Welcome
This Church is our heavenly Father's house, a place of solace and grace, so feel at home. Enter reverently, pray quietly, sing joyfully, listen attentively, give cheerfully, and come back gladly. We are a welcoming Catholic Community called by God to live out the message of Christ in love and service to all people. If you are new to our Community, WELCOME!
St. Denis Catholic Community
2151 S. Diamond Bar Blvd.,
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
For our schedule for Masses, Confessions, Eucharistic Adoration, Holy Hours, and hours for the church and the chapel, please click here.
For current and past worship aids, please click here.
For the Prayer for our Golden Jubilee Year, please click here.
Pastoral Office is open
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
every day, except Tuesdays and holidays.
Phone: (909) 861-7106
Fax: (909) 861-2697
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A New Approach to Faith Formation at St. Denis
Teaching children, teens, and adults how to have
a close, personal relationship with Jesus
(Please click here for Fr. John's open letter to the parish.)
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Religious Education |
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
(Monday, January 17)
For this civil holiday, we will have our usual Masses at 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. The 8:00 a.m. Mass also will be livestreamed via our YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Please note that the Pastoral Office will be closed on Monday, January 17.
To watch Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech, please click on the following link:
To read his “I Have a Dream” Speech, please click here.
Zooming at St. Denis
Faith Formation, Prayer, and Fellowship
Weeknights via Zoom
Mondays at 7:30 p.m.
Every Monday at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom, one of our deacons or priests leads parishioners to reflect on and pray with the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday.
The next meeting will be on Monday, January 17, when Deacon Al will lead parishioners to reflect on and pray with next Sunday’s Gospel, which describes how Jesus went to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth and read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. To join this meeting, please click on the following Zoom link shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 17: https://zoom.us/j/96103613303?pwd=aVdsbSt3SUhhM2FHVmtBZW4rUHRsUT09. (The same link is used for every Monday night Zoom meeting.)
In addition, please print out (or open in a separate tab in your web browser or on a separate screen) this handout, which you will need for this meeting.
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Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom, Fr. John leads our Scripture Reading and Sharing Group, which is currently reading through the Book of Psalms in sequence. At each meeting, the participants take turns reading one or two Psalms; they discuss the Psalms and how the Psalms speak to us in the 21st century; and they pray with the Psalms.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 18 at 7:30 p.m. To join them, please click on the following Zoom link shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday:
https://zoom.us/j/93717806023?pwd=QjkzNDFtRGcyc0E2U3dFQm1LVzl6Zz09.
(The same link is used for every Tuesday night Zoom meeting.)
All are welcome to join the Scripture Reading and Sharing Group, including those who have never studied the Bible.
Sunday Mass for Families with Children
Online Survey
Starting in February or March, St. Denis will have a regular Sunday Mass every month or every week specifically for families with children in grade 8 and younger. At these “Sunday Masses for Families with Children,” children will actively participate in various ways, including:
● singing in a children’s choir;
● proclaiming the Word of God;
● helping the ushers take up the collection;
● bringing the gifts up to the altar; and
● gathering around the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer.
For the homily, the priest or deacon will sit in a rocking chair on a rug at the bottom of the steps leading to the altar; and the children will gather around him on the rug. Then, the priest or deacon will speak in a conversational way with the children about the readings, rather than preaching to the adults.
This monthly or weekly “Sunday Mass for Families with Children” will be either at 9:00 a.m. at 1:00 p.m., depending upon the preference of the parents. To express your preference for having this Mass at 9:00 a.m. or at 1:00 p.m., please fill out our short online survey, which will take about 1-2 minutes to complete. The online survey is here; and all parishioners, including those with no children and those with older children, are invited to complete the survey.
The deadline date for completing the survey is Monday, January 31. Thank you for participating in the survey.
