800 Beacon St. Avalon, CA. Santa Catalina Island
800 Beacon St. Avalon, CA. Santa Catalina Island 

Welcome to Saint Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church on Santa Catalina Island.

Seating is available inside the main church or in the outer courtyard during Masses. The Mass can be heard in the courtyard through our outdoor speakers.

 

Office hours: Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday, 11:00am-1:00pm and by appointment.

Annointing of the sick: contact Father Dario

Confession: contact Father Dario.

 

Votive candles are available for purchase at the parish office and sacristy for $10 each.

You may purchase candles at the sacristy directly before or after any Mass. Place your donation in the money slot, then take a candle from the cupboard below. Please only take the amount you have donated for.

For safety reasons, please do not use votive candles from Vons or any other distributor inside our candle holders at the two indoor oratories. We have had problems with them shattering and creating a fire hazard. The plastic candles we use & provide have proved trustworthy over the years for use in our beloved oratories.

 

Gluten-free hosts are available during communion. We prefer that you let the priest or Eucharistic minister know before Mass so they can have it ready.

Thursday Eucharistic Adoration

Join us for Eucharistic Adoration every Thursday from 6:00pm to 8:00pm in the church. We hope you can attend and spend some time in prayer and adoration with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Weekly Announcements:

We are in desperate need of a first-year First Communion instructor for this year's class!

PLEASE consider being a religious education instructor for our first-year First Holy Communion class this year. We have ALL the materials you would need: books, supplies, CD's, and more. All we need is someone to teach our young ones! The instructors we had in the past are unable to continue their service due to reasons in their personal lives, and we thank them enormously for their years of service. It is time for new minds to lead!

Update: Two parishioners have graciously offered to teach second-year First Communion. First year will be on-hold until there is an instructor.

Weekly Gospel Reflections: October 6th, 2024, from Fr. Dave Heney from St. Bruno's:

 

Adam & Eve get married…
I always have the best place at every wedding!
I stand right in front of the Bride and Groom and can also see every face in the Church as well.
I also see the guests as they arrive. Non-Catholics look around a lot, perhaps their first time in
our Church. Others talk quietly with friends or spend time in prayer. Some think only of the
reception!
I also see almost everyone do the exact same thing …and at the same time. They stare straight
ahead and their eyes tear up. When is that? Of course, it happens when the Bride and Groom
say their wedding vows.
The guests are hearing the most amazing words anyone can ever say to another person. No
other combination of words in any language says as much as the Catholic marriage vows. I
promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, I will love you and
honor you …all the days of my life! God designed us to be inspired by that total commitment
…and it shows on every guest at the wedding.
Both Bride and Groom says the same vows, so they are equal in their marriage. One is never the boss of the other, but can certainly develop work sharing arrangements out of authentic love
and mutual respect. They know themselves well …and offer their own unique talents for the
happiness of the other.
Love is not about taking, but freely giving. Jesus reaffirms your purpose in today’s Gospel …to
know your own life well …and then offer it for the authentic happiness of another.
Certainly, your safety or the threat of violence are valid reasons for a legal separation or even
divorce. Our faith helps here too. (See my article, Divorce and Remarriage at
stbrunochurch.com).
We always hope wedding vows will last, but just in case you need help, Jesus designed a
reminder every week …at Mass, when He affirms His commitment to you in words that are
identical to your wedding vows.
“This is my Body and Blood, (my entire life that I know well) and it is given for your lasting
happiness!” It is no accident that Our Lord’s words of commitment to you at Mass are almost
identical to the Marriage Vows.
Every Mass is a School of Love that serves as a weekly reminder how happiness can be found.

 

Fr. Dave Heney

daveheney.com

~~

We are looking for assistance in livestreaming the weekend Mass online. Please let Fr. Dario or tech advisor, Gabriel, know. We only need 1 Mass per weekend, and it can be any Mass you are available to attend. If you have your own laptop, great! If not, we can arrange to have one available so you can connect to our livestream camera inside.

