Upcoming Events
Please join us once again for Faith, Food & Fellowship!
As usual, we will enjoy a potluck breakfast, fellowship, and a vibrant spiritual discussion.
To sign-up for the potluck breakfast, please click the link below…
The Paschal Mystery - the life, passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ lies at the heart of Christian faith and life.
For one hundred years, the Paschal Mystery - with particular attention to the Passion of Jesus Christ - has been the focus of retreats at Mater Dolorosa. In the spirit of St. Paul of the Cross, Founder of the Passionists, his companions and followers have faithfully implemented his vision. The fruit of centuries of prayer and contemplation finds expression in the theme chosen for this retreat season.
Living the Paschal Mystery calls us to active, ongoing engagement with the Spirit of God in Christ in our hearts, our communities, the church, and the world. St. Paul of the Cross's day was no less confusing and challenging than ours. His message invites a commitment to trust in God's presence within and among us. The abundant love of Christ stirs in us the deepest kind of hope - not optimism -but a Holy Hope. As we anticipate the great Jubilee Year of Hope, this retreat offers an invitation to receive the Spirit's gift of hope at the core of Living the Paschal Mystery.
To Register: Registration
As Jesus made his way to the Place of the Skull, Roman guards took hold of a passer-by and pressed him into service. Reluctant to participate, Simon, the Cyrenian, helped carry the cross of Christ. Little did Simon know that by the time they would get to Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion, his life would be transformed forever.
Perhaps we, too, may be reluctant to attend this All-Night Retreat and maybe have an encounter with Our Lord. We may want to continue on our own path, living our own lives and enjoying the comforts that currently surround us. The last thing we may want is to be pressed into service and be transformed forever.
For more details and to purchase tickets: Overnight Retreat
This retreat season coincides with the centennial of the arrival of the Passionists in Sierra Madre. What a wonderful, providential opportunity to focus on the Passion of Christ so central to Passionist spirituality and to the mission of Mater Dolorosa.
The Passion of Christ and the sufferings of the members of His Body, the Church, form one mystery. This retreat will provide the opportunity to gain a deeper awareness and understanding of this mystery: The Passion of Christ and the sufferings of his Body - member for member - are one.
The earliest Easter proclamation was "The Crucified One Lives." As the gospel account of "Doubting Thomas" makes clear, he found comfort in the wounds of Christ, Crucified and Risen. And Christ's Body, the Church, still bears wounds.
In the spirit of the Passionists we will consider ways in which we might find comfort in the Passion of Christ. Doing so brings us into closer union with God, invites us to a deeper knowledge of ourselves, and impels us to respond to the needs of others, especially those who are poor, suffering, or wounded in any way.
Registration: St Denis Weekend
will be hosting an evening of Reflection, Grouping & Fellowship called:
The evening includes a one-hour program where 5 Deacons will give a short reflection with mediation/group questions. Then the program will end with group discussion to share your experiences with your fellow brothers in Christ.
Speakers:
Dn. Chuck McDaniels, St. Rita’s Church in Sierra Madre
Dn. Steve Hillmann, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Rowland Heights
Dn. Ray Gallego, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Rowland Heights
Dn. Alfred Guerrero, St. Denis Church in Diamond Bar
Dn. Dan White, St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights
Snacks will be served but feel free to bring additional snacks and drinks.
For additional details, please refer to the flyer: Flyer
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
Is your heart longing for peace?
The Carmelite Sisters at the Sacred Heart Retreat House invite men to come on a weekend retreat led by Fr. Larry Richards.
This retreat begins on Friday evening and goes into Sunday mid-morning. It is led by a priest retreat master speaking at five conferences and he will also be available for confession. Meanwhile the Carmelite Sisters will lead prayers such as Night Prayer, meditative reflection periods, and the Rosary. All periods between activities will maintain a silent environment intended to support your interior intimacy with Jesus while mealtime conferences help supplement conference material.
We follow County of Los Angeles Public Health guidelines. At this time, we are not requiring Indoor Masks.
If you have any questions, please contact us at (626) 289-1353 x2203
To register: Registration
“Into the Breach” is a plea by Bishop Thomas Olmsted for men to step up and lead their families and communities to Heaven by leading more godly lives and setting the example for others.
