From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike:

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. The Church will actually

celebrate this feast, in spite it being a Sunday, and then continue with the normal cycle

next week with the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

We thank the Oblates of St. Joseph for coming to us last weekend and making us aware of

the need to extend our resources to the foreign missions. This reminder is important for

us to realize that we are one Church throughout the world and an influential community,

that we need to reach out to the poorest areas where so many missionaries are working

hard to bring Christ to so many in very difficult places and cultures. Many missionaries

like so many before, risk so much to do what they believe is their call, and we hear often

of the arrests and deaths of brave Religious men and women who have been killed for the

sake of the Gospel. Please keep our Catholic missionaries always in your prayers and

hearts as they do what we cannot do.

Please make sure that you have been able to make an appointment for a picture sitting for

our upcoming Parish Directory. I want to again thank Norm and Barb Nadeau for their

dedication and hard work in organizing the appointment picture taking schedule. This is

very hard work and so much goes on behind the scenes to make this a success.

Since we are a very small parish compared to most of the parishes in our diocese, we receive

very few intentions for the Masses that are celebrated here. We must always go to

the Chancery Office in Fresno to get extra intentions that other parishes send in since they

cannot possibly say all the Masses that are required of them. We also go begging to individual

parishes to see if they have extra intentions. If you wish to have a Mass offered for

a loved one, or for someone living who has a particular need, a birthday, an anniversary,

or for an illness, call our office and ask for a Mass to be said for them.

Today's Second Collection is taken up throughout our diocese for the maintenance of St.

John's Cathedral in Fresno, the mother church of the Diocese of Fresno. The Cathedral is

downtown, and as such, does not generate much of an income to be maintained. It is the

church from where the Bishop officially presides over the whole diocese. The cathedral

is the responsibility of the diocese and the bishop, and we all help out by generating the

funds to maintain and repair the cathedral, especially since our cathedral is well over a

hundred years old and has a lot of needs to just keep it up to standards. Your generosity

is very much appreciated today.