WORSHIP

As priestly people, we offer ourselves to God in worship and prayer. Catholic worship has two general elements: Liturgy, and Prayers & Devotions. Both are beautifully observed and greatly anticipated here at St. Lorenzo Ruiz. United with the entire family, we celebrate the Eucharist and Christian prayers every day. We are joined by our families when we celebrate the Sacraments. We unite with our Small Faith Communities as we perform our Devotional practices.

We are a PRIESTLY people…. we WORSHIP and PRAY
 

• Mass Coordinators, Altar Servers, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist (EME), Environment, Ushers, Lectors, Music Ministry, Sacristans, and Linens upkeep.

Sacraments the Sacraments are Christ’s own gifts that provide us with His grace. They are the divine helps which God give us to enable us to: believe the truth of the faith, live according to His moral code, and grow in His gift to divine life. The seven sacraments are a fundamental part of the Catholic faith. We, at St. Lorenzo, understand the importance of these life events to our parishioners. Therefore, we have a group of dedicated volunteers whose goal is to make these moments flow seamlessly and solemnly. We will get you familiarized with the Ministries of Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Communion, Anointing of the Sick and Matrimony.

Devotions many popular devotional practices involve veneration of the saints. Devotions are founded on belief that saints have a special place in the Body of Christ, which includes moth the living and the dead. We believe in the power of their intercession as they unite with Christ, join their wills to the will of God in praying for those in the Church who are still on their pilgrimage of faith. “For after they have been received into their heavenly home and are present to the Lord, through Him and with Him and in Him they do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, showing forth the merits which they won on earth through the one Mediator between God and man.”
 

• Devotions – St. Lorenzo Ruiz, Divine Mercy, First Friday Adoration, Sto. Nino Devotion, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Guadalupe Prayer Group, Immaculate Conception, Family Prayer Group

EDUCATION

Catholic education is an ongoing process that is intertwined with human growth and development. It goes way beyond schooling, beginning from the home, it continues in the school and matures through involvement with the parish community. The St. Lorenzo Ruiz’s Prophet arm serves for groups in our Parish: the young adults, youth, and children. Each group is composed of several ministries.

As a faith community, we LEARN and EDUCATE … We are a PROPHETIC community.


Adults

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) prepares adults and teens for Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation. The RCIA welcomes individuals seeking full communion with the Catholic Church and those wishing to join it for the first time.

Encounter with the Faith – helps adults in strengthening and renewing their faith through formation programs. Within this ministry, the parish has created two sub-programs”

• Enlightenment to help adults rediscover their Catholic faith through the Why Catholic? Movement
• Sojourners to assist the parents and sponsors of those receiving the Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation understand the value and purpose of these sacraments.

Encounter with the Word is a twin Bible study fellowship (in the morning or evening whichever schedule suits you) to deepen one’s knowledge of the Word of God. The Word Among Us, a monthly Catholic Mass supplement which contains the daily scripture readings, gospels and reflections, is use as a reference alongside the Bible.

Marriage Preparation prepares couples for marriage and orients them toward a shared, Christ-centered life. It is a comphrensive and well-designed program that stresses the spiritual and sacramental dimensions of marriage and deals in a very straightforward and personal manner with those threaten the Holy Matrimony.

Baptism Preparation welcomes parents and sponsors of infants for baptism into our community of faith It’s mission: to support the parents in their understanding of Baptism as the first of three sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Faith.

YOUNG ADULTS

Young Adults Ministry focuses on the young adults of the parish to enable them to remain active in the parish after they graduate from the Youth Ministry.

Singles for Christ is one of the family ministries of Couples for Christ (CFC). It is an inter-parish group group that occasionally meets at St. Lorenzo Ruiz and has extensive membership among our young adult parishioners. It was founded to cater to the needs of single men and women from 21 to 40 years of age. “Single” refers to anyone within that age group who is free from and legal impediments to marriage. The pastoral care offered by the ministry, though, is not limited to those who are called for marriage but includes as well those who may be considering either single blessedness or religious vocation as a state of life.

