We proved once again that "OLA's Got Talent" with a fun evening showcasing the musical abilities and other "interesting" skills of our parishioners and we also enjoyed delicious Mexican cuisine at our Cinco de Mayo celebration. Then we were blessed to be able to welcome ValLimar Jansen for our parish mission, in which we saw Scripture stories told in a unique way through lively acting and exciting music... and colorful scarves!
Meanwhile, the youth of our parish participated in Action, Antioch, and "MogWog" (Men of God/Women of God) retreats, they attended Souled out and J-Walk, and served in such events as Souper Bowl of Caring and senior visits - and they had a lot of fun along the way. In May, they traveled to Oklahoma for a little outdoor adventure on the EPIC canoe and camping trip. In June, 49 high school students and 11 adults traveled to Memphis, TN to serve the community through SHINE. In July, 16 middle and high school students served others through a week of Mission Possible. High school students also got to attend World Youth Day at Six Flags in October.
The Big Kids sponsored a very enjoyable "Trivia Night" and worked on a huge effort for a successful parish yard sale to raise money to help complete the second floor of the Education and Formation Building. The Women's Club released a new edition of the parish cookbook and commemorative apron in November as a fundraiser, as well.
With autumn, came the annual Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament at Ridgeview Ranch in September, and the annual Parish Picnic in October. The Knights put on a "Trunk or Treat" event before Halloween which was well attended - even if the weather had other plans. And a good time was had by all at the Wild West Shindig, Chuck Wagon BBQ Dinner and Car Raffle Drawing in November! By the end of the year our parish had 1170 registered families.
2014
The Men's Club hosted its 10th Annual Texas Hold-em in January, and the Knights of Columbus hosted its 13th Annual Golf Tournament in September. In addition, the Women's Club held its biennial Wine Tasting Dinner and Silent Auction, raising more than $20,000 to benefit the building fund and the service needs of the organization. These fundraisers, along with the parish car raffle in November helped support our parish goals while providing fellowship and FUN!
Summer was an especially active time, with VBS and Mission Possible, as well as SHINE Catholic Work Camp, where the youth and their chaperones helped fix up Moore, OK, which had been overwhelmed by trying to recover from tornado damage. In May, 106 children made their First Communion and 82 youth receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The Knights of Columbus and the Men's Club hosted summer games which they called the "Peter and Paul Games." In September, musician Kevin Keil held a concert to help the parish raise funds for new hymnals. The Knights held the second annual "Trunk or Treat" Halloween event for the kids in October. And, in December, our first Parish Retreat, presented by Fr. Jude Siciliano, OP and Sr. Patricia Bruno, OP. At the end of 2014, our parish had 1190 registered families.
2015
And as our parish grows, so must our building! On June 7, Father Bell broke the elevator wall in the Education & Formation Building and we began the process of finishing out the 2nd floor, adding office space, classrooms, large gathering spaces, and a lending library. Our Men's Club hosted the 11th annual Texas Hold’em tournamenta and KCs sponsored the 14th annual Golf Tournament. We also enjoyed the Big Kids Trivia Night, the parish picnic, and many other fun social occasions.
Our prayer and learning experiences this year often were quite musical, including welcoming Michael James Mette, a Catholic musician and speaker who travels the country sharing his music and faith and Choir Camp was held for kids. We had other guests visit our parish this year, such as Fr. Stephen Sanchez, O.C.D., who presented a 3-part Summer Lecture Series, and Fr. Tom Cloherty, who led our parish mission.The Catholic Biblical School, sponsored by the University of Dallas, School of Ministry, began meeting weekly at Our Lady of Angels. Not all the special educational events were for the adults: “Son Spark Labs” Vacation Bible School was a fun way for the youngest members of the parish to learn about Jesus.
We continued our tradition of service to our community in many ways in our parish this year with parish-wide events such as Bundle Sunday, blood drives, Angel Tree, troop shipments, and monthly food pantry drives, among many others. Our young people participated in service weeks like Mission Possible, as well as SHINE Catholic Work Camp, which took place this year in Houston.
Our parish lives out a vibrant sacramental life, too. We baptized 44 babies and children throughout the year, and 6 adults were received into the Church at Easter. In February, 157 8th and 9th graders were confirmed, and 111 young people received their First Communion in May.
At the end of 2015, Our Lady of Angels parish had 1,224 families registered.
Our Lady of Angels parish is blessed to have a number of original art pieces. The stained glass windows were the first commissioned pieces, graciously donated by two parish families. The windows are original works, designed by Linda Dabeau of New Mexico, a liturgical artist with a number of pieces in churches across the United States. The glasses were fabricated in Germany by Derix’s Artglass Studios. Derix Artglass is the fabricator of the memorial stained glass window at Ground Zero in New York City.
The Artist's Description of the windows
“The window above the altar, The Blessed Virgin Mary has a central depiction of the young Virgin Mary. On Her right side are lilies that represent Mary’s purity. On the left side of Mary is a depiction of the Holy Spirit indicating the presence of God. Lines in the window create a spiritual energy that ties the imagery together and showcases the image of Mary." The Blessed Virgin Mary window was donated by Ed and Diana Belvin.
“Daystar, the window as you leave the worship space, is a circular design of three circular rows of line that would represent a star burst or be indicative of the thorns that were put onto Christ’s head as a crown during the Crucifixion; a background ribbon effect border underneath the lines that tie each circle together and a bright white center to provide the feeling of God eternal." The Daystar window was donated by the Fitzmartin Family.
Both windows earned an Honorable Mention from the Liturgical Art Magazine in 2007.
In the spring of 2009, the parish received an original sculpture, Our Lady of Angels, also created by Linday Dabeau. The bronze sculpture with patina is a representation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with her arms outstretched. Behind Mary are two floating angels with outstretched arms pointing toward Mary. The sculpture is located between the Worship Center and the Education and Formation Building in the Meditation Garden. The statue was dedicated in the fall of 2009.