St Denis CMF and the St Denis council of the Knights of Columbus are partnering to bring this one-day men’s conference to you. Topics we will cover include:
What Authentic Masculinity Looks Like
Why Men Need a “Band of Brothers”
Why Strong Fathers are so Needed
Why Family Life is Under Attack
Why Men Need to Pray
We often try to discover the complex relationship between ourselves and Jesus Christ. We want to know what it should be, how deep it should be, what does Christ want of us, is Christ within us, and if so, where can we find the divine within us? We will attempt to explore all such questions and provide a deep dive to help discover where Jesus Christ resides deep inside us.
This retreat will lay paths for this exploration, and we invite you to join us on this epic adventure to the interior of our souls.
Requested payment is $275, with a $50 deposit at time of registration. Please do not let the cost stop you from attending. The Retreat Center will work with any budget restrictions you might have - they want you to come experience the retreat regardless of your financial situation.
St Denis Weekend Registration: Registration
Just as the father of the prodigal son welcomes his son with open arms, so, too, does our Lord want to envelope us into Himself, in spite of our faults and our brokenness. Our identity is in God the Father, and as beloved sons of the Father, we must conduct ourselves as beloved sons in our marriages and families, at work, and in our communities.
Fr. Steven Guitron - Pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Pomona
Dcn. Tony Mercado - St. Mary's Catholic Church. He is also the Chaplain of the Fullerton and Placentia Police Departments.
Dr. Phil Chavez - founder and president of The Men's Academy - Christian Manliness Ministry
Ticket Reservations: Tickets
This Classic Men’s Retreat begins on Friday evening and goes into Sunday mid-morning. It is led by a priest retreat master speaking at five conferences and he will also be available for confession. Meanwhile the Carmelite Sisters will lead prayers such as Night Prayer, meditative reflection periods, and the Rosary. All periods between activities will maintain a silent environment intended to support your interior intimacy with Jesus while mealtime conferences help supplement conference material.
For more information and to register, please visit their website: Registration
It was amazing to be back on the beautiful Mater Dolorosa grounds. It was also incredible that after being the first retreat weekend that was cancelled due to the 2020 lockdowns, ours was the first retreat weekend to enjoy some post-pandemic treatment. Masks were optional, and the dining room was open for the first time. We also had two conferences inside. It was such a blessing to be able to enjoy things being so close to “normal”.
St. Denis had the largest representation of men, which was also wonderful, and it was great that Jay was able to make his first retreat with us this year.
The feedback from the men was very positive, and we hope more of our brothers will be able to join us next year!
Come join your CMF brothers for a night under the stars, and participate in:
Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation
Holy Mass
Eucharistic Adoration
Spiritual Talks
Prayer of 1000 Hail Marys
Admission: $20.00 (covers dinner, drinks, snacks and breakfast)
Flyer: Men’s Retreat
For information, please call/text:
Oscar - (661) 912-9502
Tony - (661) 203-9973
Rev. James B. Farnan
The Holy Spirit is moving the men in the Church to return to the heart of the matter. The Church needs holy men who will witness to God’s Fatherly love.
Father James will guide your retreat that includes inspiring talks, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, Holy Mass, and time for personal reflection.
Join with other men who are striving to live out heroic virtue and learn how to grow as spiritual leaders in their families.
For information/RSVP: 626-289-1353, ext. 204
retreatcoordinator@carmelitesistersocd.com
Once again the Knights of Columbus will be hosting a Family Baseball Night with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. They will be selling tickets after all Masses over the coming months. Bring your entire family for this wonderful event!
“God created mankind in His image; in the image of God, He created them.”
-Genesis 1:27
CMF put on another wonderful conference this year, at the beautiful Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. After some uncertainty, Mark Wahlberg was able to leave an active movie set to come make and appearance, share some thoughts, and even stay for Mass. But Mark almost played second fiddle to his older brother, Jim, who definitely stole the show with his powerful testimony about finding God…in prison…with the help of angels, including a certain Mother Teresa. The speakers were all terrific; the music was outstanding; and the free Wahlburgers were delicious….until the fire department came. (No joke…grease fire…had to evacuate…and then the folks at Wahlburgers shipped in burgers from their store several miles away to make sure all men were fed.) Hightlight for some of the guys was having Mark Walhberg hand-deliver their lunch to them: Special Delivery. Overall, this conference rocked! (Keep an eye out in the slides for our own Mike Kellogg, who led the guys in the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.)
