St. Kieran Catholic School www.saintkierancatholicschool.org

Women’s history month Friday, March 26th Free dress pass Friday Living Stations 10:45 am –8th Mass of the

Sunday, Lord’s Supper March 28th 7pm

Monday, March 29th 8:15 am Morning Assembly Conference schedules emailed Monday, Tuesday & Liturgy of Wednesday– watch for it. the Lord’s Tuesday, March 30th Passion PE– all grades 3pm Wednesday, March 31st Cesar Chavez Day 8:30 Mass End of 3rd quarter 2:45 pm Dismissal Lunch orders for April - due TODAY by 9am Easter

Vigil Mass

8pm We welcome new Catholics! We wish you a joyful Easter!

CATHOLIC CHARITIES-San Diego Parent Teacher invites the Catholic community to help Conferences with donations of NEW clothing and/or will be on financial support for their work with migrant women, men and children arriving Thursday, April15th and in San Diego seeking asylum. Friday, April 16th. Checks: CCSD - memo—Assistance to These will be minimum days for students Asylum Seekers Dismissal at noon All items must be BRAND NEW The conferences will be held online on Underwear: bras, underwear and socks Google meet through your child’s google Pants: leggings or sweatpants ONLY— classroom account. no zippers, NO JEANS Mrs. Burgess will send you a Tops: sweatshirts, sweaters, cardigans HOW TO. . .guideline for login. T-shirts and coats—-NO BLOUSES Shoes: sneakers, slip on, flip flops Your Conference dates and times Baby and toddler clothes— all sizes/ Will be emailed to you genders March 29th, 30th and 31st. Pajamas-: tops and full length pants only Keep an eye out for your day and time. You can drop donations at SKCS office.

PLEASE JOIN US! May God bless your compassin. Spring Campaign Closing Vigil Ceremony with Most Rev. Auxiliary Bishop Ramon Bejarano, San Diego Diocese Don’t forget to order your SCRIP for Easter Order by Monday, 3/29 and Sunday, March 28th at 6:00pm Your SCRIP will be at the church office 1625 E. Main Street, El Cajon by Thursday morning for pick up. —Meet on the sidewalk in front of the East County Urgent Care / FPA —It is preferred you park near this area —We will proceed up to Planned Parenthood as a group —Dress warm and comfortable —Bring a lantern or a flashlight if you have one Rain or Shine

California has its own civil rights hero — Cesar Chavez. Indeed, while President Obama declared March 31st (the birth date of Mr. Chavez) a national holiday in 2014, California is one of a small handful of states that takes the day as an official state holiday. Among other things, that means that state agencies and all state courtrooms are closed in honor of this important man.

Who was Cesar Chavez? Undoubtedly, Cesar Chavez is best known as a crusader for humane working conditions for farm workers and other laborers. Let’s take a look at the life that led him to become a critical leader for the Latino American community.

Chavez, a devout Catholic, was born in Yuma, Arizona in 1927, right at the cusp of the Great Depression. Like many farm families of that era, they lost their land as the financial crisis began to hit. Indeed, it was that loss that spurred the Chavez family to move to California, where the state’s fertile valleys offered consistent work for migrant laborers.

Along the way, Cesar Chavez witnessed horrific working conditions. Some landowners refused to pay workers after they performed back-breaking labor. Others simply offered, in lieu of wages, the ability to live in dilapidated farm shacks. All expected super-human effort in exchange for sub-par compensation. Seeking to better his life, Mr. Chavez joined the Navy and served admirably toward the end of World War II. When his service ended, however, he found himself drawn back to the migrant workers who touched his heart so deeply. That’s when his life as a political activist began in earnest.

A life of activism It was 1952 when Cesar Chavez returned to California. He quickly joined the “Community Service Organization,” a civil rights group focused on issues faced by Latino Americans. Just six years later, in 1958, he had become that organization’s national director. Four years after that, Mr. Chavez would co-found the National Farm Workers’ Association (currently known as United Farm Workers). . It was his work with that organization that put Chavez in the national spotlight and sealed his place in American history. Chavez had a unique ability for uniting people of different nationalities to rally for common causes. Early in his tenure with UFW, for example, Chavez brought Mexican and Filipino workers together to fight for better working conditions for California’s vast army of grape growers.

He quickly became known as an aggressive activist but he was fully committed to the principles of non violence. One of his most famous acts of defiance was a 340 mile march from California’s central valley farming communities to the Capital Mall in Sacramento. . March 17, 2021 marked 50 years since the March to bring attention to the condition of farm workers in the central valley.

He organized boycotts of non-union grapes and led hunger strikes to bring attention to the plight of the state’s large population of farm workers. His hunger strike was initiated to publically reaffirm his commitment to peaceful protest.

His efforts were not in vain. By the end of the 1970s, California farm workers were the highest paid in the nation. To this day, California’s agricultural labor force has some of the best working conditions in the land. That said, there is still a long way to go, which is why the UFW remains an active and important organization.

So why does California take a day off? California’s agriculture industry is incredibly important to the state’s economy and financial welfare. It is currently a $50 billion a year industry that employs roughly 400,000 people. The fact that Cesar Chavez brought dignity and humanity to that working population is an unparalleled feat. The fact that his organization – the United Farm Workers – keeps fighting for decent working conditions for those Individuals over 50 years after he started the movement speaks to the importance of his mission.

Californians take Cesar Chavez day off to honor a man that understood the importance of this labor force before anyone else did. We take it off to recognize the principles of fairness and justice. Most of all, we take it off out of respect for someone who fought the status quo for the betterment of humankind. Excerpted fro Onelegal.com—Jennifer Anderson

“We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community – and this nation.”

Cesar Chavez