Fridays in the Easter Season

Friday, April 5 – Friday, May 17

8:00 a.m.             Mass (also livestreamed)

8:30-8:45 a.m.    Confessions

4:00-5:00 p.m.  Confessions

6:30 p.m.             Mass (also livestreamed)

7:15 p.m.               Stations of the Resurrection (also livestreamed)
                             Stations of the Resurrection Worship Aid

8:00 p.m.             Holy Hour (also livestreamed)
                             Holy Hour Worship Aid (4/19/2024)

(We livestream simultaneously on our YouTube channel and our Facebook page.) 

The Stations of the Resurrection
during the Easter Season

7:15 p.m. on Friday, April 26 
(and the subsequent Fridays of the Easter Season)

The Easter Season lasts 50 days—from Easter Sunday (March 31) through Pentecost Sunday (May 19).  During these 50 days, the Church invites us to meditate on, pray about, and enter into the mystery of Jesus’s Resurrection.

To help us to pray with—and enter into the mystery of—the Resurrection, St. Denis will pray the Stations of the Resurrection at 7:15 p.m. every Friday during the Easter Season (i.e., on the following Fridays:  April 5, April 12, April 19, April 26, May 3, May 10, and May 17).  The Stations of the Resurrection also will be livestreamed simultaneously to our YouTube channel and Facebook page.

The Stations of the Resurrection are similar to the Stations of the Cross, but they focus on Jesus’s Resurrection appearances as well as his Ascension into heaven and his sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  These are the 14 Stations of the Resurrection:

1.  Jesus Rises from the Dead
2.  The Disciples Discover the Empty Tomb
3.  The Risen Lord Appears to Mary Magdalen, Apostle to the Apostles
4.  The Risen Lord Appears to Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus
5.  The Risen Lord is Recognized in the Breaking of the Bread
6.  The Risen Lord Appears to the Community of Disciples
7.  The Risen Lord Breathes Peace and Gives the Power to Forgive
8.  The Risen Lord Strengthens the Faith of Thomas
9.  The Risen Lord Eats with the Disciples on the Shore of Tiberias
10.  The Risen Lord Forgives Peter and Entrusts Him to Feed His Sheep
11.  The Risen Lord Sends the Disciples into the World
12.  The Risen Lord Ascends into Heaven
13.  Mary and the Disciples Keep Vigil in the Upper Room for the Spirit’s Advent
14.  The Risen Lord Sends the Holy Spirit

A worship aid for the Stations of the Resurrection is here.

For more information about the Stations of the Resurrection, please see this Catholic New Agency article and this Wikipedia article. 

Sunday Masses at 1:00 p.m.
for Families with Children

Sunday, April 28
and at 1:00 p.m. every other Sunday thereafter

At 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 31 (Easter Sunday), and every other Sunday thereafter, St. Denis has a regular Mass specifically for families with children in grade 8 and younger.  At these Family Masses, children actively participate in all parts of the Mass, including:

• singing in the Children’s Choir;
• serving as altar servers;
• proclaiming the Word of God;
• sitting down with the priest or deacon to discuss the readings;
• helping the ushers take up the collection;
• bringing up the bread, wine, and other gifts to the altar; and
• gathering around the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer. 

Future Family Masses will be at 1:00 p.m. on the following Sundays: April 28, May 12 and 26, and June 9 and 23.  

These Family Masses also will be livestreamed simultaneously to our YouTube channel and Facebook page.

All are welcome—and bring your children and grandchildren who are in grade 8 or younger!  

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.  

St. Denis’s GriefShare support group meets weekly to help participants face these challenges and move toward rebuilding their lives.  They meet every Sunday from 1:00-3:00 pm in the Hall (Room A) with a different topic for each session.  The schedule is set forth below.