YOUTH

Youth Ministry provides exciting activities for the whole year to bring the youth closer to God and to make them active in parish life. We will orientate you on all these wonderful events happenings in the chapter dedicated to the Youth.

Confirmation prepares high school students for the Sacramental of Confirmation to help them build a closer relationship with God beyond Catechism.

Quinceanera is the Hispanic tradition of celebrating a young girl’s coming of age – her 15^th birthday. Today’s celebrations embrace religious customs, and the virtues of the family and social responsibility. The Quinceneara tradition celebrates the young girl (la Quincernera), and recognizes her journey from childhood to maturity. The customs highlight God, family, friends, music, food, and dance.

CHILDREN

Religious Education Program for Children ministers to an assist the entire family in the lifelong process of growth in our Catholic Faith. In the spirit of our parish maxim, “Bring the Faith Home”, we offer several programs to meet the varied needs of our community: First Communion, Elementary ad Junior high programs, VIRTUS, Vacation Bible School, Teaching Touching Safety, Safeguard the Children.

Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) is a two-year program which prepares children for the reception of Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation.

Vacation Bible School (VBS)  is a week-long summer program for children ages 6-10. This fun filled five days are highlighted by bible learning, reinforcement and exploration; praise and worship, music, and other Christian-inspired games and activities.

SERVICE

Jesus, as KING, reached out to serve the needs of His people ad share the truth. As Christ’s stewards on earth today, we are called to share with God’s people the gifts and graces that God has immensely bless us with. Our KING program is divided into 3 groups; Ministries, Outreach and Intentional Communities.

Jesus spoke of the Reign of God as healing the sick, giving healing for the deaf, sight for the blind, freedom for the prisoners, and good news for the poor. Over two thousand years ago, the world is full of even more people in need. We have a chance of either turning our backs in surrender and indifference. The call of Christian discipleship tells us to do otherwise, though. It demands that we always seek to lift the burden.

“True discipleship calls for ultimate humility selflessness and servanthood modeled after Jesus actions Himself. The Son of God who disembarked from His holiness and divinity became one of us and, literally and figuratively washed our feet repeatedly IS the embodiment of true service.

As a faith community, we are KINGLY people. WE SERVE and WE SHARE

Ministries – Small Faith Communities, Bethesda, Social Justice, Vocation Ministry, Bereavement,
Outreach – Blood Drive, Rosary Makers, Hospitality Sundays, PAIS, Food Bank, Religious Store, Parish Bulletin, Parish Website,
Intentional Communities – CANA, Knights of Columbus, Basketball League, Widows Prayer Group, Hispanic Community, Chinese Community, Filipino-American Community.



TEMPORALITIES

As an organization, we strive to be economically stable and self-reliant. The parish has needs that maybe temporary but integral to her being able to fulfill her missions of evangelization.

The parish needs our time, talent and treasure in order to carry on with the various works of evangelizing and looking after the temporal and spiritual needs of our community. Who we are and what we have is God’s gift? We need to develop the posture of “needing to give” rather than giving to a need”. Through different fundraising pursuits, we implore parishioners and friends of the parish to support the church in its many temporal needs of operations, administrations, evangelization, education, etc.

As parishioners, we invite you to take the opportunity to respond with gratitude for God’s unconditional love, mercy and everyday blessings. There are many ways you can support our church aside from the regular Sunday offering which allows us to maintain our Church and operate the parish.
The Temporalities are the organization are groups involved in these finance-related undertakings.

As a faith community, we strive to be economically STABLE and SELF-RELIANT

Parish Fundraising, Fundraisers for Special Intentions, Grace Stewardship, Together in Mission, Second Collections.

Temporalities Personnel – Parish Controller, Sunday Offering Money Counters.


YOUTH

As we celebrate the vigor of youth in our children, we wish that they grow in love and service of God and neighbor and become dedicated and generous leaders in our community.

Teenagers have an apostolate of their own and we wish to inspire and inform them through education and recreational projects and other activities. The youth maybe best influence on their peers but they also acknowledge the role of the adults, their parents, teachers, and preachers as they assist and guide them in their spiritual, personal and social development and other undertakings.

