Special Masses for Palm Sunday

* Palm Sunday, a holy day of obligation for Catholics, will be celebrated at Masses today and Sunday at St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks.

Blessed palm leaves will be provided to all attending Masses at 5:30 p.m. today and 7:30, 9, and 10:45 a.m. Sunday. Spanish Mass will be celebrated at 12:15, and there will be another English Mass at 5:30 p.m.

The palm branches are taken home and kept in prominent places. Some are burned and will provide ashes for next year’s Ash Wednesday liturgy.

A communal Lenten penance service will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Catholics are expected to receive the Sacrament of Penance at least once a year and are especially encouraged to make their confession during Lent. Because this is the Jubilee year, all Catholics, especially non-practicing members, are encouraged to return to the church by beginning with confession.

On Holy Thursday, the anniversary of the Last Supper, Msgr. Joe George will wash the feet of parishioners during a bilingual Mass at 7 p.m. in remembrance of how Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. On Good Friday, the Liturgy of Word at the 1 and 7:30 p.m. Masses will be proclaimed by junior high and high school students of the parish. There will also be a Spanish-language Mass in Thomas Aquinas Hall at 6:30 p.m.

The church is at 155 E. Janss Road. For more information, call 496-0222.

Seminar Examines Trinity

* Community Presbyterian Church will have a week of worship services and celebrations beginning with a seminar on the trinity given by Andrew Walker of London from 4 to 7 p.m. today.

Walker will also preach at 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. There will be a children’s palm procession at those meetings.

“Christ in the Passover, A Jews for Jesus Presentation,” will offer a visual display of traditional Passover accoutrements in Fellowship Hall at 5:30 p.m. Thursday followed by a Maundy Thursday worship service with communion at 7 p.m.

The Chancel Choir will present Handel’s “The Messiah” during a 7 p.m. Good Friday service.

The church is at 1555 Poli St. For more information, call 648-2737.

Day of Enrichment for Disabled

* The East and West Ventura County Handicapables will offer a day of spiritual and social enrichment for all physically disabled people at San Buenaventura Mission Serra Center in Ventura.

Registration is at 11 a.m. today, and Mass begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch and entertainment.

The public is invited and there is no charge.

The mission is at 211 E. Main St. For more information, call 452-4050 or 648-6686.

Confessions to Be Heard at Mission

* In anticipation of Holy Week, confessions will be heard from 3:30 to 5 p.m. today at San Buenaventura Mission in Ventura.

Passion Sunday services will be held at the mission at 5:30 p.m. today. A Spanish service will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Services will be held Sunday at 7:30 a.m., 9 and noon. A Spanish service will be at 10:30 a.m. and a Latin service at 1:30 p.m. Palms will be blessed in the mission garden 15 minutes before each morning Mass and at the noon Mass.

There will be a 7:30 a.m. Mass and a 7:30 p.m. Novena Mass on Monday.

Special bilingual communal penance services will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

A bilingual Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday with procession to the repository and adoration of the blessed sacrament until midnight. Confessions will be heard from 10 to 11 a.m.

On Friday, there will be a celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 12:15 p.m., meditation on the passion at 1:15 p.m., Stations of the Cross at 2:30 p.m. and a Spanish liturgy at 6:30 p.m. Confessions will be heard from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The mission is at 211 E. Main St.

Communal Penance Service Today

* Our Lady of Assumption Church in Ventura will hold a communal penance service at 3 p.m. today.

The church is at 3175 Telegraph Road.

Church Hosts ‘Bread of Life’ Dinner

* All Saints Episcopal Church of Oxnard will have a week of activities beginning with a “Bread of Life” dinner in the parish hall at 5:30 p.m. today.

On Sunday, there will be Passion/Palm Sunday worship services at 8 and 11 a.m. A Spanish worship service will be held at 9:30 a.m.

Classes Sunday will include a 9:30 a.m. adult lectionary Bible study led by the Rev. Warren V. Porter and 10:30 a.m. Christian education for children led by Sunday School Supt. Cindy Morales.

There will be a Holy Eucharist and Healing Service at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel.There will be a musical drama reenacting the Last Supper, Holy Eucharist, foot washing and stripping of the alter from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. On Friday, a community Good Friday service at noon and a Good Friday liturgy at 7 p.m. will be in the sanctuary. The church is at 144 South C St.

Sonrise Fellowship 10 Years Old

* The 4,000-member Sonrise Christian Fellowship in Simi Valley will celebrate its 10th anniversary with services at 5 and 7 p.m. today and 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday.

The church is at 2350 Shasta Way. For more information, call 581-1628.

The church began April 15, 1990, with a service at Sequoia Middle School in Simi Valley with founding Pastor Ken Craft, his wife Jill and 80 people attending.

