From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

This afternoon, Adam Stevens who is preparing to enter the Church at Easter

will be presented to Bishop John Steinbock at the Rite of Election ceremony at

3:30 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Fresno. Adam, already baptized in another

denomination, will make a Profession of Faith; receive First Eucharist and

Confirmation at the Easter Vigil. I ask that you keep Adam in your prayers as

he completes his process of entering our Catholic Church. We will be celebrating

the Rite of Sending at the 11:00 am Mass this weekend with Adam.

We are two weeks away from our Parish Lenten Mission that will begin on Monday,

March 15th, with Fr. Michael McAndrew, C.S.S.R. Put it on your calendar.

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE

I am investigating the possibility of leading a Holy Land Pilgrimage in the Fall of

2011. Nawas International Travel would make all the necessary arrangements

for us. I need to have a list of people who might be interested before we begin

any formal work on the project. I need to know that at least 25 people would

be interested. I will have cost and more information forthcoming as we develop

this trip. We would also go into Jordan on this pilgrimage.

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

 

Ash Wednesday, February 17th, is the beginning of the Church's annual 40 day retreat. This precious time is given to us to stop what we usually do and really look at our lives to see if we are living up to the expectations of being disciples of Jesus.  Most of you should have received a letter from me and a tri-fold which gives everyone the opportunity to see what type of prayer one would like to participate in.  We will offer daily Masses, Stations of the Cross every Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon.  There will be two Taize prayer services, based on the Taize Monastery form of praying around the cross.  We will also teach and offer the opportunity of using the labyrinth, an ancient form of prayer, now in use in many of our parishes.  At our Sunday Masses, there will be emphasis on the penitential rite since the Gloria is omitted during Lent.  This Lenten season we are offering a Lenten Mission which will take place in March with a Redemptorist priest coming to preach the mission twice a day.  A Penance Service will be offered on Tuesday, March 16th, with eight or more priests present.

 

Please carefully consider your own need for renewal.  The Masses on Ash Wednesday are at 8:00am, 12noon, and at 6:00pm.  Ashes will be distributed during Mass.  We all have a need to turn toward the gospel, away from our sinful selves.

 

The regulations regarding fasting and abstinence in the Diocese of Fresno are as follows:  All persons are asked to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  This means one main meal those days.  All Fridays are considered days of abstinence which means we are asked to give up meat on those days and, if we already do not eat meat, then another staple of food that makes a considerable difference.  The whole idea is sacrifice, to be in union with those who hunger in the world.  A suggestion has been made that Catholics give up one meal on Fridays and send what they would have spent on that meal to the suffering people of Haiti this Lent.  This is popular among working people who eat lunch out of the house during the day.  The bottom line for all of us is to make some kind of sacrifice, to break with the usual and be more in touch with Jesus who suffered and died for us.

 

During all the Fridays of Lent, the Knights of Columbus will be offering a Fish Fry after the Stations of the Cross.  You are invited to come and join them.   Also, a meager meal will be offered for those attending the Ash Wednesday noon and evening Mass in the hall.

 

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

 

We all felt a great sense of loss with the passing of Fr. Gerald Northup, who served this community so well, but for a short time.  As most of you know, Fr. Jerry loved the mountains, having grown up in these parts, and his love for this parish was deep and abiding.  Having a long marriage and a successful business, when the time was according to God's agenda, Fr. Jerry entered the seminary and was ordained a priest at the age of 68.  I was at his ordination, and remember laying my hands with the other priests, and saying to myself, I would rather retire at his age than start something new.  He was courageous and he actively began his priestly ministry in Visalia before coming to Oakhurst.  Fr. Jerry and I served together on the newly formed Board at our newly purchased St. Anthony's Retreat Center in Three Rivers.  His love for Three Rivers was also well known, and he was fond of visiting the facility whenever he could.  He was there for its 'grand' opening when it became part of the diocese.  I pray that we continue to keep in our hearts and minds this great man of God, who served God in many ways all his life.

 

To remember Fr. Jerry in a real concrete way in Bass Lake and Oakhurst, we are commencing with a special Fr. Gerald Northup Memorial Fund and will dedicate the beautiful Bass Lake Grotto shrine along with the newly renovated A frame in Fr. Jerry's honor.  At Our Lady of Sierra church, we would like to dedicate a permanent cross to Fr. Jerry  whether on the church itself or near the entrance sign.   Donations can be made in his memory at the church office.

 

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, and as mentioned last Sunday, there will NOT be Mass at Bass Lake this afternoon at 4:00pm.  There is a growing trend in our diocese of either cancelling Super Bowl afternoon Masses or moving them to another time.  It is a new 'holiday' that people choose to celebrate.  Thank you for your consideration.  

 

Today, we will have the second of our monthly Spanish Mass at 12:30pm at Our Lady of the Sierra Church in Oakhurst.  We continue to see growth in our outreach in serving the Spanish speaking community in the mountains.  We have been commended by Bishop Steinbock recently for taking this step, and he fully endorses and supports a Spanish speaking ministry in our area.  He hopes to see a Spanish speaking Mass in every parish someday.

 

All registered parishioners will be receiving a letter from me this week along with a full Lenten schedule of all activities that will be going on these sacred forty days.  Please read and reflect on the letter and ask yourself of how you might want to enter more fully into the Lenten mystery of death and resurrection.  I know that there will be something for everybody.