Parish Ministries

Our Lady of Grace Music Ministry strives to provide opportunities for those with musical gifts to put those gifts at the service of God and the parish community in the liturgy.  Our Lady of Grace also strives to be a place where musical gifts can be discovered and cultivated.  To that end the following opportunities are offered to all those who are musically inclined or who wish to explore the hidden music within them:

CANTATE Kids – Rehearses Thursday from 4:00–5:30 pm and sings at the 11:00 am Mass on Sunday approximately once each month from September to Pentecost Sunday. Open to children grades 3–10. Directed by Jonathan Gonzales. 

LAUDATE Ensemble – This contemporary choir and band rehearses Thursday from 7:00–9:00 pm and sings at Mass on Sunday at 5:30 pm year round. Open to young adults and older. Directed by Mr. Robert Filley.

GAUDETE Choir – Rehearses Thursday from 7:00 – 9:00 pm and sings at Mass at 11:00 am from September – Pentecost Sunday on Sundays not served by the Cantate Kids. Open to adults and older teens.  Directed by Jonathan Gonzales .

Cantors – Cantors are normally chosen from among our choir members, however, you may wish to volunteer for occasional service.  Cantors should possess the requisite musical skills to perform their liturgical duty with confidence and grace.

Instrumentalists – Instruments are employed in the liturgy according to need and season.  A guitarist or flutist might find a regular place in our Laudate Ensemble while a trumpeter or cellist may be invited to play on occasion.  If you play an instrument at the intermediate level or higher then we can find a place for you

To inquire about any of the above opportunities, please use the Contact Us form and select our Director of Liturgical Music, Jonathan Gonzales.

Altar Servers have the privilege of assisting the priest in the sanctuary during the Mass and other liturgical functions. Parishioners who have received First Communion and are age 10 and above are eligible to be trained as altar servers.

Duties:

• Carry the cross/candles/incense during the procession into Mass.
• Assist the priest by holding the books from which prayers are read.
• Assist the priest in receiving the gifts during the offertory.
• Assist in preparing the altar for liturgy Assist the priest in the ritual washing of his hands.
• Carry the cross/candles/incense during the recession out of Mass.

Training sessions are held regularly throughout the year. If you or your child are interested in this area of service to our parish use the Contact Us form and select "Rosa Hilgeman".

Lectors proclaim the Word of God at Sunday and weekday Masses. They receive training and encouragement and are expected to prepare their proclamation thoroughly and carefully, through prayer and practice. A helpful workbook is provided, along with gentle but specific instruction.

To be eligible candidates must be practicing Catholics. Adults must be fully-initiated (already received Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) and if married, your marriage must have been celebrated in or recognized by the Church. High school age may serve in this ministry. Teens who are not yet confirmed must be enrolled in Confirmation preparation.

Once trained, Lectors are added to Ministry Scheduler Pro (MSP), our volunteer software. MSP allows the minister to indicate a preferred Mass time, notifies of upcoming service commitments and allows the minister to substitute at different Masses, if available.

If you feel called to this ministry please use the Contact Us form and select "Rosa Hilgeman."

Ministry to the convalescent homebound shows love and care for Catholics within our parish boundaries who, for reasons of health or infirmity, cannot be with us as we gather for worship.

Volunteers in this ministry include Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Eucharist and support volunteers who bring, on a regular basis, the Eucharist along with news of parish events, a bulletin, and a listening ear to two local convalescent homes as well as to the homes of our sick and housebound parishioners.

If you are willing to volunteer with this much needed ministry or want information about scheduling a visit for a sick and homebound parishioner to receive Holy Communion, please use the Contact Us form and select "Rosa Hilgeman."

The Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist assist at Mass by distributing Holy Communion along with the presiding clergy. They help our Eucharistic Liturgy to truly be a work of the people; dedicated men and women who come forward to help and stand as an outward sign of our baptismal calling to serve.

Eligible candidates are practicing, fully-initiated (already received Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) Catholics. If married, your marriage must have been celebrated in or recognized by the Church. Once trained and commissioned, ministers are added to Ministry Scheduler Pro (MSP), our volunteer software. MSP allows the minister to indicate a preferred Mass time, notifies of upcoming service commitments and allows the minister to substitute at different Masses, if available.

To get more info or volunteer for this ministry, please use the Contact Us form and select "Rosa Hilgeman."

The ministry of church Usher and/or Ambassador plays a vital role in the hospitality and welcome ministry of the church.

They welcome and assist parishioners as they arrive and, if necessary, during and after the Mass service. This includes passing out worship aides or directing attendees to places they want to go, collection of the offering and inviting parishioners to rise during reception of Eucharist to help maintain traffic flow. They also take a moment after Mass to reset missals and envelopes in pews and to gather any belongings left behind for lost and found.

An usher/ambassador is the first and last person people see when visiting Our Lady of Grace. They give the first and last impression of our parish which makes this position one of the most important ministries in the church.

Once trained, Ushers and Ambassadors are added to Ministry Scheduler Pro (MSP), our volunteer software. MSP allows the minister to indicate a preferred Mass time, notifies of upcoming service commitments and allows the minister to substitute at different Masses, if available.

