• 3rd Sunday of Easter (C), April 22, 2007
• Announcement Sunday

• In today’s Gospel from the 21st Chapter of John,
• The Disciples encounter Jesus in their work
• They were fishermen.
• In working in their natural environment, they met the Lord
• Jesus challenges his disciples to see life from a new perspective
• Jesus helped them be successful in their endeavors.
• Just like the Disciples, we all get stuck in our routines.
• If we are open to the workings of the Lord in our lives, we come to see God’s presence in a new way.
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• Today as Pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church
• It is my privilege to share with you how I view the Lord working with us as a Parish and School community.
• It is also my privilege to invite you to continue to participate in this ministry through the sharing of your Time, Talent and Treasure.

• This has not been an easy year,
• The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to claim lives,
• The senseless slaughter of students at Virginia Tech has horrified us all
• Yet we strive to put our faith into practice here in the community of the Blessed Sacrament.

• Thanks to the leadership of the Pastoral Staff and the Pastoral Council Officers (Carol Kozeracki, Lily Harris, and Irving Rios), we have seen a number of successes over the past year.
• Let me name a few:

• Central to our parish is our Sunday Liturgy:
• We are grateful for all the work that so many ministers do to make our Sunday celebrations come alive.
• Even more poignantly, the high point of our Liturgical Life has always been the Holy Week services.
• All who attended the services this year were inspired by the depth and beauty of the celebrations.
• From Palm Sunday through Holy Thursday and Good Friday to the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday – each service was beautifully celebrated and spiritually focused.
• We want to express our gratitude to all who help us to experience God through our worship celebrations.
• Thank you.
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• Blessed Sacrament School also continues to prosper under the professional and caring leadership of our principal, Mrs. Ava Haylock
• While our numbers are down a bit because of the changes going on in Hollywood, the quality of education is very high.
• Again this year, all of our graduates who applied to high caliber Catholic or Magnate high schools were accepted.
• In addition, Blessed Sacrament School was given a six year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and College. This distinction is the highest that WASC gives.
• We are extremely grateful for the hard work and dedication of the Teachers and Staff of our great school

• Our Religious Education program is thriving under the leadership of Sr. Virginia Ciprés and Mrs. Yaneth Marroquin, along with the collaboration of all the dedicated catechists.
• Sr. Virginia is organized and competent.
• She has formed the catechists into teams who work with volunteer coordinators.
• She has pushed catechists to get professional training so that they can better work with our children.
• Sister and the catechists have also been very creative this year:
• The two-year Confirmation program was moved to Sunday morning to better accommodate the candidates. The system is working well
• In addition, both in the First Communion Program and in the Confirmation program, catechists are working not only with the young people but also with their parents who participate in instruction and retreats. It is marvelous.
• Thank you to all the coordinators and catechists for your dedication to the faith life of our community.
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• The other key ministry at Blessed Sacrament is our Social Service Program.
• Yolanda Lichtman and her staff and all the volunteers work miracles every day for the poor of our community.
• Last year we incorporated the program into a 501(c)3 Not-for-profit company with a new Board of Directors
• The members of the board are enthusiastic about increasing the capacity of Social Servives so that we can do even more good for the poor of our community.
• Thank you Yolanda, staff and Board Members
• At Blessed Sacrament we will never forget the “Cry of the Poor.”
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• I would be remiss if I did not include our Annual Carnival in the list of our parish ministries:
• Thanks to the persistent work of Valerie Milano with the help of Carlos Rubalcava, Sara Garibay and a host of talented volunteers, what used to be a parish Carnival is now a Hollywood Extravaganza.
• The history of the Blessed Sacrament Carnival began 92 years ago in 1915
• It is our biggest fundraiser of the year.
• In addition, it brings us together as a community to celebrate and have fun.
• Thank you to all who make the Carnival a success.

• In terms of other successes this year:
• We have hired Peter Marroquin to form a Parish Youth group, so that our young folks can have fun and grow as persons in a Spirit filled environment.
• Peter has formed a core group of adults and youth who are enthusiastic and dedicated.
• The Lord is bringing a new perspective to Blessed Sacrament.

• In terms of capital improvements,
• Last summer we finished sealing the parking lot
• This year we have redone the linoleum under the pews in the church, and are now in the process of polishing the terrazzo floors of the church..
• Our gratitude to those individuals who have made these projects possible

• I am very proud of what God has done at Blessed Sacrament.
• I am proud of all our ministries – you can see the list of them all in our bulletin – it is quite impressive.
• I am proud of our directors and staff, and how well we work together.
• God has been good to us.

• Nothing, however, can be accomplished without the prayer and participation of the parishioners of this parish.
• We need your involvement of Time and Talent (for the ministries and for the carnival and for community outreach).
• We need your Financial Support also, so that church can continue serving God’s People in Hollywood.

• This week in the mail, all of the registered parishioners will receive a brochure outlining the financial picture of the parish
• It explains what our expenses are and what our income is.
• It also asks each family to consider the Time, Talent and Treasure that they can offer to the parish.
• Next Sunday, we will ask you to turn in the commitment form that is found in the brochure or to fill out a form that we will have for you in the pews.

• I ask you to read the brochure and to pray about it as couples, or as a family or as an individual if you live alone.
• We are grateful for whatever time, talent and treasure you offer.
• The important thing is that you pray about it and do the best that you can.

• I am privileged to be Pastor of this wonderful community of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament.
• I ask for your prayers and your support as we continue the ministry to which God has invited us all to share.
• Thank each and every one of you.
• Amen

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