OLL breaks ground on new ministry building
Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Northridge celebrated the groundbreaking of a new 4,200-square-foot Ministry Hall June 29 under the leadership of its pastor, Msgr. Peter Moran.

In the 50 years since the church was built, parish enrollment and ministries have outgrown the capacity of Stroup Hall, named for the original pastor when it was constructed in 1985. (A 50th anniversary Mass will be celebrated Sept. 7.)

Scheduled for completion in early 2009, the new hall will include state of the art audio/visual equipment and, although primarily designed for religious education classes, will have the capacity and flexibility to accommodate multiple ministries concurrently through the use of removable partitions. Existing trees will shelter the patio for additional activities and meetings when weather permits.

Joining the pastor and a good representation of parishioners during the groundbreaking were Lee Mendel-Figueroa, parish business manager; Sacred Heart Sister Rosemarie Karl, religious education director; Robin Rothman, pastoral council chair; Greg Davies, building committee chair; John Parker, project manager; Victor Newlove, architect; and Tim Artner, construction.

Marians hold Divine Mercy informational event
Marians of the Immaculate Conception, the official promoters of the authentic Divine Mercy message since 1941, will host an informational presentation on the Marians' Divine Mercy mission to the Philippines Aug. 10 at St. Bernard Church in Los Angeles.

Starting with adoration at 2 p.m. followed by a concelebrated Mass, the event will include updates on building plans for the Divine Mercy Center for Formation and Spirituality on Guimaras as well as ongoing construction of the Divine Mercy Statue on Mindanao. Father Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, and Father Gerald McSorley will concelebrate the liturgy. For more information, contact Purisima and Dario Narvaez at (818) 543-1831.

St. Bernardine partners in ecumenical Bible study
Parishioners at St. Bernardine of Siena Church in Woodland Hills and Prince of Peace Episcopal Church are studying Galatians and Thessalonians together this summer. A total of 60 participants meet weekly at alternate churches on consecutive Thursday evenings led by either of two facilitating teams from each congregation.

St. Bernardine's interfaith group is anticipating a joint study with neighboring Temple Aliyah on one of the Old Testament prophets sometime within the next year. For more information on St. Bernardine's ecumenical and interfaith events, contact the parish office at (818) 888-8200.

Brothers return home from World Championships
St. Bernardine of Siena School students Lorenzo and Daniel Rangel-Santos respectively, recently returned from the annual American Taekwondo Association World Championships in Little Rock, Arkansas, where they scored high honors.

Lorenzo (age 10) received World Champion medals, including a gold medal in traditional weapons; a silver medal in xtreme open hand forms; and three bronze medals in xtreme weapons, traditional forms; and sparring. On the final day at the World Championships, Lorenzo placed first in sparring and second in traditional forms and traditional weapons.

Daniel, 12, a 3rd degree black belt and a level one certified instructor for taekwondo, also competed in the World Championships and began his 2008-09 season by placing first in traditional weapons and traditional forms and third in sparring. Both Daniel and his brother sing in the children's choir school at Precious Blood Church in Los Angeles where their parents, Les and Monica, serve as pastoral musicians.