From Fr. Mike ...

I trust everybody had a nice Thanksgiving with family and friends this weekend. It is a

nice weekend for us all to take time to thank God.

 

We now move on to a new Liturgical Year and Season with the First Sunday of Advent.

A very special thanks to Kevin and to the combined choir that sang at the Thanksgiving Day Mass this past Thursday.

Also thanks to Kevin and Diane Kraft for their leadership with the Art and Environment Commission for this new season of Advent. You are all special gifts to the parish community.

 

Advent is about hope. It calls us to vision a new world, new Jerusalem as the Book of

Revelation would tell us. This is not a penitential season. It is the season for waiting

for the coming of the Savior at the end of the world. Our readings, music, homilies and

church environment focus on preparing for the coming of Jesus, much as St. John the

Baptist did in the desert when his voice called out, "Prepare ye the way of the

Lord!" The prophet Isaiah who envisioned a time of peace and tranquility in the world is

the main Old Testament book that is utilized, since Isaiah really was looking for the end

of the world, and that that end would be so different than the one we live in today. We

continue that same message as we light an Advent candle each week, so that the light of the

candle shines in the darkness of the world, and leads us to Christ, the fulfillment of all

things. Thus Christmas, a past historical event, is celebrated annually at the end of Advent,

the real end to the season is the Second Coming when all is restored in Christ.

 

As we look to this Season of Advent, a reminder that we will have our Parish Advent

Penance Service on Tuesday, December 15th, at Our Lady of the Sierra Church at

6:00PM. This allows for advance planning on everybody's part.

 

We know that we get caught up with all the Christmas activities at this time of the year,

yet we need to remember that the Church does NOT celebrate Christmas until we gather

for the Christmas Eve Mass. Until then, it's Advent and the art and environment in our

churches reflect that faith experience. We cannot fight the secular world with the Christmas

season, but we can do so when we gather to worship on Sundays. Each week, another

candle is lit, another step towards the fullness of light, Christ Himself. I pray that this

season will give you courage and hope especially in these difficult times with the recession

and war.

 

This coming week, the Women's Guild of the parish will begin their main fund-raising

activity with the annual Sees Candy Sale. This sale assists these wonderful women in

providing for the needs of the parish. I encourage everybody to join in and support the

Women's Guild on Sundays at church or in front of CVS Drugstore here in Oakhurst.

From the desk of Fr. Mike

 

Today the Universal Church celebrates the final Mass of the Year of Grace of 2009, the Feast of Christ the King.  This feast which came about a little less than two hundred years ago, symbolizes for us that Jesus is the final answer to all in creation.  As Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, the Word Incarnate came to reconcile the whole world to right the wrongs, to bring forgiveness to sin, and to bring harmony to the brokenness that has caused so much pain and destruction.  We know that in Christ, the world will be right again, thus the Christ the King brings the year to its full completeness.  In all the Masses, Baptisms, the Confirmations, Ordinations, Marriages and Funerals held this past year were means to bring about grace and salvation.  Thus we celebrate with great solemnity this most holy feast, and bring our year to another end.

 

Next week, we will begin a new Year of Grace of 2010, with the First Sunday of Advent. We begin this new time in the liturgical season looking to the future and all that we are invited to do to bring God's Good News, the message of Jesus' presence to the world, starting with our local community.  If you are a viewer of Channel 49, the diocesan television station in Fresno, you will see me nearly everyday till Christmas in one minute spot commercials about Advent.  Every week I will deliver a different message for the Catholic Community.  It will air four to six times a day, changing every Monday to a newer commercial.  It will be like Billy May has come back from the dead, we both look the same.  And yes, TV adds ten pounds.

 

Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!

 

Thanksgiving Day is this week, and we wish that all of you will be joining with family and friends to give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings that have come your way.  Just living in these beautiful mountains is a reason to thank God for beauty. 

 

 We will have a special Thanksgiving Day Mass at 9:00AM

 

 with our choir providing music.  What better way is there than to come to Mass, give thanks to God for the gift of salvation and grace, before we sit at our dinner tables to give Him thanks for all other things.  As a community of faith, this gathering will give witness to how important we cherish each other.  A collection will be taken up to aid the poor and we are asking you to bring food items that can be given to those organizations that provide food for the needy in our Oakhurst area.   Also you are invited to bring the wine and bread that you will serving that day to have it blessed at Mass.  Plan to attend!!

 

Parish offices will be closed November 26th to November 29th so that our staff can enjoy Thanksgiving with their families and take some well deserved time off this busy season.

 

As our churches are aging, even with Our Lady of the Sierra Church now being ten years old, there are more needs for repair and restore.  In trying to be proactive in these hard economic times, we find the need to create a fund for church repairs so our annual budget would not be taxed.  We are experiencing a real decline in our Sunday collections from last year and we cannot at the present moment do what needs to be done. Thus on the Fifth Sundays of the month, whenever they occur, we will take up a second collection for the Parish Improvement Fund, which will be used to fund projects such as repairs, replacing damaged items, fixing sidewalks, and other things that do come up at all our churches.  Your generous response will be appreciated, as well as your consideration in a small increase in your Sunday giving.  We are making adjustments and cuts to stay within our means.  These are lean times for you and for us.