Dates:  

April 28, 2024     Session One:  “Is This Normal?”
May 5, 2024        Session Two:  “Challenges of Grief”
May 12, 2024       No meeting  (Mother’s Day)
May 19, 2024       Session Three:  “The Journey of Grief (Part One)”
May 26, 2024      Session Four:  “The Journey of Grief (Part Two)”
June 2, 2024        Session Five:  “Grief and Your Relationships”
June 9, 2024        Session Six:  “Why?”
June 16, 2024       Session Seven:  “Guilt and Anger”
June 23, 2024       Session Eight:  “Complicating Factors”
June 30, 2024       Session Nine:  “Stuck”
July 7, 2024           Session Ten:  “Lessons of Grief (Part One)”
July 14, 2024         Session Eleven:  “Lessons of Grief (Part Two)”
July 21, 2024         Session Twelve:  “Heaven”
July 28, 2024        Session Thirteen:  “What Do I Live For Now?” 


Each GriefShare session has 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.  You don’t have to sign up in advance; and you don’t have to attend all of the sessions.  

For more information, please contact Ann Fernandez at (909) 518-7537, or watch the following video:
 

Biblical Study of the Blessed Virgin Mary

four weekly sessions with Fr. John in the Hall

Tuesdays (7:30-9:00 p.m.) 
or Saturdays (9:00-10:30 a.m.) 

Catholics give Mary in many different titles:  the New Eve, the New Ark, the Perpetual Virgin, the Mother of the Messiah, the Mother of God, the Queen Mother, and the Queen of Heaven.  But what does the Bible teach about the Blessed Virgin Mary?  Does our Catholic understanding of Mary have any basis in the Bible?  

Catholic beliefs in Mary are deeply rooted in ancient Christianity; and ancient Christians got their beliefs about Mary from the Old Testament, not just the New Testament.  Indeed, the image of Mary in the New Testament is inseparable from its Old Testament antecedents.  Moreover, to understand what the Bible teaches about Mary, we also have to understand what the Bible teaches about Jesus.  

For this Series on Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, we will use Dr. Brant Pitre’s book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary:  Unveiling the Mother of the Messiah (Image, 2018).  The book can be purchased for $5 at the Pastoral Office and at each of the weekly sessions.  

Praise for Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary:

• “A joy to read.  This is the best biblical study of Mary I have ever read.  A true masterpiece.”—Scott Hahn, Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization, Franciscan University of Steubenville; author of The Lamb’s Supper and The Fourth Cup.

• “Brant Pitre has produced an absolutely riveting, page-turning read, surely the most thought-provoking and stimulating I have ever read on the subject.”—Chris Tilling, St. Mellitus College, London; author of Paul’s Divine Christology and co-author of How God Became Jesus.

•  “This book will revolutionize your understanding of the most important woman in history.”—Jennifer Fulwiler, Sirius XM Radio host; author of One Beautiful Dream: The Rollicking Tale of Family Chaos, Personal Passions, and Saying Yes to Them Both.

Fr. John and the participants will read through and discuss the book for four weekly sessions.  Each session will be offered twice:  on a Tuesday from 7:30-9:00 p.m. and on the following Saturday from 9:00-10:30 a.m.  Each week, participants can choose to attend either the Tuesday session or the Saturday session.

If you purchase the book in advance at the Pastoral Office, please read pages 1-54 before the first session.

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April 2024

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is committed to helping victim-survivors and protecting minors and vulnerable adults.  Over the past 20+ years, more than 440,000 adults have been trained in abuse awareness and prevention; more than 257,000 adults have been fingerprinted as part of a program of background checks for Church and school personnel and volunteers; and each year, about 165,000 students in Catholic elementary and high schools, religious education, confirmation, and youth ministry programs receive age-appropriate abuse-prevention training.  

Furthermore, allegations of misconduct involving a minor, whether by clergy or a lay person, are taken very seriously.  Allegations involving a minor are reported to law enforcement; and if the person if found to have harmed a child, they are permanently removed from serving in any capacity in the Archdiocese. 

It is important for all of us to do our part to prevent abuse by remaining vigilant and by reporting any abuse.