If you have ease around new faces, love the Catholic Liturgy and enjoy helping people learn more about our parish, this ministry is for you. Express your interest by using our Contact Us form and selecting "Rosa Hilgeman."

The Our Lady of Grace food pantry is a service to our community located in the Ministry Center behind Lauerman Hall. Staffed by parish volunteers, it is open Monday through Friday (except major holidays) from 9:30 to 11:00 am providing supplemental food and hygiene  products to needy clients. Our pantry is primarily supported by parish donations and food donations from the two Albertson’s grocery stores in our area. Services are provided to all people regardless of color, race or creed.

In 2021 the OLG pantry served 155 unique clients, including 42 persons without shelter. Those clients visited 628 times to help feed 1,461 people in their households. 

The OLG Food Pantry ministry is alway open to accepting volunteers. Help is needed throughout the week and on food donation weekends to receive food, stock shelves, bag products and to serve clients during the open hours. If you can help or want more info about this volunteer commitment visit our Contact Us page and choose Food Pantry from the dropdown box or you can call (619) 469-0061 during the Pantry open hours.

Donate to our pantry

As we anticipate the holidays, often our appreciation of what we have turns into a desire to help people in need.

Over 30 years ago, parishioners Helena and Tony Vigeon identified a need in the East County.  Helena was a teacher in elementary schools and was active in the school systems’ collaborative network of counselors and nurses.  There were many families identified by school employees to be struggling to make ends meet and the holidays were especially difficult.  Children were needing shoes, clothes and school supplies.  Parents had difficulty making Christmas a holiday that was celebratory for their children. 

As active members at Our Lady of Grace Church, Tony and Helena knew that generous parishioners would be able to help. They had already begun a parishioner giving program to assist fellow parish members who were struggling. With the support of the pastor, the Holiday Angel Program expanded, matching families in the parish who could offer Thanksgiving and Christmas help, with families in East County who were asking for help.   The program has grown over the years to serve senior citizens as well. 

The East County clients are referred by schools and service providers. Each year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, the program creates a holiday experience for 100 to 150 families and seniors.

You are invited to be an “Angel” by adopting an East County family in immediate need of life’s basics during the holidays.  Find out more by watching for bulletin announcements in the fall and checking back to this page starting in September to sign up. 

Can you touch a prayer? Can you pull it close and feel its comfort?

You can if it's part of a prayer quilt or prayer square. The idea behind these quilts and squares is simple, yet powerful. After the quilt or square is made, it is blessed at Mass. After Mass, the quilts are layed flat on tables outside of church. A heavy thread which was used to make stitches through the quilt layers are tied with a square knot by Mass participants. As each knot is tied, a silent prayer is offered for the particular person the quilt was made for, someone in a special need...someone who has asked us to pray for them. The quilt will then be given to that person.

Prayer squares are available for emergency needs.

What makes each quilt so special is not the colors or the patterns, but the fact that prayers are symbolically tied into each one! If you or someone you know can benefit from the warmth, comfort and hope that being wrapped in prayers can bring, than they will definitely benefit from a prayer quilt.

There are three commandments that we abide by:

1. Each quilt is a gift of love--there is no price placed on the quilt
2. The person receiving the quilt agrees to accept the gift of prayer in the form of a quilt
3. Prayer quilts are all about prayer and not about the quilts

To Volunteer and Join the Ministry:

Donations and gifts of fabric are accepted, but before donating fabric, please use the Contact Us form and select "Prayer Quilt Ministry" to make sure the type of fabric can be used.

OLG's Prayer Quilt Ministry, chapter 429 of Prayers & Squares, is made up of many quilters, sewers-but-not-quilters, and non-sewers. It takes many hands and various talents to complete each one. No previous quilting experience is needed! We will teach you as we go along. If you would like to be a part of this special ministry Contact Us.

The pro-life movement seeks to end legalized abortion in America and restore legal protection to the pre-born. Volunteers from OLG parish focus on participation in 40 Days for Life, an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses. 

By the grace of God, 40 Days for Life has achieved a stunning track record of life-saving results since launching in 2007 and has become a worldwide movement in 63 nations with over 1,000,000 volunteers.

To reach our pro-life coordinator use the Contact Us form and choose "Pro-life" or visit the website of the El Cajon Chapter of 40 Days for Life.

The Events Committee organizes celebrations for the OLG community that mark special occasions of parish life such as the Christmas Lunch, the Easter Egg Hunt, Cinco de Mayo Dinner, the Open House and special recognition of our members, religious and clergy. They are also responsible for organizing the schedule of the Sunday breakfast events so that there was always something happening in our Parish Center on Sunday mornings for food and fellowship.

Made up of members of the OLG Parish community, including representatives from Knights of Columbus, International Catholic Families, Catholic Women’s Club, OLG School and Youth Ministry, the Events Committee is always looking for new ideas!

If you are interested in lending your talents to this committee, please use the Contact Us form and select "Events Committee".