OneLife LA
(Saturday, January 22)
On Saturday, January 22, OneLife LA will host its annual event in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate the beauty and dignity of every human life from conception through natural death. The event will include the following activities:
● 11:00 a.m.: Youth and Young Adult Rally at La Placita/Olvera Street;
● 12:00 noon: Welcome by Archbishop José Gomez;
● 12:30 p.m.: Walk for Life;
● 2:00-4:00 p.m.: Festival in L.A. State Historic Park;
● 5:00 p.m.: Requiem Mass for the Unborn at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
You may want to attend some or all of these activities. For more information, please go to the website: OneLifeLA.org.
GriefShare:
help for those who are mourning
the death of a loved one
If you’ve lost a spouse, a child, a family member, or a friend, you’ve probably found that there are not many people who understand the deep hurt you feel. This can be a confusing time, when you feel isolated and have many questions about things that you’ve never faced before.
Starting on Sunday, November 14, St. Denis’s GriefShare support group will meet weekly to help participants face these challenges and move toward rebuilding their lives. The group will meet every Sunday (except the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s) from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in Room A in the Hall for 13 weeks with a different topic for each session, as set forth below.
Dates:
November 14, 2021 Session One: “Is This Normal?”
November 21, 2021 Session Two: “Challenges of Grief”
December 5, 2021 Session Three: “The Journey of Grief (Part One)”
December 12, 2021 Session Four: “The Journey of Grief (Part Two)”
December 19, 2021 Session Five: “Grief and Your Relationships”
January 9, 2022 Session Six: “Why?”
January 16, 2022 Session Seven: “Guilt and Anger”
January 23, 2022 Session Eight: “Complicating Factors”
January 30, 2022 Session Nine: “Stuck”
February 6, 2022 Session Ten: “Lessons of Grief (Part One)”
February 13, 2022 Session Eleven: “Lessons of Grief (Part Two)”
February 20, 2022 Session Twelve: “Heaven”
February 27, 2022 Session Thirteen: “What Do I Live For Now?”
Each GriefShare session will have three distinct parts:
(1) watching a video seminar featuring top experts on grief and recovery;
(2) discussing with the group what was presented in the video and what is going on in their lives; and
(3) discussing questions and comments from a workbook, which participants will use during the week for further study of the grieving process and for journaling about their emotions.
Just show up for one of the sessions, even if you missed the previous sessions. You don’t have to sign up in advance.
For more information, please contact Mike Shay at (714) 563-6510, or watch the following video:
Young Adult Ministry (YAM)
Upcoming Events
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Hall
(next meeting in January)
YAM meets in the Hall (Room A) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays for fellowship, prayer, and faith formation. The next meeting will be in January; and the date and the topic will be announced on this website and YAM’s Instagram account.
Third Friday of the Month
(next Holy Hour on Friday, January 21 at 7:45 p.m.)
On the third Friday of every month, YAM meets in the church at 7:45 p.m. and participates in the Holy Hour, which usually is led by Deacon Dennis. Afterward, YAM members hang out and often go out for food and refreshments.
There will be no Holy Hour on Friday, December 17 because St. Denis will have an Advent Reconciliation Service at that time. Therefore, the next YAM Holy Hour will be on Friday, January 21 at 7:45 p.m.
Last Saturday of the Month (January 29)
On the last Saturday of every month, YAM usually takes a field trip to hang out and have fun. Past destinations have included the 626 Night Market at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, the beach in Costa Mesa, the Irvine Spectrum Center, and the Santa Monica Pier. Future destinations may include amusement parks, bowling, hiking, etc. Plans for Saturday, January 29 will be posted here when they are finalized. (There will be no field trip on December 25 (the last Saturday of this month) because of the Christmas holiday.)
For more information, follow YAM’s Instagram account; E-mail YAM at StDenisYAM2151@gmail.com; or contact the Pastoral Office at (909) 861-7106.
