Our Eighth Graders this year took a leadership role in our annual Holy Thursday Retreat.  For the first time, they depicted the Last Supper and also lead the school with a living rosary highlighting the Sorrowful Mysteries.  The retreat concluded with the traditional Stations of the Cross presented by the Sixth Graders.  The messages that students delivered at the arrival of each Station were meaningful, and relatable. Throughout the day the students had the opportunity to open their hearts to Jesus and feel their spirituality growing.

The entire OLQA Community would like to thank all the priests, students, teachers, and parents, who helped made this morning a lasting memory.

Our 8th grade students are connecting the generations within our church community with their Eighth Grade Service Project.  They have become pen pals with willing senior parishioners who have 60 or more years of life experience. For months the students and seniors have exchanged letters and gotten to know each other on many different levels. The intent of these letters has been to forge a bond between generations. This has been an excellent opportunity for our seniors to share their faith and perhaps a few important life lessons they have learned during the course of their lives. In turn, our 8th graders have given a glimpse of the present teen scene to these seniors.

On Monday, March 19th, the 8^th grade class hosted and prepared a luncheon honoring the seniors of OLQA parish and connected face to face with their pen pals. The parish hall was transformed into a lovely dining area for our students and seniors to meet and share stories.  This was truly a hands on project that makes everyone proud at OLQA School and exemplifies our Catholic identity.

Thank you to the Eighth Grade teachers, Mrs. Van and Mrs. Donovan, the room mothers, Mrs. Deeb and Mrs. Strader, all the Eighth Grade mothers who volunteered, and Mr. Sumner for tunes he sang at the piano for this very receptive audience.

OLQA students continue to celebrate their Catholic Identity. Some recent faith-based events include the 5th Grade field trip to the Los Angeles Cathedral, the 2nd Grade field trip to Sacred Heart Retreat Center,and the Penance Service for the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grade students.

On Thursday, March 15th Father Kerry during his homily explained to our students what relics are and which saints’ relics are in our altar. Some of our students partnered with Father Kerry and gave an in-depth presentation about the lives of these particular saints. After Mass, the students had the opportunity to see the relics first hand before they returned to class.

On Friday, our students traveled to the new church location with Father Kerry as he brought the relics to the new altar to be buried. It was quite an exodus, our 1st – 8th grade students journeying across the street to bear witness to this historical event. The students watched as Father Kerry, along with Father Dave deposited the relics at the new altar. Once he placed the relics in the ground, the massive marble altar was placed over the relics with the assistance of a tractor loader. It was a treasured opportunity for our students and parish community!

Scenes from the afternoon