Our Lady of the Rosary Church

I was here for Kindergarten to 8th grade. I can't believe I was there that long! ..but it was good times.

We had to wear uniforms, which kinda sucked 'cos they were plaid & bland.. but at least we saved money on clothes!! Right?!? Right?!!

While I was here, the church went through some renovations. The product:

A really BUFF Jesus with perfect, Allelujah-defined ABS hanging mid-air. Yep. Try not to think bad thoughts in this church.

I was baptized here and I baptized 2 of my kids here too. We used to come to mass almost every Sunday and participate in their fundraisers.

But, sometime last year we received a letter in the mail and a phone call saying that we needed to be better parishioners and donate more money. Not in those exact words, but that's what they implied.

It was such a big turnoff I mean we are donating as best as we can, and you not only call us and leave a voicemail, but you send a letter too?

I need to find another Catholic church that's not so money-hungry.

Website:
http://www.olrchurch.org/

I'm finally reviewing this church (I went to Our Lady of the Rosary from 2nd-8th grade- my many enemies should know that it's better to blame my time at Cal for the way I am, not my Catholic upbringing). I told a former coworker that I was going to review it last year (I don't think she goes online that often, though, and so I doubt that she's been waiting with bated breath).

Comments that appear random have to do with Midnight Mass this year.

+The Jesus that is hung up during the holidays is still as buff as ever. He looks like a Mexican Superman exploding from the cross! Go get 'em Jesus! Yeah!!
Oh, the cloth around His right shoulder looks like a long scarf, and that's fitting this time of year.
[Looking around]
[Good, I'm still here]
+The Parish Bulletins are better than ever. The Christmas Edition features 2 wonderful stories and some illustrations.
+The church does a great job serving English and Spanish-speaking parishioners (on some years, for example, Midnight Mass will be in English, and then in Spanish the following year).
+The choir members are talented and joyful, and the choir as a whole has improved in recent years. There are even some young members now (they're probably all in the 7th or 8th grade). One of them plays the drums (this is new, and the guy is really good). Another plays the concert bells (Midnight Mass started a bit late, and so the girl performed a short but nice solo). The second guy sounded like Josh Groban when he sang "O Holy Night" (he received a ton of applause, and I was tempted to stand up).
+Except for the slightly smaller ones in front, the pews can hold about 12 people, and the seating capacity is about 450. The church is big, but not huge, which I think is good.
+For years now, kids have been brought up to the altar (the sister of one girl came up wearing a Santa hat). Once they're there, everyone sings "Happy Birthday" to baby Jesus (this is always sweet and touching).
+The Pastor is pretty friendly, and his sermons are good. He even likes to make jokes about tamales (it's the Season of Sharing, and so he wants parishioners to share some with him).
+I haven't seen it yet (it's "located at the back of the Rectory just off the parking lot"), but there's a Parish Store. It sells Scrip and a variety of items (ex: Baptism gifts; Bibles; crucifixes; mugs; religious books; film; batteries; Kleenex; mints; cough drops).

+/-The church always looks nice inside (it was dedicated in 1960, and has existed in some form since 1907). It's sometimes overdecorated, though. This year, there are 4 Christmas trees, over 25 reefs, and over 20 poinsettias (I don't think anything is real, and that's fine- it would be distracting if the church smelled like a tree farm). There are also some big bulbs hanging from the lights (there's no overkill here). Anyway, I know that it's sometimes better to have too much than not enough.

-There were special hymnals for Christmas. In general, though, there aren't many.
-I don't want to pick on him, but the altar boy looked gloomy when he was offering the Sign of Peace (he only shook a few hands, and looked like he was off to the gallows when he did). My dad even made a joke (he beat me to the punch). Cheer up, kid.

Some Notes:
This is a traditional Catholic church. If you want to hear contemporary Christian songs or go to services that resemble shows, this isn't the place for you. Still, I like that the church is becoming a bit more hip. This year, the music, readings, and prayers were all done in a fresh way (I quickly adjusted, and was only lost once- I didn't recognize the prayer before Communion at first).
It was interesting that Midnight Mass started late. At one point, a bunch of parishioners turned around to look for the Pastor. It was similar to when a bride is about to walk down the aisle (there was a respectful anticipation of what was to come).
A young woman in the pew in front of me looked a lot like Michelle Yeoh (I'm a big fan of hers).
Like at some other churches, a basket may go by you twice during the offering. You're not expected to give twice, although some people do (by the way, I once saw someone fishing for change- I think they gave a $5 bill, and then retrieved 2 singles). I think this is partly done for the parishioners who aren't ready at first (there are usually a few- I'm forgetful sometimes, and so I had my money ready the day before).

The church isn't quite as busy as it used to be during the holidays, but it really isn't to blame for that. The good thing is that there are a lot of devoted parishioners. Not everyone sings (this is the case at any church), but everybody is active in some way (this girl 2 pews ahead briefly danced to "Joy to the World"- I'm glad that 3 verses were sung in full before anybody left).

I've gone to this church many times, and I always feel comfortable here.

This church is great.It is absolutely great.I alter serve here every Sunday for the Spanish and sometimes English mass.Ive been in this community since I was in kinder.Now I am in 7th grade.This is my last year here since the school is closing down.I will remember everyday walking to school here.Right now the current priest is Father Jesus.He is a great priest and can't ask for more.His homilies may be long but have a lot of information that you could bring into your life if you listen to his homilies.I really want everyone to come at least to one mass here.Sunday 6:45(Spanish) 8:15(English) 9:45(Spanish) 11:30(English) Saturday 5:00 (English).I can't tell anybody how great the church is you have to come and see it for yourself.The school is closing down not the church so please come and check it out.

We only had a few handful of choices to put out son in for Kindergarten. We looked at other private schools, went to open houses, toured schools, talked with a bunch of administrative staff, sat in to observe numerous kindergarten classes ( we lost track how many), did the math as far as tuition costs - you've got to check this school out! It's not the prettiest school but the teachers are sooooo warm! Mrs. McKeon, the kindergarten teacher, was the reason we decided to put our son at OLR school - she was the warmest kindergarten teacher we've met. You have got to see her in action - not only is she a good disciplinarian, she's an awesome educator and continues to be a positive influence on our kid.

Warm, diverse, and down-to-Earth church community. I enjoy the 8:15 a.m. Sunday mass, as it is a more traditional mass. The 11:30 a.m. Sunday mass is a bit too contemporary for me. At that mass, there is a drummer playing a drumset, cymbals and all, which I find a bit distracting.