Golden Jubilee Year
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the
Founding of St. Denis Parish in Diamond Bar, California
Our Golden Jubilee Year will begin on Saturday, October 9, 2021 (the Feast of St. Denis) with a livestreamed Opening Mass (celebrated by Bishop David O’Connell) at 5:30 p.m. Then, we will celebrate in our courtyard from 6:30-9:30 p.m. with food and drinks, music and entertainment, dancing, fellowship, a 50-50 drawing, and more. The Jubilee Year will continue through Sunday, October 9, 2022, when we will celebrate a Closing Mass.
The theme of the Jubilee Year is “Together with Christ,” because, as Jesus said in John 15:4-5, without him we can do nothing.
The Committee for our 50th Anniversary Jubilee Year is planning many different events and ways (both large and small) to celebrate this Jubilee Year. Please go to our website (StDenis.org) and read the bulletin regularly for further details. And if you have good ideas about how we can celebrate the Jubilee Year, please contact Committee Chair Tom Bertnsen at Thomasboy1@yahoo.com.
Prayer for the Golden Jubilee Year
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of St. Denis Parish—
for all of the priests, deacons, lay ministers, leaders, and staff who have served the parish,
and for the thousands of parishioners who have generously supported St. Denis
with their time, talent, and treasure over the past 50 years.
Graciously bless them all.
Help us to build on their legacy,
and to be good and faithful stewards of what You have entrusted to us.
Because we can do nothing without Your Son,
help us to know and love Him more each day,
and to be united with Him—and with each other—in all things,
so that:
● Strengthened by Christ, we will persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic and every hardship.
● Guided by Christ, we will proclaim the Gospel by our words and actions to every creature, including family, friends, and strangers.
● Together with Christ, we will serve the poor and needy, and those on the margins of society.
Through the intercession of St. Denis, our patron saint,
and the Blessed Virgin Mary,
our mother and the mother of the Church,
please bless and renew us; and
bless and renew our beautiful parish.
We ask all of this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Jubilee Year for the 250th Anniversary
of the founding of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel was founded in 1771 by the great Franciscan missionary Fr. Junípero Serra. This mission is the first church in what is now the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. And as Pope Francis has noted, St. Junípero Serra “was one of the founding fathers of the United States.” Thus, this Jubilee Year recognizes not only the Church’s beginnings in Los Angeles, but also the Christian beginnings of America and the influence of Christian values in the formation of our national identity.
The Jubilee Year began on September 11, 2021 with an Opening Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles; and it will continue through September 10, 2022, when a Closing Mass will be celebrated at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel.
The theme of the Jubilee Year is “Forward in Mission.” For more information about the Jubilee Year and upcoming events, please go to this website: ForwardInMission.com.
Together in Mission
This month, Archbishop José Gomez invites every Catholic to make a commitment to Together in Mission for 2021.
Last year, Together in Mission raised $14 million, which was distributed to 67 poor parishes and 74 poor Catholic schools throughout the Los Angeles Archdiocese. The poor parishes and schools used the money for educational programs, emergency projects, operational support, service to the poor, and outreach programs.
This year’s theme is “Forward with Faith.” Our financially struggling parishes and schools were severely impacted by COVID-19. As we emerge as one Catholic family from this pandemic, the call to help those in need is deeper and louder.
The archdiocese’s goal for Together in Mission this year is $15.35 million; and St. Denis has been asked to raise $114,875. Last year, we exceeded our parish’s goal despite the pandemic; and we sincerely thank everyone who contributed last year and who will contribute this year to Together in Mission.
You do not have to donate any money now. Instead, we are asking every household and family to make a new pledge this year to Together in Mission. You can then take the rest of the year to fulfill your pledge.
You may make a pledge in any of the following ways:
(1) with the information that was mailed to your home;
(2) with the pledge envelopes that are available in the pews and in the vestibule of the church;
(3) visiting TogetherInMission.org/give;
(4) calling 213-637-7672 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.);
(5) texting Forward21 to 213-397-0682.
However you make your pledge, please be sure to identify St. Denis Parish as your parish so that St. Denis will be credited with your pledge and donation.
Thank you for supporting Together in Mission.
