Children-the future of our Church

Children, especially those that attend a Catholic School, are the future ministers and leaders of the Catholic Church. At All Saints Catholic School, our students are being prepared to take an active part in the church, especially the liturgy.

At our last two school Masses, at our parish-Our Lady of the Mountains, our students who take piano lessons played the piano for our school Masses.

Pictured above are the three students who played songs for our children's Mass.

They were applauded by the parishioners and students at the Mass for having the courage to play and for the congregation and lead the school choir. Many piano players enjoy playing the piano for themselves or their family but are too afraid to play in church, especially if the choir is up front.

It is so great to see each of the pianists helping each other out as they took their turn playing their part of the Mass.  I simply figured out an introduction for them to play for the choir, told them when to start and then they always looked to me towards the end of the song to see if I put up fingers of the next verse to sing or gave the sign to stop at the end of this.

 

 Our students also learn how to be a lector at the school and Sunday Masses. Our students - a 3rd and 6th grader-read for Easter Sunday Mass with an overflowing crowd in the church.  Our pastor, Fr. Ariel always says, " You can tell a child who was educated in a Catholic School when they get up to a microphone and automatically adjusts it to their height."

Here are our proud church pianists, loving their ministry of playing for the school choir.

Natalie also played for the 5:00pm Saturday night Mass with a choir.

Natalie's mom helped her out through the Mass and stayed by her to give her confidence and reassurance.

Natalie loves playing for Mass. She was also very relieved to have her first weekend Mass over, especially after she made it through the whole Gloria.

First Communion-Fire-Ground Breaking

Have you ever had a very super busy weekend with all kinds of things happening?
Take a look at last weekend - here in Sierra Vista at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church.

• Saturday morning, April 26th at 10:00am we had First Holy Communion. A most special day in all of our lives who have received this sacrament. I bet you can remember your First Holy Communion! I can. I received my first ever perm to my hair. I always had the "buster brown"  short and straight hair style until First Holy Communion and my mom dropped me off at the beauty shop for the first time ever in my life. I was terrified and when I saw the finished product I was horrified of all the tight frizzy curls. That was the last perm I ever got. 
• This past Saturday my students, who I prepared for First Holy Communion, along with those in the CCD program created memories of their own. Here is my little group with Fr. Ariel Lustan, our pastor. 

  

  This is the 1st time I got to be taller than the pastor (the photographer had me stand on a block.) It is also the first time I realized that I have a new look to my hair-pure gray -just like my father's. Not bad against the colored background. 

  
  

  
  

  After First Holy Communion, I worked with the parish secretary to decorate our parish hall for the pastor's big birthday party. When finished, I went outside to get the school mail by the  large row of mailboxes together on Yaqui Street. I looked up into the mountains at the end of our dead-end road and there before me was a very large white cloud of smoke. I was shocked! I called Fr. Ariel to tell him about it. I then said, " I better call 911!" I did and she told me it is a fire on Post (Fort Huachuca). 
• I didn't take pictures of the first large cloud of smoke I saw because of the very strong winds. I had to have one hand on the veil at all times. I also was too busy and scared to think of taking pictures. 
  

  

  Taken from our parking lot as the sun began to set and the smoke began to billow up.

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Smokey Sky! We were worried, if the fire got to the blimp that monitors the border between us and Mexico for illegal travel and trade;filled with helium, if touched by the fire, it would be gone and the fire would really flame up. It was way too windy to put it up in the sky away from the danger of fire.

  
  

  
  
  

  

  Leaving the school and parish at 7:00pm looking down Yaqui Street to the fire/smokey cloud.

  
  

The smoke got worse before it got any better. Before long the sheriff dept. arrived to our parish hall to issue us a pre-evacuation notice. It told us what personal belongings to put together, have a place picked out to evacuate to if needed and if they come back again and say "Evacuate Now" we would have 5-10 minutes to get out of the area.  The 5:00pm Mass was about to begin so this pre-evacuation notice was read. Mass went on and I kept watching the smoke cloud get larger and the wind get more powerful. As I stood outside our hall, I held on to my veil and the railing as the wind was blowing way too hard not too.As guests started to arrive for the pastor's birthday party and as parish employees traveled to the parish to pack up files and computer files in case of evacuation that is when we found out the sheriff was blocking off our street-Yaqui. No one could come down it. After communion I went into the sanctuary to give the pastor the latest update. He told me to get the Deacon and talk to the sheriff as to what to do for his birthday party-cancel or go on. 

• In talking to the sheriff at about 6:00pm he said the fire is contained but with this wind it could start up again. He said, if it was him, he wouldn't be anywhere near here. 

 

• In telling the pastor this, he canceled his party and rescheduled it for all on Monday night. 

The weekend still wasn't over. Sunday, the 27th after the 7:30am Mass, the pastor and five other parishioners broke ground for the parish rectory. But before that happened, the Student Council conducted their schedule bake sale after two of the Masses--

The pastor asked six of us to dig in with hard hats and golden shovels. I was blest to be one of the six. My first ever experience at this as well as the pastor's first.

After Mass, we all walked to the parish land behind our church where the first rectory for our parish will be built-this August is the 23rd anniversary of the founding of our parish.

Fr. Ariel first blessed the land. Notice the 6 gold shovels waiting to go into action. 

Such beautiful blue skies where last night there was so much white smoke!

The six chosen represented: 1) The contractor, 2) Finance Council 3) Pastoral Council 4) The Pastor 5) Myself-principal of the school -"The Daughter of the Parish" as Fr. Ariel told all and 6) a student at All Saints Catholic School-the future generation of our church.

