From the desk of Fr. Mike

Today the parish will begin our Spanish speaking Mass at 12:30pm.  This Mass will be once a month, though, if the crowd is heavy and the demand grows, it will become a weekly event.  We had many people attend our Guadalupe Mass on December 12, and from that community we were able to elicit lectors, singers, and other ministers for this new Mass.  It is time to reach out to our Spanish speaking Catholics who live in the mountain communities and had to commute to Madera or Fresno for a Spanish speaking Mass.  We have been doing Spanish baptisms since I arrived here and this quiet population continues to grow.  If we do go to a weekly Spanish Mass, we will need to change our Sunday morning schedule a little bit, so I can do everything in a timely fashion.  I want to thank Consuelo Mercier for helping me organize Spanish speaking ministries.

I want to once again thank all the members of the Art and Environment Commission and their fearless leader, Kevin, for the incredibly beautiful Christmas environment in all our three churches.  What a wonderful gift to the Church and local community that enhances our worship experience.  It brought much delight to the many visitors that visited our parish for the Christmas holidays.  I am impressed with the hidden talents and the giving hearts that allow all this to happen.  May God bless you all for the gifts you give to our parish.

As we enter the new year of 2010, we ask God's blessing on our parish communities and beg for the protection of our Blessed Mother.  May we do all things for God's greater and to bring more people to know the love and peace that Jesus brings to our lives.  I am so grateful to many of you, and in particular, to the many of you who have shared such kind sentiments through beautiful Christmas cards, messages and gifts.  As time goes on, I become more at home in your midst, and I do ask God to bless you all.

Hoy la parroquia empezará ofrecer las misa en español a las 12:30pm. Esta missa será una vez al mes, pero, si hay una multitud y la demanda crece, llegará a ser un acontecimiento semanal. Tuvimos muchas personas asistiendo nuestra Misa de Guadalupe el 12 de diciembre, y de esa comunidad nosotros pudimos sacar lectores, los cantantes, y otros ministros para esta nueva Masa. Es tiempo de tener misas en español para unir a católicos que viven en las comunidades de las montañas y que ahora tienen que ir a Madera o Fresno para misas en español. Hemos estado haciendo bautismos españoles desde que yo llegué aquí, y esta población callada continúa crecer. Si vamos a una misa en español semanal, nosotros tendremos que cambiar nuestro horario los domingo por la mañana un poquito, así que en esa forma puedo hacer todo en una moda oportuna. Quiero dar gracias a Consuelo Mercier por su ayuda en organizar los ministerios para los que hablan. español.

 

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

This is the week when Christian people all over the world will gather in their churches to celebrate the miracle

of the birth of Jesus, God and man. The Christmas schedule for the mountain communities is as follows:

 

Christmas Children's Mass at 4pm at OLS, Oakhurst

Christmas Midnight Mass at 12:00am at OLS Oakhurst with Christ Concert beginning at 11:30 p.m.

Christmas Morning Mass at 8:30am at St. Joseph's in North Fork

Christmas Day Mass at 11am at OLS, Oakhurst

 

Again, we ask all to pass on this information to relatives and friends visiting the mountains.

 

There will be no 8:00am Mass on the morning of Christmas Eve, December 24th.

The parish office will be closed, beginning noon on Thursday, Christmas 24th to Tuesday, December 29th.

New Year's Day is NOT a holyday of obligation, and thus no requirement to attend Mass. There will be a

Communion Service offered in the morning at 8am at OLS Church, Oakhurst.

The parish office will be closed for the New Year's holiday, beginning at noon on December 31st, to Monday,

January 4th.

Nancy will be out of the office from Tuesday, December;  Katie will be in the office.

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

 

This week, all of our parishioners who are registered should be receiving their annual Christmas letter and Christmas schedule.  Please plan accordingly and pass this information on to other folks who may be estranged from the Church or friends that might be visiting our mountain community.

 

The Christmas Schedule is:

 

Advent Penance Service,

Tuesday, December 15th at 6pm at Our Lady of the Sierra Church in Oakhurst

 

Christmas Eve Children's Mass

Thursday, December 24 at 4pm at Our Lady of the Sierra Church in Oakhurst

Christmas Solemn Midnight Mass

Friday, December 25 at 12:00am at Our Lady of the Sierra Church in Oakhurst

Christmas Morning Mass

Friday, December 25 at 8:30am at St. Joseph the Worker Mission in North Fork

Christmas Mass

Friday, December 25 at 11am at Our Lady of the Sierra Church in Oakhurst

NO CHRISTMAS AFTERNOON MASS IN BASS LAKE

 

New Year's Day is no longer a holyday of obligation . There will be a Communion Service at 8am in Oakhurst.

 

The parish office will be closed from Christmas Eve Noon, December 24th until Tuesday, December 29th   to  allow the staff that is working over time before the holydays to take a well deserved break.  The parish office will again close on New Year's Eve, December 31st until Monday, January 4th, 2010.

 

A special second collection for the Parish Improvement Fund will be taken on Christmas Day to help with repairs that are seriously needed around the three facilities.  Winter months are difficult for our properties.  We do ask that you remember your parish in your end of the year financial planning.  Better to give to your parish then to the IRS.

 

The financial report that I submitted to you some time ago was only the Budget for 2008-2009.  What I left out was the amount the Parish has in savings in the Diocesan Deposit and Loan Fund, our Fresno Diocese Savings.  

We have several accounts. All together Our Lady of the Sierra Parish holds $215,161 in savings.  The main savings account has been used for the following purpose since my arrival in July 1, 2008.  

 

Deposit from checking account to savings Sept 2009                       +$100,000.00

          Purchase of house in Oakhurst, November 4, 2008                          -$   221,093.14

          Painting and setting house for occupancy Feb. 13, 2009                       -$       9,000.00

          Construction Project to Architect/Derivi Construction, April 2009         - $    11,715.00    

(These funds used on the anticipated new building on OLS prop.)

              Painting and repairs on exterior of Oakhurst house  (summer 2009)      - $      7,000.00

 

I am publishing this information to let all our parishioners know of what funds we have transferred to the savings, and what funds have been used for large expenses, all done with the permission of the Bishop.

 

 

 

 

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

 

The parish staff and the whole community wish to extend to Linda Lynch, one of wedding coordinators and faithful parishioner, and to her family our deepest condolences on the death of her husband, John.  John's funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of the Sierra Church on Friday, December 11th, at 10am.  Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let Perpetual Light shine on him.  May John rest in peace.

 

This coming Tuesday, December 8th, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States.  We are offering two Masses and one Communion Service that day.  There will be Mass at 8am, Communion Service at 12noon, and an evening Mass at 6pm.  This is a holyday of obligation for all Catholics.

 

Next Saturday is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas.  In her honor, we will have the traditional mananitas beginning at 5:30am, with a special Bi-Lingual Mass at 6:00AM.  On this day, the Spanish speaking community throughout the United States and Mexico will flock to churches to celebrate the special gift of Mary, Mother of the Lord, to the people of the new world.  We invite all our parishioners to join us in the spirit of being one Church, one People of God.

 

Please also plan to attend our Advent Parish Penance Service on Tuesday, December 15^th, at 6:00pm at Our Lady of the Sierra Church.  We will have multiple priests. This is a wonderful opportunity to prepare ourselves for the upcoming Christmas celebration.

 

Again, a great big thank you to the Art and Environment Commission members who have done such a wonderful job in creating the beautiful Advent environment in all our churches.  I am so proud of the many hours of planning and preparation work this group did to prepare our parishioners for this Advent season.