In 2021, Mount Calvary Monastery & Retreat Center will close its doors. For the past 10 years, St. Luke's parishioners have made the trek up to Santa Barbara for the annual Parish Retreat. Not only to they get to gather together to meditate and pray, but also to immerse themselves in the rich history of the monastery and the brothers. Click here to read an article from L.A. Times (January 2009) about the Brothers and their post-fire lives. 

"Whether on the breathtaking Gibraltar Road mountaintop, or nestled, post-fire, beside Old Mission Santa Barbara, Mount Calvary Monastery is a “thin place,” where the space between earth and heaven seems “thinner,” and one might encounter God." – Arlene Thompson, Parishioner

St. Luke's will make its final pilgrimage to Mount Calvary March 6-8, 2020! The cost is $275 per person with a non-refundable deposit of $150. Scholarships are available, and donations to the scholarship fund are appreciated.  If you wish to join us next year, sign up in the parish hall on Sundays or contact the church office. Deposits are due no later than Sunday, December 8.

On Saturday, June 30, we had our Semi-Annual Church Workday! Thanks to our Property Team Coordinators, Lucille Sevigny and Chad Foerster, we had a successful church cleanup day.

Thank you to the following parishioners for participating: Charles Albert & Jeanne Ortiz (carpet cleaners), Jill Cassidy, Margaret Walton, Michelle Mowery, Nancy Lauer, & Olivia Phoenix (kitchen cleaners), Scott Steeper, Alan Rifkin, Ligia Toraño, & Miguel Aviles (window cleaners), Alex Burgos & Sandra Cruz (courtyard cleaners), Stephen Morris, Benjamin Galán, Will Gray & Chad Foerster (second floor hall cleaning & clearing crew), & Luke Euzarraga (attendance recorder).

Thank you to our church sexton, Hektor Rivas, & staff member, Leo Duarte, for all of their help.
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If we inadvertently missed your name & task, please let us know so we can rectify our mistake. Don't forget to join us for the next parish workday!

On, Sunday, September 24, we bid farewell to our intrepid interim rector, Ricardo Avila! We shared in good food, good fun, and a few good tears, as we celebrated the last 4 years of Ricardo's service at St. Luke's. 

Part of our celebration included media presentations from the staff and members of the congregation, expressing our thanks, our memories, and our well wishes for his next venture at St. Luke's, Los Gatos in San Mateo.

Enjoy them out below!

In 2016, our urban intern, Graycie Wingo, made it her mission to bring the St. Luke’s community together, by folding 1,000 peace cranes! The goal was to create a symbolic representation of our collective prayers, hopes, and intentions. We successfully reached that goal and displayed them above the altar during the season of Pentecost!

St. Luke's donated a portion of our prayer cranes to the "Cranes of Hope" project at the Todd Cancer Pavilion last year. They collected over 10,000 cranes from the community, with the intention to rebuild this art installation at the hospital. Their goal is to provide hope and encouragement to patients, family members, and all who visit their facilities. An unveiling ceremony took place on September 12 at the pavilion, where they beautifully displayed 14,000 cranes, gathered from all over the community. We are proud to have a part of St. Luke's incorporated in this wonderful project!

Once a year, we ask the children of St. Luke's to bring their backpacks to the 10am Eucharist for a blessing before the new school year begins. This year, we also blessed the wonderful teachers and educators in our parish! 

The Wini Williams Carter Community Service Scholarship is awarded each year to a graduating senior from Long Beach Poly High who has demonstrated a commitment to helping those less fortunate in our community. It’s a 4-year award, $1,000 per year given based on continued attendance at a college or university of the student’s choice. The scholarship is named after Wini Carter, a beloved St. Luke’s parishioner whose life-long community service sets an example for all of us. She’s 98 and still going strong, volunteering in various capacities around the city and making friends wherever she goes. 

For the first time, we have a full contingent of four Wini Williams Carter Scholars! They are Hannah Bogich (2014), Monique Lozano (2015), Chloe Weatherspoon (2016), and Derek Matos (2017). Our first four scholars are attending Northeastern University, Boston; Cal State University - Long Beach; and UCLA.

At our 10am Eucharist on Sunday, August 13, we welcomed our newest recipient, Derek Matos. Additionally, this was our farewell to Hannah, who will be completing her four years as a Wini Carter Scholar. We love our scholars and wish them all the best in their future endeavors! 

We welcome donations to keep this scholarship going and to assist future community leaders in their educational advancement. Please contact the church office for more information.

On behalf of the St. Luke's staff, we want to wish Father Ricardo a very special 'happy birthday'!!!

On Sunday, July 23, members of our Spanish congregation had the opportunity to venture out to the Aquarium of the Pacific, with Father Ricardo and Mother Nancy. Thanks to parishioner, James Chapman, who works for the aquarium, they were able to interact with and feed some otters and check out some lively underwater creatures! Check out the footage and photos below.