A weekend I won't ever forget! I thank God for the firefighters and especially the HotShots who really put their life on the line when they fight these fires.

Young Disciples Are Called Forth

Holy Thursday -the remembrance of the Lord's Last Supper when he washed the feet of His 12 Apostles and telling them to do likewise-be a servant leader.

Fr. Ariel Lustan, Pastor of Our Lady of the Mountains Parish, did the same at the Holy Thursday Services. Fr. Ariel chose 12 boys to have their feet washed. They were from 4th-8th grade; six were from All Saints Catholic School and six were from the Religious Ed. Program of the Parish.

Fr. Ariel told the parishioners before Mass started that he chose to wash the feet of the youngest disciples  of our Parish in hopes that they will go out and serve others and also that some of them might be a priest some day to serve the church.

The disciples processed into church and took their places in front-six on each side.



Father A was assisted at Mass by Deacon Jose, who as a Deacon is ordained to serve the church.

 

Father Ariel's Homily talked about the "Four Bones in the Parish"

1. Wishbone-wish the parish would do this, wish the parish would have this but does nothing to make the wishes come true.

2. Jawbone-They talk a lot about people behind their backs, cutting them down, not building them up.

3. Knucklebone-They knock people down when ever they can by criticizing what others do.

4. BACKBONE-Responsible for making the body stand erect. These people in the parish help the parish accomplish ideas and helps the parish to grow.

THE WASHING OF THE FEET



Washing the feet with soap

 

Mother Teresa told us not to be afraid to touch the feet of anyone. It is a service to wash the feet of others. When Mother Teresa washed the feet of someone whose feet were very scarred, the person said-"You couldn't pay me a million dollars to wash the feet of others like this." And Mother Teresa replied, "You couldn't pay me either."

Repeating what Jesus did to the 12 Apostles the night before He died.

After the Washing of the Feet, the oils were brought forth that were blessed by Bishop Kicanas on Monday at St. Augustine's Cathedral in Tucson at The Chrism Mass.

Oil of Catechumens, Oil of the Sick, Sacred Chrism

 

At the consecration of the Mass, Fr. Ariel, changed the unleaven bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ (transubstantiation) just like Christ did at the Last Supper.

 

 

The Body of Christ was then broken and all ate of it.

 

At the close of Mass all processed out of church behind the Blessed Sacrament.

Processing outside to the Parish Hall where Adoration will take place till midnight. We, too, like the Apostles, are asked to stay awake and pray with Our Lord as He did that night in the Garden of Olives; asking His Father in heaven for the strength to do the Father's will. May we too ask God what His will is for us and may we have the strength to accept it and do it-may we be a "backbone".

 

Come and pray with me a little while.

Holy Week Preparations

It is hard to believe just one more week of Lent. I can taste the ice cream and meat!

Holy Week is the holiest of all weeks and I feel the busiest of weeks also.

Saturday was our RCIA Retreat. I am the sponsor for one of our school parents coming in to the church. I was also asked to give a one hour talk for the RCIA retreat held Saturday at La Purisema Retreat Center in Hereford.

 

 

The theme given to me to speak on was -"Make Jesus Your #1 Priority". I used an email message someone sent me about "The Empty Pickle Jar". I put golf balls in the jar as the things that are our #1 priority-your faith and family.

 Next, I poured some pebbles in representing the next priorities in our life like our job and friends. Finally, I poured sand to fill in the spaces-these are the other things that matter in life.

If we started with the sand first in the jar, there would be no space for our priorities like Jesus.  I then poured some chocolate milk into the quart jar and everyone went "Oh no, Sister!" because the jar looked quite beautiful with the yellow golf balls, glass pebbles and the white sand. So I poured a little chocolate milk in and stopped. I then said, "In one's life there is always room for Chocolate" Everyone laughed and cheered and I passed out chocolate to all and then continued my talk.


Fr. Ariel, my pastor, was next and his theme was " Finding A New Identity"- Lose Yourself to find Yourself" . There were two other talks in the afternoon.

 Father "A"  told us the story of the serpent tempting Adam and Eve. He said, too bad Adam and Eve weren't Filipino as they would have eaten the snake instead of the apple!  A Filipino lady in the group agreed with him.

Palm Sunday was next and we started outside for our 7:30am Mass. As you can see the sun is shining brightly.

These were our decorations for Palm Sunday.

This truly tells you it is "PALM SUNDAY"!

In Father Ariel's homily he gave us suggestions what to do for Holy Week which he gleaned from another priest. Each idea began with one letter from HOLY WEEK! Here are a few of the suggestions: H-Halt in what you are busy with and give time to God, O-turn off the TV or IPad and spend some time in prayer, L-Listen in silence for God comes to us in the quietness, Y-Yield to God's call to us; E-erase sin and guilt by going to confession before Easter, K-Kneel in humility ( my favorite part of the suggestions).

Since I didn't have RCIA class Sunday evening I had time to bake the matzo for the school's Seder Meal on Tuesday. There will be 76 of us so I made 10 matzo bread. I have the recipe memorized after this: 1/3 cup wheat flour, 2/3 cup white flour, 1/2 cup of tonic water. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees, turned over and bake 3 more minutes.

Earlier in the week I made 8 lamb cakes. Instead of buying them at the store I decided it was time to buy the lamb mold and try to bake it myself. I was so pleased that they turned out. I didn't lose a single lamb's ear.

 Tomorrow I have help in frosting them. After this it is off to Tucson to attend the Chrism Mass.