Holy Angels Catholic Church of the Deaf's 2019
#GivingTuesday & Christmas Appeal
On Sunday, December 15, 2019, we expect hundreds of people from all over Los Angeles to come and enjoy the Posadas of food, fellowship, and most importantly to relax in what I like to call one of the “hidden gems” in the City of Vernon. One would expect a cacophony of noise and perhaps caroling here and there. Amazingly, it will all be silent. We are a Deaf community. We are the only parish Deaf community to have a church of its own. There is a great deal of pride and ownership that exists in the families that come to Holy Angels. This year our focus has been on continually upgrading the church grounds and buildings, some which are more than 100 years old.
Holy Angels Church of the Deaf is the pastoral, educational, and social center of the Catholic deaf community in the Los Angeles area. Established in 1987, our parish effectively fulfills the unique cultural and communication needs of hundreds of people throughout our Archdiocese. Our parish is vital to building our community and celebrating our faith. Your donations and participation in this campaign will enable us to continue providing services and faith formation to future generations of Catholic and non-Catholic deaf people. Your prayers, generosity and love for our beautiful Church will ensure our campaign's success. Please read below as an example of one of the many families we serve at Holy Angels.
Your support for Holy Angels allows us to help many families and individuals at Holy Angels. Your ongoing generosity, throughout the years, has provided a beacon of hope for María Reyes and her family. María married approximately 20 years ago and gave birth to a Deaf son. Upon learning of her son's disability, her husband left and could not accept raising a Deaf child. Ten years later, she met the love of her life, Maynor, and together they raised a new family: her Deaf son, Angel (20), Paloma (9) and Sol (6). Not too long ago, Maynor was killed in a car accident. Our resources (counseling, bereavement ministries, and advocacy) gave the family the help and support they needed to recover, begin healing, and move forward. Without the kindness and support of benefactors like you, we would not be able to do our work. Consider giving and supporting us, your donation will go a long way and help families like María Reyes'.
After prayerful consideration and study, we have identified the most pressing needs in our community:
ROOFING: The roofs on our hall and office buildings have now exceeds their life expectancies and repairing sections is no longer cost-efficient. Replacing the two woofs will prevent future damage to the interiors of these boilings so they can continue to serve our parish ministries and programs.
RESTROOMS: Our restrooms are also in need of repair and renovation. Adding another stall will make them more convenient for parishioners and visitors attending Mass and participating in our parish ministries.
FROM
REV. TOM SCHWEITZER
In 2017, we marked the 30th anniversary of the opening of our church for the Deaf people in Vernon. The church had a very long and distinguished history of service to the local community before that as Saint Martha Parish. The young people who came to our services in 1987 still attend with their own children. We are into the third generation of parishioners.
Since Holy Angels serves the Deaf Community in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties, these families spend a large part of Sunday with us.
Without the ongoing support of the business community in the City of Vernon and great City of Los Angeles, we would not have been able to continue our multi-faceted programs.
We pray that you and your families will experience a joyful Christmas 2019 and a happy and prosperous 2020.
