We need your extra help this time of year

As many of you are experiencing the extreme heat of the summer, and are turning down your air conditioners to cool your homes, your parish is also experiencing the same heat, and like you all, our utility bills climb this time of year to accommodate the coolers in the Oakhurst church and chapel and in our parish offices. Your special consideration and sacrifice in your Sunday offering will be deeply appreciated as we all struggle with higher bills. Like you, we are trying to watch when power is turned on, but on some days, it is very difficult.

For those who experienced the festival last Sunday, how good God is!!! In spite of the weather, we had a great time. It was so good to see our different communities come together and spend quality time together. The Mass, along with the combined choir under Kevin's direction, was a very moving and holy experience. So many behind the scenes helped in cooking, setting up, cleaning up the property, overseeing many of our activities, and providing delicious baked goods to eat. In future bulletins, I will name individuals who assisted in making the weekend so great. I am proud to be a part of a vibrant and growing parish that continues to grow in faith and ministry. It speaks to the goodness of God, and our response to that grace. With God's Spirit we can continue to be a more unified community here to witness Christ's Gospel.

There will be a meeting of the Parish Festival Committee this coming Tuesday at 11:30am in the parish office to evaluate and set a date for next year.

A reminder that soon a new format and a whole bulletin will be made available that will carry much more information and will be larger. The bulletin will be published by Mission Publications. They are still seeking ads, and if you are interested in adding your business to the back page of the bulletin or wish to buy a space in memory of a deceased relative, you may call the parish office. The starting date is the second or third Sunday in August. We are enclosing a sample of the front and back page of the new bulletin so that you can see the size.

Our Lady of the Sierra Celebrating the 10th Anniversary

Today, we gather to celebrate as a parish the many blessings we have received through the great sacrifices of so many men and women toward this parish that we know today as Our Lady of the Sierra Parish. We owe so much to the Oblates of St. Joseph in Madera who began the ministry in the mountains after St. Theresita’s Camp came to an end. St. Dominic Savio and St. Joseph the Worker was built, both at the same time, to provide worship space for the local communities in the early 1960’s. As the communities grew, there was a need to build a larger church in the largest mountain community, Oakhurst, and thus the building of Our Lady of the Sierra was begun under the leadership of Msgr. Herman Bezunartea. The parish name was changed from St. Dominic Savio Parish in Bass Lake to Our Lady of the Sierra Parish in Oakhurst in 1999. This was in tune with the dedication of the new church of Our Lady of the Sierra in Oakhurst. Thank you to all who have been a rich part of the history of this parish and it’s past. It takes hard work and determination to get where we are now. We are also very grateful to Father Jerry Northup for his time of leadership here before his well deserved retirement in the spring of 2008. We keep both our retired priests in prayer.

As the parish continues to change and progress, we are on the threshold of new things. First, I am happy to announce that we have added Kevin Jonas to our staff, beginning September 1st, as the new Director of Music for Our Lady of the Sierra Parish. Kevin comes to us after many years of service in the Los Angeles Archdiocese as both pastoral music and parish administrator. Kevin joins his parents in their mountain home, and now makes this parish his parish home. He will be working full time, but will be receiving a part time stipend. Nancy continues as our office manager, but will be in the office four days instead of five. Katie continues as parish secretary, working three days a week. Peggy Stewart and Consuelo Mercier will continue to guide our children and youth in the faith. With the update of our computer system and other issues, we are able to give them the extra time off they need.