS—SATURDAY, SEPT. 11
Flyers for both of these events posted in the Vestibule.
►Sierra Madre Family Preparedness Festival
Memorial Park 9-3
City Service providers, Senior Resources, and Emergency
Responders will be on site to provide you with information.
Preview at www.site.smipp.org.
►A Taste of Sierra Madre
Kersting Court 9-4:30
VOCATION COME & SEE DAY FOR YOUNG WOMEN
Sunday, September 12, Nazareth House, Los Angeles, CA 90063
Call Sr. Fintan 310/614-9570 or Sr. Philomena 310/839-2361
See Flyer Posted in Vestibule for more information.
DÉCOR CARMELI—YOUNG WOMEN, 13-17
Sunday, September 12, Santa Teresita St. Joseph Chapel. Mass at
10 am followed by information meeting. RSVP: 626/300-8938.
See Flyer Posted in Vestibule for more information.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14—CARD PARTY/LUNCHEON
Sponsored by the Maryknoll Guild, beginning at 10 am followed
by luncheon. Cost: $15. Call 626/358-1925.
See Flyer posted in Vestibule for more information.
BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUPS
St. Luke Parish, Temple City eight-week Program, begins
Thursday, September 16, at 7 pm in the Parish Resource Center.
Please call 626/291-5900 to register or for more information.
St. Bede, La Cañada six-week Program begins Tuesday,
September 28, at 7 pm in the Parish Center. To pre-register or
information, please call 818/949-4300. Flyer posted in the Vestibule.
BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please email announcements to bulletin@st-rita.org as early as
possible. Announcements are due by 10 am Thursday, 10 days
before the Sunday publication. Thank you.
****************************************************
NOTICE FOR PARISH OFFICE STAFF
(cut out and drop in collection basket)
_________________________________________________________
Name (please print)
_____ Please add the above name to sick list.
_____ Please REMOVE above name from sick list.
_____ The above name would like to receive Communion at home.
Contact: phone #_________________________________________
SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 SAINT RITA CHURCH P-4

Directory of Ministries and Organizations

Liturgy & Worship
Music: Mr. Paul Puccinelli: mm@st-rita.org
Mrs. Mary Bigley Cronin: 626.445.8306
Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers: David & Jill Muhs
626.355.9810 em@st-rita.org
Altar Servers, Youth: Mrs. Kathy Ganino: 626.398.9302
Altar Servers, Adult: Mr. Bill Cosso
Eucharistic Adoration: Mrs. Marylyn Barnes
Rosary Prayer Group: Mrs. Marylyn Barnes
Sacristans: Sat. Vigil: Gary Fidone/Bill & Patti Huber
Sunday Masses: 7:30-Bill Cosso/David Banis;
10:00-David Muhs; 12N-Virgil Archambault
Weekdays: John Bigley, Virgil Archambault, Margaret Duran
Porter: (Evening Church Lockup) Sheila Palazzolo
Environment: Mrs. Barbara LeVeque /Mr. Gil Lazo 626.355.1292
Hospitality
Greeters & Ushers: Mr. Erny Henry: 626.289.3504; 626.446.6715
New Members/Welcome: Dick & Chris Bertrand pr@st-rita.org
Youth Minister
John Perez: ym@st-rita.org Youth Office Phone: 626.355.1852
Bereavement Team Ministry
St. Rita Parish Office: 626.355.1292 (Sheila Palazzolo)
Organizations
Christian Family : Mary Grace Shinnick 626.355.0764
Men’s Club: Tim O’Connor: 355-5053 the4oconnors@yahoo.com
St. Rita Guild: Ms. Kathy Coyne: 355.4873, kdcoyne@aol.com
Senior Ministry (in formation): Contact Parish Office
Shawl Ministry: Mary Taillac 626/355-3179 or Ann Wolf 355-7445.
Other Contacts
Archivist: Mrs. Marilyn McKernan, contact Parish Office
Bulletin Submissions: bulletin@st-rita.org or drop off at Office
Public Relations: Mrs. Chris Bertrand: pr@st-rita.org
Registration Information: rc@st-rita.org; 626.355.1292
Webmaster: Ralph Seymour: seymour@seymourmedia.com
Let Saint Rita Be There For You . . .
Communion for Sick and Homebound Parishioners
St. Rita ministers provide Communion home visits. Contact the
Parish office or Jill Muhs, 626.355.9810, em@st-rita.org.
If Someone In Your Family Becomes Seriously Ill
Please notify us (626.355.1292) as early as possible for the
Anointing of the Sick, the sacrament intended for the seriously ill
or dying. It is Our Lord’s special presence and companionship in
serious time of need. Anointing may take place in the home, at the
hospital or elsewhere and as often as once a month. If someone
should die without anointing, remember that the desire to receive
is sufficient and the Lord cares!
If You Should Experience the Loss of a Loved One
Please call us at 626.355.1292
If you feel you will be in need, or your loved one has passed, we
will assist in making arrangements with your chosen funeral
directors; refer you to our liturgy and music directors; and offer
you helpful guidelines and a book that will aid in the selection of
readings for the Mass or Memorial Service. Areas we can help you
with prior to the passing may help in the planning of funeral
services. We know that this can be a tough time and we want you
to know that your parish is there for you.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND that since we only have one resident
priest, sometimes arrangements for another priest may be needed.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 SAINT RITA CHURCH P-5

Happenings At St. Rita…

Meetings, Ministry & Special Events

► This Week & Ongoing ◄

This Sunday, September 5—Baptism

1:30 pm in the Church

Monday, September 6—Labor Day

Parish Office is closed.
Pray for all those who labor
and those who seek employment.

Patriot Day—
Day of Mourning and Remembrance

Save the Date

Monday-September 13—Confirmation Registration

Meeting for parents of candidates, Msgr. Gara Hall
See page 3 for times & details.

Tuesday, September 14—RCIA Classes begin

See page 3 for information.

Thursday, Sept. 15—Evening Prayer Service Resumes

See next week's Bulletin for more information.

►Religious Education Classes Begin◄

Sunday, September 19th—Preschool Program
During the 10 am Mass, Ages 3—5 years old
Monday, Sept. 20th—Religious Ed Classes
4 pm—5:15 pm , Grades 1-5

Sunday, Sept. 26th—Bundle Sunday

8 am-2 pm
St. Vincent de Paul truck in Church lower parking lot.

St. Rita Annual Woman’s Retreat

November 5, 6, 7—Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center
More information in next week’s Bulletin!