For further information, please see the following webpage on the Archdiocese’s website: LACatholics.org/protect.  This webpage has numerous links to resources to help victim-survivors and to report suspected abuse.  

For more information, please see the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which can be found here.

Diamond Bar Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast

Thursday, May 2, 7:00-9:00 a.m.
Diamond Bar Golf Course

Diamond Bar’s Mayor Stan Liu will have a Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, May 2 from 7:00-9:00 a.m. at the Diamond Bar Golf Course (22751 Golden Springs Drive, Diamond Bar).  This event will be hosted by the San Gabriel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Fr. John and Deacon Al will participate, as well as faith leaders from other churches and faith traditions.  In addition, our music director, Patrick Zubiate, and others from St. Denis’s music ministry will provide some of the music.  

The cost for the breakfast will be $20.  Tickets must be purchased in advance, preferably by Monday, April 29.  To register and obtain tickets, please click here.  For the official website for this event, please click here. 

Cinco De Mayo Lunch

Sunday, May 5
11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 
in the courtyard and the Hall

 

Sunday, May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, who died shortly thereafter.

Therefore, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on May 5, a taco vendor will come to St. Denis and will offer a special Cinco de Mayo lunch, consisting of three tacos (steak, chicken, and pork), beans, rice, and salsa plus flavored waters (aguas frescas) and popsicles (paletas de hielo).  The cost will be $10 per plate. 

People can eat the lunch in the courtyard or the Hall; and we will have Mexican music playing in the background in both locations.

This is a fundraiser for our Religious Education Program.

May Crowning 
of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Monday, May 6

The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Therefore, on Monday, May 6, we will have our annual May Crowning, which is a traditional way to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is Queen of Heaven and Earth.  The schedule on May 6 is as follows:

    6:00 p.m.   Mass  (note the earlier start time)
    6:30 p.m.   Procession from the church to the statue of Mary in the courtyard,
                        singing Marian hymns, praying the Rosary, reciting a Marian litany,                 
                        and crowning with a wreath of flowers our beautiful statue of Mary
    7:15 p.m.     Spaghetti dinner in the Hall  (free)


Our Queen of Peace Rosary Group is organizing the celebration with help from students from our Religious Education and Teen Confirmation Programs and our Divine Mercy Singers.

All are welcome! 

Our Lady of Fatima Statue

Friday, May 17 – Sunday, May 19

About Our Lady of Fatima

In 1917, at the height of World War I, Pope Benedict XV appealed to the Blessed Mother to intercede for peace.  Just over a week later, Our Lady began appearing to three young shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal.  During these appearances, Mary revealed her suffering heart and said that God wished to establish devotion to her Immaculate Heart.  She asked the children to pray the Rosary daily for world peace, and to offer their daily sufferings and sacrifices in reparation for sins and the conversion of sinners.


Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima

The world-famous International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima is the primary way in which the message of Fatima has spread throughout the world.  Sculpted by Jose Thedim—“the Michelangelo of Portugal”—the statue has been traveling internationally since 1947, and has travelled to over 100 countries, carrying Fatima’s blessings and urgent message to people worldwide.

In 2017, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first Fatima apparition, Archbishop José Gomez blessed a replica of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima.  This regional statue was created by Boaventura Pereira de Matos, an apprentice of José Ferreira Thedim, the creator of the original statue of Our Lady of Fátima that is venerated at the Shrine of Fátima.


Regional Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima at St. Denis

Please join us as we welcome the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima to St. Denis on Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19.  The regional Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima will be in the church and the hall as follows:

Friday, May 17

    Statue in the church from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

    8:00 a.m.       Easter weekday Mass (also livestrealivestreamed

    8:00 a.m. –   Exposition & adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
       6:00 p.m.

    10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.   Rosary (led by different ministries)

    6:30 p.m.       Easter weekday Mass (also livestreamed)

    7:15 p.m.         Stations of the Resurrection (also livestreamed)

    8:00 p.m.       Our Lady of Fatima Holy Hour (also livestreamed)

Saturday, May 18
    
    Statue in the church from 7:30-8:45 a.m.
    