 

Standing Announcements:

If you have any upcoming baptisms, funerals, or quinceñeras, please call or email the parish office to confirm that it is on our schedule. No one is allowed to use the church for special events without authorization from the pastor (Father Dario). This is to make sure two events do not conflict with each other, and so that the priest is not caught by surprise by an unscheduled event.

 

Checks: If you write a check to our church for any purpose, please do not make any corrections. Please start a new check. Our bank (U.S. Bank) has been declining checks written to us because of corrections.

 

We have surpassed our goal for the "Called to Renew" Campaign!

If you have the financial means, and would like to make a pledge to this campaign to support the maintenance and upgrades to our parish, it's not too late! Every dollar we make past our "goal" from the Archdiocese goes directly to our parish's fund! You can find our campaign info on the official Called to Renew website here.

 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are always open to having more Mass volunteers

As with many Catholic parishes, we always welcome our congregation to help fill the various roles within the Mass. Contact the parish office or the pastor if you would like to sign-up to help make sure our celebrations of Mass always have the full support the Lord deserves.

Available positions:

- Lectors (reading the liturgy of the word)

- Altar server (at any age)

- Sacristans (preparing the linens and Eucharistic items before Mass)

- Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion

- Music ministers (cantors/singers, organists, pianists, guitarists)

   [Will need to confirm repertoire with church Music Director]

- Ushers

- Greeters

- Anyone good with I.T. and tech (paid employment can be discussed for this position).

If you would like to volunteer in any capacity, please contact the parish office or speak with Father Dario after Mass, or whenever you see him. Prospective musicians or cantors/choristers may contact the Music Director directly.

~~ Religious education classes ~~

Click here to see the "Religious Ed. updates" page

TEEN CONFIRMATION

All communications to parents will happen through the parish Flocknote text messages and emails. Contact Father Dario if you are not yet signed up to receive these messages.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

We are in desperate need of a first-year First Communion instructor for this year's class!

PLEASE consider being a religious education instructor for our first-year First Holy Communion class this year. We have ALL the materials you would need: books, supplies, CD's, and more. All we need is someone to teach our young ones! The instructors we had in the past are unable to continue their service due to reasons in their personal lives, and we thank them enormously for their years of service. It is time for new minds to lead!

Update: Two parishioners have graciously offered to teach second-year First Communion. First year will be on-hold until there is an instructor.

 

All communications to parents will happen through the parish Flocknote text messages and emails. Contact Father Dario if you are not yet signed up to receive these messages.

ATTENDING MASS WITH US:

 

We celebrate the Roman Catholic Mass in alignment with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. All of our Masses are held in the "Ordinary Rite", which is most familiar to our community. We do not offer any Extraordinary Form/Latin Masses at this time.

 

> We encourage walking and car-pooling as much as possible due to limited parking at and around the church. Please be mindful of nearby residents and city regulations about vehicle parking.

> Parking is available on Beacon Street in front of the church, and in the back parking lot of the church. PLEASE do not block any exits, pathways, or driveways. The side parking lot next to the Parish Hall is not available.

> We request members of the congregation to turn their cell phones on silent mode or off while attending Mass. During visits outside of Mass, please maintain reverence and be mindful of other visitors using the peace and quiet for prayer and reflection.

> When you enter, feel free to pick up a copy of our Parish bulletin. During most weekend Masses, we have an usher who may offer you one.

> During Mass, we make use of the OCP Music Issue and Today's Missal for hymns and readings in the Liturgy of the Word. On occasion, our music department may have separate leaflets printed out for special events or holidays and have them available beside the bulletins.

> Lost and found items are usually turned in to the sacristy. Please contact the parish priest or a church volunteer to retrieve a lost item. If you return outside of Mass times, please call the church phone number or send us an email to get access to the lost & found.

> After the 9:00AM Sunday Mass, we welcome you to join us for coffee, juice, and light snacks in the courtyard provided by our volunteers. A donation jar is usually set up and all monies go directly to supporting parish operations. If it is raining after Mass, the get-together is usually moved inside the Parish Hall.

 

Last update: 5 Oct 2024