Fatima Celebration
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Volunteers Needed!
Click on the orange SignUp! button below to see and sign up for available volunteer slots. Help is needed Thursday-Monday (9/29-10/3).
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What is it?
Our St. Aloysius Fatima Celebration began back in 1947 when a small group of men got together with a common desire to honor Our Lady of Fatima through a celebratory event, and in doing so, raise enough funds to fulfill their dream of building a Catholic school for their children and grandchildren.
Ever since that first event, the Fatima Celebration continues to be one of the school’s most successful fundraisers.
With St. Aloysius School and St. Aloysius Parish working closely together, the Fatima celebration includes a week full of fun activities:
The week leading up to the Saturday and Sunday activities features a nightly recitation of the rosary in the church. Festivities then kick off that Saturday night with recognition of all the previous Fatima presidents and queens, culminating with the presentation of the current year’s queen and her attendants and an introduction of the current year’s president at St. Aloysius Church. That is then followed by a walking candlelit processional, where participants recite the rosary in both English and Portuguese, from the Church to the T.D.E.S. Hall. Once at the T.D.E.S. Hall, current and past Fatima participants are recognized again, followed by a welcome address by the current Fatima president.
Event-goers are then treated to an evening of dancing to live music, booth games (coin toss, Portuguese bingo, etc.) and delicious food and drink (linguica sandwiches, pork sandwiches, burritos, bake sale items, tremocos, beer and sodas) – all of which are manned by parent and student volunteers. A midnight mass is offered that evening at the T.D.E.S. Hall Chapel.
Sunday morning, there are morning masses offered at St. Aloysius Church. There is a parade of queens who represent Portuguese celebrations throughout the state and their attendants who come from all over California, as well as local marching bands. There are two seating times in the T.D.E.S. Dining Hall where members of the Fatima committee prepare and serve Sopas to the masses. Sopas is a traditional Portuguese meal of slow-cooked beef and cabbage served over day-old bread. The beef for this festa is typically donated by local dairymen.
Attendees then head outside where they can play more booth games, enjoy more sandwiches and burritos, purchase sweets from the bake sale booth, participate in the cake walk, and place their bids in the live auction – which is the largest fundraising activity of the whole event.
Volunteers are needed to set up, cook and serve (Sopas feeds), staff (food and games booths, auction, bake sale), and clean up the event.
Donations of live auction items can fulfill each family’s commitment to their annual donation/sponsorship requirement. -
When Does it happen?
Always the first weekend in October.
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Where does it happen?
Mainly at the T.D.E.S. Hall, though the masses take place and the walking candlelit processional begin at St. Aloysius Church.
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Event Chair/Contact:
Jeff Beck
Email: jeff@lagomarsino.com