    8:00 a.m.     Easter weekday Mass (also livestreamed)
        
    Statue in the hall from 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

    10:30 a.m.    Rosary (led by a ministry)

    1:00 p.m.      Rosary (led by a ministry)

    1:30 p.m. -    Fatima movie (2020)*
       3:30 p.m.

    4:00 p.m.     Rosary (led by a ministry)

    Statue in the church from 5:00-7:30 p.m.
    
    5:30 p.m.     Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost (also livestreamed), 
                          with Msgr. Timothy O’Connell, the spiritual advisor of the
                          Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima in Los Angeles

Sunday, May 19

    Statue in the church from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

     7:00 a.m.     Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost

     8:15 a.m.       Rosary (led by a ministry)

     9:00 a.m.     Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost

    10:15 a.m.      Rosary (led by a ministry)

    11:00 a.m.     Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost  (also livestreamed)

    12:15 p.m.      Rosary (led by a ministry)

     1:00 p.m.     Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost

     2:15 p.m.      Rosary (led by a ministry)

    5:30 p.m.      Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost  (also livestreamed)

     6:45 p.m.      Rosary (led by a ministry)


*Fatima is a 2020 faith-based, historical drama film.  A 10-year-old shepherd, Lúcia dos Santos, and her two young cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, report having received apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal in 1917.  Their revelations inspire believers, but anger officials of both the Catholic Church and the secular government, who try to force them to recant their story.  As word of their prophecy spreads, tens of thousands of religious pilgrims flock to the site to witness what became known as the “Miracle of the Sun.”

For more information about Our Lady of Fatima, please go to bluearmy.com and bluearmyla.org.  To watch the “Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima” (1952) movie on YouTube, please click here.

Cursillo Homeless Ministry

Third Saturday of the Month (May 18)

Our Cursillo Community serves the homeless in nearby cities every third Saturday of the month, including Saturday, April 20.  They provide hot meals and brown-bag lunches (with meat sandwiches and other goodies) to 150-200 homeless people who live on the streets in Pomona and neighboring cities.  

To find out how you can help with this ministry, please contact Amy Siacunco at (909) 861-7106 or Tony Shatola at (909) 525- 8771.  

Youth Gathering (4:00 p.m.) & Life Teen Mass (5:30 p.m.)

Sunday, May 19

(and on the first Sunday of every month thereafter)

Sunday Youth Gathering 
May 19 at 4:00 p.m. in the Hall

On the second Sunday of every month, St. Denis has a Sunday Youth Gathering at 4:00 p.m. in the Hall.  At the Sunday Youth Gatherings, the teens socialize, enjoy refreshments, learn about the faith, and prepare for the Life Teen Mass.  The Sunday Youth Gatherings are for all teens in high school, even those who are not enrolled in Teen Confirmation and those who have already been confirmed. 


Life Teen Mass
May 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the church

On the second Sunday of every month, St. Denis has a regular Life Teen Mass at 5:30 p.m. for teens in high school.  These Life Teen Masses have contemporary music, which is led by our Youth Mass Band (piano, percussion, keyboard, guitar, and other instruments, plus our Youth/Young Adult Choir).

At these Life Teen Masses, the teens actively participate in every part of the Mass, including:

           ●  serving as ushers and altar servers;
           ●  singing and playing instruments in the Youth Mass Band;
           ●  proclaiming the Word of God;
           ●  sitting down with the priest or deacon to discuss the readings; and
           ●  bringing up the bread, wine, and other gifts to the altar.


These Life Teen Masses also are livestreamed simultaneously to our YouTube channel and Facebook page.

All teens are invited to attend the Life Teen Masses and to sit together in the front rows of the two center sections of pews.