May the face of the parish reflect the enthusiasm and vitality of the young people.

As a faith community, we give special care to the YOUTH of the parish.

Amazing Encounter (AE) Teens embark on a 3-day retreat each year, focusing on their relationship with God, families and friends based on the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love. So well received is this retreat that a significant number of teens volunteer each year. From this journey they come back renewed and rejuvenated in their faith. Since 2007, the St. Lorenzo Youth Ministry has had over 500 teens participate in the AE Retreat.

Rosary on the Beach is a group of youth that hit the beach for a day of fun, friendship, and faith. Participants partake in various games and activities which include scavenger hunting. At sundown, they gather around a bonfire to pray the rosary and sing songs of praise and worship. Rosary on the Beach is an annual event of St. Lorenzo for the Youth Ministry which takes place during the summer.

Coffee with Christ is our end-of-the-summer event showcasing the many talented individuals in our Youth Ministry. It begins with the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and culminates with performances ranging from singing and dancing, to skits and magic acts.

Spirit Games take place the nearby Creekside Park where different ministries from around the area join for a fellowship and friendly competition of various sports, barbequing, singing praise and worship songs, and most importantly, celebrating Mass as one family are the highlight of the day.

ONE FAITH, ONE HOME

If you are looking for a vibrant church – high spirited and bustling with life – you’ve come to the right place! Welcome to Saint Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church, your spiritual home.

We are a diverse herd of love-centered people from different ethnic communities sharing oneness of faith and a burning desire to love, serve, and represent Church to the world.

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God we’re making his appeal through us “2 Corinthians 5:20

God longs for you to reengage Him in a relationship that is new, more intimate, meaningful, and truly fulfilling. Like a father longing to welcome home his son, God awaits your coming on bended knees, with tearful eyes and with heart overflowing with joy and love.

“Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us.” Ephesians 1:11

We celebrate a "Holy Year of Renewal and Evangelization." And this is OUR CREED: 

We are “Stewards of our Community of Faith” coming from multi-ethnic traditions. As Christian stewards, we receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice, and return them with increase to the Lord. (U.S. Bishops’ Statement on Stewardship) We, in this endeavor and in our journey as Christ’s body, carry the precept: 

“BRING THE FAITH HOME” 

EACH ONE TAKE TWO, a form of evangelization which leads us to SMALL FAITH COMMUNITIES, becoming priests, prophets and kings. As a way of life… our creed is a celebration, and not an obligation. 

OUR CREED

We firmly believe that, at the end of the day, it is all about relationship. We are at our best when we are in relationships. We are at the worst when we are out of relationships. We greatly value our connections with each other as friends, families of multi-ethic origins and culture, living and loving as we experience together this beautiful journey of life.

As one family, we work towards a common goal of being on with the Lord. We build small faith communities that are made up of different peoples and races, drawing strength from our very own diversity, speaking in different tongues, serving one another in love, and worshipping together our one true God. Then, truly, we become Eucharist to each other and for each other.
Of all these relationships, the most crucial of all is that with Our god…. a personal God. We are a faith family who believes that New Evangelization can only be achieved by fostering and constantly rekindling a friendship, or even love affair, with personal God.

MISSION STATEMENT

As a welcoming community, we celebrate our life, conscious of our multi-ethnic traditions, avowing unity with Christ in our multi-cultural differences. 

We usher in our lives (being evangelized) and proclaim (as evangelizers) THE REIGN OF God as Priests, Prophets and Kings. In so doing, we celebrate our discipleship in Christ Jesus. 

We extol ‘being Church’ through the formation of Small Faith Communities as a way of life in being priests, prophets and kings; thus, we become economically stable and self-reliant as we give special attention and solicitude to our youth and the needy.

“They were faithful to the teaching of the apostles, the common life of sharing, the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

Through our Pastoral Zones, we are energized, revitalized and revived by our existing intentional communities and parish ministries...and so we move FORWARD...  We Celebrate Our Faith.