Community Life

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Community Life

St. Gerard Women's Club

We are a religious and social club of St. John’s Parish. In time of need we are a wonderful support for each other. We hold many fundraisers throughout the year to raise money, which we proudly present to St. John's Parish at our annual Installation of Officers. St. Gerard Women's Club started in 1950 by a group of young San Lorenzo Village mothers, parishioners of St. John's church. Today we have approximately 200 members on our roster. "The Majellan" is our monthly newsletter, which we mail to all members. It contains information about upcoming events, reports on past events, prayer requests, humorous tidbits and birthdays. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month (excluding January, July & August) at 6:30 P.M. in the meeting room. New members are always welcome. For more information regarding this ministry: Evelyn Long, (510) 502-4353 or e-mail eclong45@att.net.

Knights of Columbus - Fr. Walter O’brien Council 3518

The Knights of Columbus is guided by the principles of charity, unity and fraternity. As a Knight you have an opportunity to strengthen you family, grow in your faith and give back to your community. Our Council has a business meeting the first Monday of each month where we plan fund raising activities like Pancake Breakfasts to raise school tuition funds; the Tootsie-Roll Drive for the Intellectually Disabled; and helping with the Parish Festival. And, the third Monday of each Month we have a Family Social with our wives, children and friends to share a meal, fellowship and support for our endeavors. The Knights also offers financial support in the form of Life and Long Term Care Insurance to take care of loved ones in time of need. Also we gather together to pray Rosary for the unborn on the 1st Saturday of the month at 9am at the Holy Sepulcher Cemetery. Come join us. All men feel called to be part of the knights family, contact Michael McCarthy at rizzalina@sbcglobal.net, or Eric Galang at eric.galang@sbcglobal.net.

Hispanic Community

Two Masses in Spanish are held at the weekend: Saturday at 6:30pm and Sunday at 2:00PM. First Friday of the month, a Mass is held at 8:pm. Other church liturgical services such as Baptisms, Quienceañeras, and Weddings are by appointment. We have Religious education classes in Spanish, and festivities such as the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Feast of the Immaculate Conception and many others.

Filipino Community

The presence of a good number of Filipino families shares with us the gift of their tradition. We have the Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo which is a Dawn Mass in preparation for Christmas, the Flores de Mayo which is the celebration during the whole month of May Celebration in honor of the Blessed Virgin and the Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, the First Filipino Saint. These festivities are usually followed by a reception. Contact Naomi Galang at 317-693-8156 for more information.

St. John’s School

St. John Catholic School, a ministry of St. John the Baptist Parish in San Lorenzo, exists to educate the whole child. St. John Catholic School provides a Christ-centered learning environment where students grow spiritually, academically, and socially. We prepare our students to identify and cultivate their unique, God-given talents and use their gifts to think critically, problem solve, and actively lead in the community. St. John Catholic School serves over 200 students and their families, and we are in session from the end of August until the middle of June. Staff meets weekly to brainstorm, collaborate, and plan for students’ learning experiences. We welcome St. John parishioners and community members to visit our school and experience the love and growth that occurs there. New families are always invited to join our shamrock family. If you or someone you know is interested to learn more about St. John Catholic School, please feel free to contact us via one of the following options: School phone: (510) 276-6632; Paige Child, Principal: pchild@csdo.org; Daniel Enos, Director of Mission Advancement: denos@csdo.org.

St. John’s Parent Teacher Group (PTG)

PTG is a group of committed parents who have several functions: to provide and coordinate opportunities to help out the school, to keep parents aware of what’s happening, to raise funds to support instructional and enrichment programs, and to support the faculty/staff in their interactions with the children. They help to form a partnership between families and our school, which is vital to the academic, social and emotional success of our students. They understand and support our school-wide goals, expectations and curriculum which help us all work together in sharing the responsibility for each child’s education. Contact Kathy Martins: 510-681-1043; kathymartins@att.net for more information.

St. John’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO)

CYO-Catholic Youth Organization---We are a church sponsored athletic program for elementary and junior high age youth. CYO sports are offered as a ministry to young people where they are provided with an opportunity to practice Christian attitudes and responsibilities. We offer basketball, volleyball, cheerleading and cross country. “To belong to a sports team means to reject all forms of selfishness and isolation--it is an opportunity to meet and be with others, to help each other, to compete in mutual esteem and grow in brotherhood.” -- Pope Francis 2014 We currently have 11 members running this ministry. We meet once a month in the faculty room at the school. If you feel called to join our ministry, contact the followings: General information--Liz Brown 510-909-2446, Emily Babcock 510-331-4256, Kristen Elliott 510-331-1525, Daniel Enos 510-432-5911. Boy’s Athletic director--Derek Hull-Jenkins 510-206-1816. Girl’s Athletic director--Cindy Nguyen 510-589-8275. Gym Booking contact--Joe Thomas 510-415-4161.

Festival Ministry

Number of people varies each year. We have 13 this year. We meet twice before summer then take the summer off and meet again every week once school starts again sometime in the evening. This year (2017) it is on Wednesdays at 6 pm in the community room. Contact person this year is Irene Fuller (510) 589-8253 or Juanita Velasquez (510) 688-0669.