Together in Mission 2024

Annual Appeal

In 2023, the Together in Mission Annual Appeal raised $13.2 million, which was distributed to 62 poor Catholic parishes and 71 poor Catholic schools throughout the Los Angeles Archdiocese.  

The recipient parishes and schools used the funds to invest in new roofs, freshly painted walls, upgraded electrical systems, and new security systems to protect parishioners and students.  In addition, the recipient schools used the funds to buy new textbooks and give students access to the latest technology, thereby preparing them to succeed in our modern world.

Last year, 370 parishioners and families from St. Denis contributed $142,378 to Together in Mission; and, thus, we exceeded our parish goal of $121,273.  Thank you so much for your generosity and for helping us to reach and exceed our goal.

This month, Archbishop José Gomez invites every Catholic to make a new commitment to Together in Mission for 2024.  This year’s cumulative Together in Mission goal for the archdiocese is $16.9 million; and our parish goal is $123,892. 

This year’s theme is “Be Imitators of Christ,” which was carefully chosen by Archbishop Gomez.  We imitate Christ when we do our best to help the needy—e.g., by providing necessary funds to the poorest parishes and schools so that they can serve their needy parishioners.

In 2024, please be an imitator of Christ by making a generous gift today!  Your support gives our struggling parishes and schools much-needed hope.   

Please note that 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 the vestibule of the church;
(3)  by visiting TIMGive.org
(please pull down the menu and select St. Denis Parish); 
(4)  by scanning with your phone the QR code near the above picture; or
(4)  by calling 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.

For more information, please watch the following video:

Current Bulletin

Sunday, April 21

Click here for previous bulletins

Sing (or play a musical instrument) for St. Denis!

(no previous singing experience needed)
 

Adult Choir for the 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass

Our Adult Choir (for adults of all ages) sings at the 11:00 a.m. Mass every Sunday.  Rehearsals are on Thursdays from 7:15-8:45 p.m. in the Choir Loft upstairs in the church.


Children’s Choir for the 1:00 p.m. Sunday Mass

Our Children’s Choir (for children in grades 2-8) sings every other Sunday at the 1:00 p.m. Mass.  Specifically, the Children’s Choir will sing at the 1:00 p.m. Mass on the following Sundays:  September 24, October 8 and 22, November 5 and 19, and December 3 and 17. (The schedule for 2024 will be announced later.)  

Rehearsals are on the preceding Saturday every other week from 9:00-10:00 a.m. in the Choir Room upstairs in the church.  Thus, the rehearsals for the Children’s Choir will be from 9:00-10:00 a.m. on the following Saturdays:  September 23, October 7 and 21, November 4 and 18, and December 2 and 16.  (The schedule for 2024 will be announced later.) 


Youth/Young Adult Choir for the 5:30 p.m. Sunday Mass 

Our Youth/Young Adult Choir (for young adults and teens in high school) sings at the 5:30 p.m. Mass every Sunday.  Rehearsals are on Sundays from 4:00-5:30 p.m. in the church.


For more information about singing or playing a musical instrument (e.g., percussion, guitar, violin, flute, trumpet, etc.) at St. Denis, please contact our Music Director, Patrick Zubiate, at [email protected] or (909) 861-7106.

Distribution of the 
Precious Blood of Christ

St. Denis will resume distributing the Precious Blood of Christ at all of our Masses, starting on Sunday, September 10.  However, to minimize the spread of germs, we will use a different method called “intinction,” wherein a minister will dip the Body of Christ (the consecrated host) into a cup of the Precious Blood (the consecrated wine), and then will place the Body and Blood of Christ onto to the tongue of the communicant.  For details about the benefits of intinction, please read this informative 2018 article, which was co-written by a Catholic priest (with a Ph.D. in biology from Stanford) and a physician.

Please note that Jesus is fully present in the consecrated host; and we do not have to receive the consecrated wine in order to receive the fullness of Christ in the Eucharist.   


Process for distributing Holy Communion 

At Communion time, everyone is invited to come forward in the Communion procession and to proceed down an aisle to the first Communion minister, who will be distributing only the Body of Christ.  