Masses:
Monday through Thursday: 8:00 a.m. (also livestreamed)
6:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. (also livestreamed)
7:00 p.m. followed by a Holy Hour (also livestreamed)
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. (also livestreamed)
5:30 p.m. (Sunday vigil with cantor, organ/piano)
Sunday: 7:00 a.m. (no music)
9:00 a.m. (cantor, organ/piano)
11:00 a.m. (adult choir, cantor, organ/piano; also livestreamed)
1:00 p.m. (cantor, piano)
5:30 p.m. (contemporary music with youth & young adult choir, cantors, piano; also livestreamed)
Sunday Mass Worship Aid with Readings (1/16/22)
Our livestreamed Masses and Holy Hours are livestreamed simultaneously to our YouTube channel and our Facebook page.
"Permission to podcast/stream the music in these services is obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #A730717. All rights reserved.”
Obligation to attend Masses on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation
With the reopening of California in the wake of the pandemic, Archbishop José Gomez has reinstituted the obligation for Catholics to attend Mass in person on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
However, those who have serious and legitimate reasons (e.g., illness; underlying health conditions that render them susceptible to illness; significant fears of becoming ill; etc.) are dispensed from this obligation (and, thus, are not obliged to attend Mass in person).
Please note that watching a livestreamed Mass does not fulfill the obligation to attend Mass in person. However, if you are unable to attend Mass in person, we encourage you to participate in our livestreamed Masses. We livestream one or two Masses every day simultaneously to our YouTube channel and Facebook page.
COVID-19 Reminders
Seating inside the church and in the courtyard
On June 15, 2021, we changed the seating inside the church so that more than half of the pews have normal seating, the way we used to prior to the pandemic. However, we also have four pew sections on the sides reserved for socially distanced seating because we know that children under 12 are not vaccinated and that others are not fully vaccinated for various reasons. In addition, we have socially distanced seating in our courtyard for those who prefer not to sit inside the church.
In accordance with the latest order by the L.A. County Department of Public Health, all people (age 2+) inside the church, the Pastoral Office, and the Hall need to wear a face covering.
For now, Holy Communion will be offered only in the form of bread. To prevent the spread of germs, Communion on the hand is strongly encouraged.
Confessions
Monday through Saturday: After the 8:00 a.m. Mass in the courtyard
Friday: 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the church*
Saturday: 3:00-4:30 p.m. in the church*
*Fr. Dennis will be in the back pew of the church; Fr. John will be in his confessional booth.
You also may schedule Confession with a priest at another time by calling the Pastoral Office (909-861-7106).
The website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sets forth seven different ways for us to examine our conscience based on our circumstances, including examining our conscience based on the Ten Commandments, and six other ways. Please click here for the links.
If you cannot go to a priest for Confession during this pandemic, Pope Francis encourages you to confess your sins directly to God and make an “Act of Perfect Contrition”:
“If you don’t find a priest to go to confession, speak to God. He’s your Father. Tell Him the truth. ‘Lord. I did this and this and this. Pardon me.’ Ask His forgiveness with all your heart, with an act of contrition, and promise Him, ‘Afterward I will go to confession.’ You will return to God's grace immediately.” (This quotation is by Pope Francis and is from this article.)
Here is another article with more information about how to make an “act of perfect contrition.”
Church and chapel hours
(except holidays)
Sunday: 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Holy Hour and Eucharistic Exposition and Adoration in the church
(with seating inside the church and in the courtyard)
Friday: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Eucharistic Exposition and Adoration
7:45-8:45 p.m. Holy Hour (Holy Hour Worship Aid (1/14/22))
Links for Livestreamed Liturgies
The livestreamed videos below are from our St. Denis YouTube Channel. If you would like to watch more videos on our YouTube Channel, please click here.
If you would like to watch our videos on Facebook, please click here.