Another wonderful retreat. There is a new Retreat Director, Dr. Michael Cunningham, and all the guys thoroughly enjoyed his two presentations. It was a beautiful weekend with some great talks on letting go of your anxiety/worry, since most of what we all worry about is over things that won’t even come to pass.
Please mark you calendars for March 20-22, 2020 so you can be sure to join us next year!
The Knights of Columbus and Catholic Men’s Fellowship ministries, in partnership, presented Bishop Olmsted’s Apostolic Exhortation: “Into the Breach”, and it was an amazing success. We were joined by around 50 brothers - young, old, friends, strangers…but we all banded together in fellowship.
Promotional Short-film: A Call To Battle
And a very special THANK YOU to our Sisters in Christ who served as Prayer Warriors and sat with Jesus while our conference was taking place: Pat, Liz, Toni W, Sonia, Ligia, Toni S, Maureen, Stacy, Nancy and Amy. You were truly a blessing.
In Attendance…
Most Reverend Jose Gomez - Archbishop of Los Angeles
(Principle Celebrant)
Cardinal Roger Mahoney - Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles
Most Reverend David O’Connell - Bishop of San Gabriel Region
Former St. Denis Priests:
Fr. Joel*, Fr. Dennis*, Fr. Sebastian, Fr. Olin*, Fr. Chuck
*Pallbearers
Current St. Denis Priests/Deacons:
Fr. John, Fr. Vincent, Fr. Mario, Deacon Dennis, Deacon Phil, Deacon Alfred
Msgr. Eugene Morris will lead this men’s retreat that includes inspiring talks, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, Holy Mass, the Holy Rosary (in this year dedicated to the Holy Family in Nazareth):
“In you, all find their home.” Psalm 87:7
Options are available to stay for the entire weekend at the retreat house, as well as "commuter" and one-day options.
It was a wonderful night of Baseball, Food & Fellowship as we cheered on the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes at Epicenter Stadium. The night featured $1.00 hot dogs/drinks, our Grand Knight throwing out the first pitch, and a fun time was had by all.
This was another wonderful weekend retreat. Feedback from the men is that many felt this might have been one of the best retreats Mater Dolorosa has put on, at least in a while. Guys seemed to get things from each of the talks, and they all enjoyed themselves.
Please mark your calendars for next year. We always go up the weekend of St. Patrick's Day.
Presented by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
Celebrating 75 Years of service in Southern California
REV. JOHN TRIGILIO - Retreat Master
This was a wonderful retreat. Mike Kellogg enjoyed staying for the full weekend, and Michael Chisholm very much enjoyed the one-day "commuter" option; and we both got a lot out of Fr. Trigilio's talks. The campus was beautiful. The Carmelite Sisters were a joy to watch as they went about their business. The food was very good, and the gift shop was a bit addictive. We participated in a Rosary procession around the campus led by some of the Novices, as well as a couple of hours of Eucharistic Adoration.
Thank you to all of you who joined us at the Kellogg home on Saturday. The Family Christmas Party was a wonderful success! It was so great to see you all with your spouses and families.
This was a nice comment received from David:
"Just wanted to comment. After the Christmas party, I realized that CMF has the best food at every event I have ever been too. Anyone who has been to a few of these knows exactly what I am talking about. The eggs, sausage, waffles, and homemade stuff and that is just the breakfast. The Christmas party dinner was better than a Thanksgiving meal. The fantastic food you eat at one of these events can't be beat and is proof of God's blessing on this organization. Thank you."
Looking forward to doing this again next year!
Spiritual Talks * Confession * Midnight Mass * Fellowship * Prayer * Song
Guest Speaker: STEVE RUDA
Former Seminarian; former Marine Captain; co-founder of CMF of California; Battalion Chief - Los Angeles City Fire Department; Recipient of the California State Firefighters Association Medal of Valor
The retreat is conducted by the Sacred Heart Sisters with the presence and spiritual support of priests. During these days you will have the opportunity to draw nearer to our Lord Jesus through Eucharist, time for quiet prayer, faith sharing, Reconciliation, and more.
Sleeping accomodations are dormitory style, dress is casual and meals are provided.
Requested donation of $100 at the time of registration.
For questions or additional information, please contact the Sisters by phone or email.
909 866-5696
retreatcamp@sacredheartsisters.com
Online Registration
Check-in 7:00-8:00 (Continental Breakfast) / Talks from 8:00-12:00 / Lunch served at noon.
$30.00 pre-sale / $35.00 at the door.
(Spanish session from noon to 4:00 pm)