If you are Catholic and have no serious unconfessed sins, you have the choice to receive only the Body of Christ, or to receive both the Body and Blood of Christ via intinction, as described below. 

Procedure for those who want to receive only the Body of Christ

The procedure for receiving only the Body of Christ has not changed.  When you reach the first Communion minister, you may receive the consecrated host on your hand or on your tongue in the usual way, and then return to your seat.  For a more detailed description, please click here.  


Procedure for those who want to receive the Body and Blood of Christ

When you reach the first Communion minister, please bow your head as a sign of reverence, and then go around the first Communion minster to the nearest intinction minister, who will be holding a specially designed Communion vessel, which combines a ciborium with the consecrated hosts and a cup with the consecrated wine. (Please see the photo above.)  

When you reach the intinction minister, please bow your head as a sign of reverence. Then the intinction minister will dip a consecrated host into the consecrated wine. The minister will say, “The Body and Blood of Christ”; and you should reply, “Amen.” We say “Amen” to affirm that we believe that the consecrated host that is dipped into the consecrated wine is Jesus’s real Body and Blood.

Please open your mouth and extend your tongue outside of your mouth so that the intinction minister doesn’t have to put his or her fingers into your mouth in order to place the Body and Blood of Christ on your tongue.  And please don’t close your mouth until the minister has withdrawn his or her fingers.

After receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, you may make the sign of the Cross and return to your seat.

If you are not Catholic, or if you have a serious (mortal) sin and have not gone to Confession, please come forward for a blessing.  When you reach the first Communion minister, please bow your head as a sign of reverence.  Then, to indicate that you want a blessing, please cross your hands and forearms over your chest as you approach the first Communion minister, who will pray that God will bless you.  After receiving the blessing, please return to your seat.


When you return to your seat after receiving Holy Communion or a blessing, please remain standing to show that you are united with all those who are still receiving Communion.  If there is music, please join in the singing to praise and thank God.  Here at St. Denis, the practice is to remain standing as a sign of reverence until the Eucharist has been returned to the chapel and the priest has sat down. 

Called to Renew
Capital Campaign

Thank you to everyone who has made a pledge to the Called to Renew capital campaign, which aims to renew St. Denis Parish and all of the parishes in the Los Angeles Archdiocese over the next five years.  By God’s grace, and thanks to the generosity of those who pledged, St. Denis has reached its pledge goal.  

St. Denis will use the money that is raised to improve much of our physical plant, as described below.

Church

• Renovate the men’s and women’s restrooms 
• Replace the carpeting with more durable flooring (luxury vinyl tile) 
• Paint the interior and exterior of the church 
• Refinish and repair the exterior doors 
• Thoroughly clean the marble tiles and fix broken tiles 
• Repair the kneelers 
• Modernize the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to be more energy efficient 

Courtyard
  

• Install shade sails to create shaded areas
• Provide outdoor seating areas with tables where people can gather
• Create a safe, outdoor play area for kids
• Create a mobile “St. Denis Café” to offer a range of hot and cold foods 
• Upgrade the lighting and sound system 
• Replace the rotted trellises around the courtyard 

Other Outdoor Areas 
  

• Create an outdoor hang-out space for teens
• Enhance the landscaping – e.g., by using more drought-resistant plants and a drought-friendly irrigation system
• Fix the retaining walls, which are deteriorating

  
Pastoral Office Building 
 

• Renovate the receptionists’ office 
• Refinish and repair the second-floor wooden overhang 

Potthoff Hall 
 

• Replace the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system with a modern, energy-efficient system
• Replace the leaky roof  

Because we have reached our pledge goal, 100% of the money raised above our goal will be returned to St. Denis so that we can make additional improvements.  Therefore, if you have not yet made a pledge, please take home one of the pledge cards from the pews, fill it out, and return it the following week in a collection basket or box.  