Upcoming Mass(es):
Mass, Tuesday at 8:00 AM (1/18/22)
Recent Daily Mass:
Mass, Monday at 8:00 AM (1/17/22)
Recent Sunday Masses:
Mass, Sunday at 11:00 AM (1/16/22)
Worship Aid
Mass, Sunday at 5:30 PM (1/16/22)
Worship Aid
Videos of all of our liturgies that were livestreamed or recorded are available on St. Denis’s YouTube channel.
Pope Francis: COVID-19 vaccination is an "act of love"
This video by Pope Francis (and various cardinals and bishops) is in Spanish with English subtitles.
No Religious Exemption for the COVID-19 Vaccine
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, in accordance with the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), recommends that all members of the Catholic community who can receive a COVID-19 vaccine should do so. The Archdiocese is not providing individuals with religious exemption letters to avoid vaccination against COVID-19. Please see the information and links below to understand why the Archdiocese does not consider the COVID-19 vaccine to be morally objectionable and why it encourages all the faithful to get vaccinated.
“Receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community. In this way, being vaccinated safely against COVID-19 should be considered an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good.”—USCCB, Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID-19 Vaccines.
The following links might be helpful in understanding the morality of receiving the vaccine:
https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20201221_nota-vaccini-anticovid_en.html
https://www.usccb.org/news/2021/us-bishop-chairmen-doctrine-and-pro-life-address-use-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine
https://www.cacatholic.org/CCC-vaccine-moral-acceptability
Vatican: COVID-19 vaccines are “morally acceptable”
Archdiocese of Los Angeles: “Strongly encourages” Catholics
to receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine
The Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), has determined that it is “morally acceptable” for Catholics to receive the vaccines against the COVID-19 virus. This judgment is deeply rooted in the Catholic moral tradition.
On December 21, 2020, the CDF stated:
All vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used in good conscience with the certain knowledge that the use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion from which the cells used in production of the vaccines derive . . . the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one's own health, but also on the duty to pursue the common good.
In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination, especially to protect the weakest and most exposed.
Therefore, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles strongly encourages Catholics to receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for the sake of ourselves, our loved ones, and the common good.
If some of the faithful do not receive the vaccine, the Vatican says that those persons “must do their utmost to avoid . . . becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent.”
For more information, please see the following documents from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB):
USCCB – U.S. Bishop Chairmen for Pro-Life and Doctrine
https://www.usccb.org/news/2020/us-bishop-chairmen-pro-life-and-doctrine-address-ethical-concerns-new-covid-19-vaccines
USCCB – Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID 19 Vaccines
https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines
USCCB – Answers to Key Ethical Questions About COVID 19 Vaccines
https://www.usccb.org/resources/Answers%20to%20Key%20Ethical%20Questions%20About%20COVID-19%20Vaccines.pdf
USCCB – Moral Guidance on Vaccine
https://www.usccb.org/prolife/biomedical-research
USCCB – Statement on the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
https://www.usccb.org/news/2021/us-bishop-chairmen-doctrine-and-pro-life-address-use-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine
Please also watch the following webinar:
Webinar - “Love Your Neighbor and Get Vaccinated: Science, Ethics and the COVID-19 Vaccines”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5AhnQSkOp0&t=6s
The one-hour-long webinar discusses the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the impact the pandemic has had on parishes around the state. If features Dr. Charles Binkley, MD, Director of Bioethics, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University; Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB, MD, DPhil., Professor of Church History and Moral Theology, St. John's Seminary; and Mr. Isaac Cuevas, Director of Immigration and Public Affairs, Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
COVID-19 Funeral Assistance from FEMA
FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) is providing financial assistance for funeral expenses related to COVID-19.
To be eligible for funeral assistance, you must meet these conditions:
- The death must have occurred in the United States, including the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
- The death certificate must indicate that the death was attributed to COVID-19.
- The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020.
- There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien.
To apply, please call the dedicated FEMA toll-free hotline at 844-684-6333 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time).
For more information, please go to the relevant FEMA webpage.
Click here for past St. Denis events
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