Mass Schedule at St. Anthony’s * St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Oxnard will celebrate Mass at 5:15 p.m. today. The

Sacrament of Penance is from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and 7:30 to 8 p.m. Masses are at 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m. and noon Sunday. Spanish Mass is at 1:30 p.m.

The church is at 2511 South C St. For more information, call 486-7301.

Mahony to Dedicate Science Hall

* Cardinal Roger Mahony will celebrate Palm Sunday services at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula and preside over dedication ceremonies of the college’s new Albertus Magnus Science Hall at 11 a.m. today.

The new 15,000-square-foot science building features five laboratories and four classrooms. The college is at 10,000 N. Ojai Road. For information, call 524-4417.

Services at First Presbyterian

* First Presbyterian Church of Oxnard will hold a worship service at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Charles Griffin will deliver the sermon, “Jesus: Broadband Person.”

There will be Sunday School for youths during the worship service. Adult Sunday School will be at 9 a.m.

Children are invited to gather on the patio at 9:45 a.m. for the Parade of Palms.

Child care is available at all services.

There will be a Maundy Thursday all-church potluck at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, followed by a worship service at 7 p.m. with a sermon, special drama and communion.

The church is at 850 Ivywood Drive. For more information, call 983-0204.

Minister to Speak on Illness

* The Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura will feature the Rev. Dick Weston-Jones speaking on the theme of illness and what it teaches us about the fragility of life at the 9:15 and 11 a.m. Sunday services.

Religious education for children is held during the early service, and child care is available at both.

The church is at 4949 Foothill Road. For more information, call 644-3898.

Children’s Palm Sunday Procession

* Children from preschool through fifth grade will stage a musical procession at 8:30 and 10 a.m. Palm Sunday at Monte Vista Presbyterian Church in Newbury Park.

After worship, the church will host a Palm Sunday potluck brunch and an Easter egg hunt for children through third grade. Games and activities will be provided for fourth- and fifth-grade children. The public is invited.

The church is at 3797 W. Lynn Road. For more information, call 498-8213.

Palm Sunday at St. Matthew’s

* St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Newbury Park will have worship services at 8:30 and 10 a.m. Palm Sunday. The Rev. Lynne Austin will deliver the message, “What Palms Do We Wave?” focusing on Mark 11:1-11. Communion will be served at both services.

The church is at 1360 S. Wendy Drive. For more information, call 498-6910.

Palm Procession at St. Paul’s

* Palm Sunday will be celebrated at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church beginning at 10:10 a.m. The congregation is asked to gather on the patio outside the sanctuary for a procession of palms. Sunday School classes meet for the first few minutes of the service then the children will be dismissed to their classrooms. Pastor Alan P. Gorsline will preach.

The Japanese Ministry will worship at 2 p.m., led by the Rev. Haruyoshi Fujimoto.

The church is at 1800 South C St. For more information, call 487-2711.

Life Design Awaits Spring Session

* All women are invited to attend the spring session of Life Design Ojai, which begins 9:15 a.m. Wednesday at Ojai Valley Community Church in Ojai.

Life Design meets each Wednesday through May 24. The spring study topic is “Transforming Dialogue: The Relational Dimension of the Lord’s Prayer.”

In addition to the study, Life Design will offer Electives for Living classes that will include “Walk and Talk,” “Wordy Gurdie,” “Trash to Treasure” and “Flower Power.”

There is child care available with preregistration.

The church is at 907 El Centro. For information, call 645-8182.

Program on ‘Changes in Church’

* A ecumenical dialogue focusing on “Changes in the Church” sponsored by Ventura County Council of Churches will be held in the Salon Room at the Theology Library of St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Participants may also meet in the cafeteria for lunch from 12:10 to 1 p.m. for an informal gathering. The lunch costs $5 cash.

The seminary is at 5012 Seminary Road. For information, call 482-2755.

Students to Hike to Serra Cross

* Channel Islands Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Oxnard will hold a hike from the church parking lot to Serra Cross in Ventura for junior high and high school students Friday beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The church is at 1851 Holser Walk, Suite 200. For more information, call 485-0050.

Unity Center’s Good Friday Service

* Unity Center Church of Westlake Village will hold a Good Friday Holy Communion service at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Westlake Village Community Room.

The community room is at 4373 Park Terrace. For more information, call 512-1210.

Music and Masterpieces at Church

* Community Presbyterian Church in Ventura will have a Good Friday presentation at 7 p.m. Friday featuring Messiah in Art performing a Vivaldi concerto for two violins.

Portions of Handel’s “Messiah” with life-size replicas of masterpieces depicting Christ’s passion will also be a part of the program that includes an adult choir performance with soloists accompanied by a chamber orchestra.

The church is at 1555 Poli St. For information, call 648-3526.

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