Please consider donating $1 per day, which is about $30 per month.  Over the course of five years, $30 per month can really add up and will total $1,800.  

Maybe you can afford a little more and are able to donate $2 per day or about $60 per month, which will total $3,600 over five years.  

Perhaps you can afford $3 per day or about $90 per month, which will total $5,400 over five years.  

Whatever you can afford, please pledge that amount; and then please fill out a pledge card from the pews and return it in a collection basket or box.  


If you prefer, you also can pledge online by clicking here.  When filling out the online pledge form, please select “St. Denis Parish – Diamond Bar (P469)” from the pull-down menu for “Parish” so that St. Denis will be credited with your pledge and will receive the money that you are donating.

If you have questions, or if you would like to donate an IRA, stocks, bonds, or other assets, please contact St. Denis’s Business Manager (Amy Siacunco) at (909) 861-7106 ext. 119; and she will help you.  Donating appreciated assets may reduce your taxes, but you should consult with your tax professional.

  
On behalf of Archbishop Gomez and St. Denis’s Called to Renew campaign volunteers, thank you to everyone who has already pledged and who has returned a pledge card. 

Potthoff Hall
Renovation & Expansion

Figure 1

From a previous capital campaign from 2009-2014, St. Denis has $2.5 million in an Archdiocesan investment pool to renovate and expand Potthoff Hall.  In June 2022, Fr. John began meeting regularly with a working group of parishioners about the renovation and expansion.  In October 2022, they started a formal “Hall Renovation & Expansion Committee,” which includes three architects, a general contractor, and other parishioners, each of whom has been actively involved at St. Denis for over 10 years.  The Committee is now working with construction professionals from the Archdiocese to develop a plan that fits our budget.

The current plan for renovating and expanding the Hall is described below.  The plan was developed after much consideration about the needs of the parish and in consultation with those who use the Hall, including Religious Education, Teen Confirmation, Adult Faith Formation, and the major ministries. 

According to the current plan, we will demolish the wing with Rooms D & E and the bathrooms, and will replace it with a new, larger wing, which is illustrated in the plan view (see Figure 1 above). The new wing will consist of a new secondary Hall, larger men’s and women’s accessible restrooms that meet the current code, and two large storage rooms, because St. Denis lacks sufficient storage.  

The secondary Hall will be substantially larger than our current Rooms D & E, with the height of the secondary Hall matching the two-story height of the existing main Hall.  In addition, the new wing will be at the same floor level as the main Hall for a contiguous look and flow; and the restrooms will be directly accessible from both the main Hall and the secondary Hall, so that people will not have to go outside to use the restrooms.  (For events in the courtyard, these restrooms will have exterior doors that can be unlocked so that people can access the restrooms from outside of the building without having to enter the main Hall or the secondary Hall.)

The main Hall and the secondary Hall will be separated by a retractable wall.  For our largest events, the retractable wall will be open; and the main Hall and the secondary Hall will function as one large space.  At other times, the retractable wall will be closed to separate the main Hall from the secondary Hall, so that two relatively large events can happen simultaneously in these spaces without interfering with each other. The secondary Hall will be able to function independently of the main Hall because it will have a separate, dedicated exterior entrance (see Figure 2 below) and its own kitchenette, plus direct access to the restrooms (as described in the preceding paragraph). 

The remainder of Potthoff Hall will be substantially renovated with all new energy-efficient windows and window shades, new flooring, new wiring, new plumbing, new lighting, new paint, new doors, a new covered exterior courtyard entrance (see Figure 3a and Figure 3b below), a new roof, and a new heating & air-conditioning system. 

Please note that the current plan probably will have to be revised for various reasons, including the limitations of our budget.  We hope to have the plan finalized and approved by the archdiocese, outside architects, and the City of Diamond Bar in the next 6-12 months, with construction beginning by May 2024 and ending by May 2025.

In the coming months, we will keep you informed about any changes to the plan and the timeline.

Figure 2



Figure 3a



Figure 3b