 

The first Parish Improvement Fund collection will be taken next Sunday, November 29^th, at all Masses.

 

From Fr. Mike

 

Bishop's Annual Appeal 2010

 

All registered parishioners will have received by now a letter from Bishop John Steinbock regarding the Bishop's Annual Appeal, held every year to assist the bishop in his responsibilities to care for the needs of the diocese.  The funds raised help with the costs of seminarians, purchase of new properties for new parishes, the Priest Retirement Fund, Catholic Schools assistance, and other   urgent needs.  The diocesan goal this year is to raise $850,000.  Each parish is assessed a certain amount based on their annual plate collection.  The goal set for Our Lady of the Sierra Parish for 2010 is $7,365.00.  Each parishioner is asked to contribute directly to the appeal, with the envelope supplied by the   diocese in the mailing.  Whatever amount is not raised by the direct appeal from parishioners must be made up by the parish itself.  This affects our budget, since we will not know what the parish will have to contribute at the end of the budget year in June.  In the 2009 Bishop's Annual Appeal, the parish was responsible for over $4,000 at the end of June.  We ask for your help  and generosity in this matter.

 

From Fr. Mike ...

This is the LAST CALL for my pilgrimage next year that will take us to Rome, Florence,

Assisi, Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, Lucerne, with the addition of attending the

PASSION PLAY OF OBERAMMERGAU in Germany. This pilgrimage will include a

Papal Audience with the Holy Father. The Passion Play is done only every ten years,

and it has been going since 1633. Our pilgrimage date puts us at the very end of their

presentation. We have been given only so many tickets and thus we have 8 spots left on

this pilgrimage. The Pilgrimage departs from San Francisco on September 20, 2010,

returning October 2nd to San Francisco. The cost of the entire pilgrimage which includes

airfare, hotels, two meals a day, bus and local guides, local taxes and a $100,000

Automatic Flight insurance, is $4299. If you or anyone you know is interested, final

spots must be filled by December 1st, 2009, or we surrender unused Passion Play tickets

back to Oberammergau. The parish office has the brochure with this information.

 

We are beginning to wind down the liturgical year. There are only two Sundays left in

the present year and then we start the new Liturgical Year with Advent on November

29th. All Lectors are asked to make sure they pick up their workbooks in the sacristy of

whatever church they attend.

 

I want to thank Kevin and all the members of the Art and Environment Committee who

help prepare the churches for the Month of All Souls. A great deal or work went into

planning and executing all the work that needed to be done. It is all so beautiful. I understand

that Advent and Christmas will also be beautiful experiences. I urge everybody

to visit our website which has improved greatly. New pages have been added and

more explanation regarding many of our events and activities.

 

In two different events recently, one for the Laity and other with Priests and Religious,

Bishop Steinbock celebrated the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination as a

bishop. He was first appointed the Auxiliary Bishop of Orange and ordained in 1984. I

have sent an official greeting from the parish to the bishop and pray for his continued

good health and happiness as he continues to lead this local Church.

 

Fr. Mike

From Fr. Mike

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints. This will overrule the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. We begin this month of All Souls, but first celebrating those who have entered into glory. Today's feast is celebrated with solemnity and great joy. Tomorrow, we begin the month of All Souls, as we remember our deceased family and friends who have died and are in need of our prayers for their entrance into heaven. We will offer a very special Mass tomorrow morning, November 2nd at 8:00AM for All Souls, with music and we want to remember the deceased by asking you to bring photos of your loved ones that you want remembered to this special Mass. They will be placed in a special area near the altar with the Easter Candle nearby. Also we are asking everyone to bring in their All Souls envelopes so they can also be placed in a special place for the entire month of November. The Church asks that all Masses, prayers, and good works be offered up for the salvation of those in purgatory. We will have the All Souls envelopes enshrined in all three churches.

I am grateful to Monsignor Tony Janelli who helped us while I was in China. Msgr. Janelli has now moved to Mariposa and will be helping us from time to time with Masses, confessions, Penance Services, and other liturgical activities. Msgr. Janelli is a long time friend, and was the last worship director for the diocese before me. I appreciate the fact that he felt very welcomed during his visit to Oakhurst.

The winter hours begin this weekend with the Sunday Mass at Bass Lake being changed to 4:00pm. Next weekend, the Our Lady of the Sierra 5:00pm will change to 4:00pm to accommodate many of our parishioners who do not want to drive home in the dark. These hours will be in place until April 1st.

I have re-introduced the restrictions regarding the H1N1 Pandemic Flu for our parish. Each parish is recommended by the Bishop to do so at this time. I have issued a diocesan instruction on this matter to all pastors at the request of Bishop Steinbock. The restrictions include no Sign of Peace, no holding hands at the Our Father, no distribution of the Precious Blood, and Communion given only on the hand. All ministers, including clergy, are to wash their hands with sanitizers immediately before and after the distribution of Holy Communion. We continue to pray for all affected by this flu virus, and encourage that vaccinations be given to children and pregnant women.