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

Contact
Phone:  (909) 861-7106  
Fax:      (909) 861-2697 

Pastoral Office Hours
Mon - Fri:   8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday:   8:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday:     7:30 am - 4:00 pm


Sick calls: Please call anytime

An Easter Message from Fr. John

Jesus Christ is risen today!  Alleluia!

Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has changed the course of human history.  Through his suffering, death, and resurrection, he has freed us from sin and eternal death, and has won for us new life.

And this new life doesn’t happen only after we die and enter heaven.  Our new life actually begins with our baptism, which unites us with Jesus.  Through baptism, we begin to die to our former selves; and we put on Christ, who is the resurrection and the life.

During our earthly lives, we need to embrace fully this new life that Jesus has won for us.  And we do this by living the way that he did—by living loving, generous, self-sacrificial lives for God and for other people.  Rather than living for ourselves alone, we live to glorify God and to help others, especially the poor, the needy, and those on the margins of society. 

And Jesus is with us every step of the way to help us to embrace this new life that he has won for us.  In particular, we encounter Jesus in four major ways every week and even every day.  First, we encounter him in Sacred Scripture, which is why we need to read the Bible regularly, and not just on Sundays. Second, we encounter Jesus through prayer, which is why we need to pray every day, and preferably several times a day.  Third, we encounter Jesus in the Sacraments, which is why we need to receive Holy Communion and go to Confession frequently.  Fourth, we encounter Jesus in other people and in our faith community, because, as Jesus says in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” 

Furthermore, we encounter Jesus in all four of these ways at every Mass, which is why going to Mass every Sunday is so important.  At every Mass, we encounter Jesus in Sacred Scripture, in prayer, in Holy Communion, and in the faith community.  If you don’t already attend Mass every Sunday, please start doing so.  This is a good first step to developing a close, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

But attending Mass every Sunday (or even every day) is not enough.  To develop a deeper relationship with Jesus, we need to read the Bible every day. That’s why I strongly recommend reading the daily Mass readings each day. Reading the Bible in this way is easy because it takes only about five minutes per day.  Furthermore, the daily readings are readily accessible on the U.S. Bishops’ website (usccb.org), where you can sign up to have them E-mailed to you every morning.  They also are available on smartphone apps such as iBreviary and Laudate.  And if you read the daily readings every day for three years, you will read about 90% of the Gospels, about 70% of the New Testament, and about 20% of the Old Testament. 

We also need the help of a strong faith community to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus.  We are blessed because St. Denis is a very friendly and active parish, and offers a range of activities and something for just about everyone, including children, teens, young adults, middle-aged adults, and seniors.  Please check out this website and our bulletin (especially the cover and page 2), which is available on our website, for an overview of everything that is happening at St. Denis.

For example, please note that we have a good Bible Study Group, which is studying Luke’s Gospel.  They meet every Wednesday in Potthoff Hall from 7:30-9:00 p.m., starting with a light supper at 7:00 p.m.  This Wednesday, they will study and discuss Luke chapter 9.  

We have several devotional prayer groups, which are listed on the cover the bulletin, including a Christian Meditation Group, which meets every Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. in the church’s “crying room” that is closest to the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This Meditation Group will teach you the ancient Christian practice of silent meditation. 

In addition, we have a very active Knights of Columbus and Women’s Council, which are service-oriented fellowship groups.  We have an active Cursillo Group, which has an upcoming retreat for men from April 25-28 and a retreat for women from May 2-5.  And on Sunday, April 28, we will start a new cycle of GriefShare to help those who are mourning the death of a loved one.

Finally, if you are just starting to get involved in the parish, I recommend joining Alpha, which meets in Potthoff Hall every Saturday morning from 9:00-10:30 a.m. (beginning with a free continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m.).  Alpha participants explore the Christian faith by eating a meal, watching a thought-provoking video, and discussing a different faith-related question each week.  All are welcome, including active and inactive Catholics, non-Catholics, agnostics, and atheists.

Jesus Christ is risen today!  May you and your family have a very blessed and joyful Easter.

Archbishop José Gomez is inviting all Catholics to make their annual commitment to the 2019 Together in Mission Appeal. All of the money raised through Together in Mission is used to assist poor parishes and schools in the Los Angeles Archdiocese that cannot survive without outside financial support. For example, last year 62 local parishes and 40 local parochial schools received necessary funding that allowed them to continue to do the Lord’s work.

This year, our parish has been asked to raise $135,800. By contrast, in 2018, 325 donors helped to raise $121,472, which means that we were one of the most generous parishes in the Archdiocese. We can meet this year's higher goal if every family in our parish pledges to Together in Mission.

This year’s theme of “Our Story is Hope” reminds us that our gifts to Together in Mission are an active demonstration of our faith and love for those in our Archdiocese who need our support. Please make a pledge by using the materials that were recently mailed to your home; by filling out a pledge card that is available in the pews and in our Pastoral Office; or by going online at ourmissionla.org/give. When making a pledge, please indicate that St. Denis is your parish so that your pledge and donations will count toward St. Denis 2019 goal of $135,800. 

Your gifts to Together in Mission ensure that every Catholic living in the Archdiocese has a parish to celebrate their faith and access to a Catholic school education. You are living your faith through your actions when you support Together in Mission. Thank you for your generosity.

Again, the website for Together in Mission is ourmissionla.org/give and please do not forget to select St Denis as your parish.

Click here for a printable form of the 2019 Pilgrimage Grand Marian Shrines

Click here for a printable form of the 2019 Pilgrimage Grand Marian Shrines

Click here to see past St Denis events