From the desk of the pastor ...

 

On this Memorial Day, we in this country take the time to remember the sacrifice that our military servicemen and women have made in giving their lives to protect us and our values.  It is a time to pause for a moment, remembering especially the many members of our own personal families that have died in the wars and remembering those who were veterans that died long after their time of service.  Our military cemeteries and the local cemeteries give witness to the motivation that many in our society find hard to fathom today.  Democracy, liberty, religious freedom, the ability to speak and march freely in our country are some of the values that threaten many leaders in different parts of the world.  To be able to change a leader through the ballot box, to criticize a leader while he is in office without threat of prison, torture or death is a precious gift, one often that is misused and misappropriated.  Death is the ultimate act of self-giving for an ideal greater than ourselves.  We pray for the many souls who have protected us and allowed us to continue to be who and what we are as citizens of this nation.

This Monday, Memorial Day, the parish office and church will be closed.  No Mass will be available.

As the news of the horrible devastation of the tornados continue to haunt us, especially in Missouri and so many parts of the Midwest, let us not forget those who have died, and let us help those who have survived, but have lost everything, from home to work and many if not all other things.  We will continue to take donations to Catholic Charities USA and also we encourage to give the American Red Cross, on the ground now in these devastation-torn areas assisting with everyday needs of food, shelter, clothing and comfort.

As the summer vacation period officially begins, we will be visited by many people, many whom are visitors to Yosemite Park and other areas in our beautiful mountains.  Warm welcomes and hearty handshakes will ensure their repeat visits to our wonderful mountain communities.                                                           

From the desk of the Pastor ...

 

The Roman Catholic Church has now marked another first.  Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Gustavo Carriquiry to a #2 post in the Vatican, as Under-Secretary for Latin American Affairs.  He succeeds Colombian Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz.  This makes Mr. Carriquiry, the highest lay person holding what used to be a position reserved for archbishops.  This breakthrough in recognizing laity in Church governance is in keeping with the ideals of Vatican II.  

What is more interesting is that Mr. Carriquiry is my mother's first cousin.  His father and my grandfather are brothers from the Basque Country.  His father emigrated to Uruguay along with another brother.  I have met Mr. Carriquiry in my travels to Rome, and our family is certainly proud of this distinction in our family.  In the past several years, Religious women and laity have been making huge strides in the upper levels of power in the Vatican.  No longer are there only bishops and priests in important positions.

As the Easter Season continues to roll along, we are so proud of our children and teens who celebrated their First Communion and Confirmation at last Sunday's 11:30 a.m. Mass.  We congratulate them and their families in this important milestone moment in their lives.  May God bless and encourage them as they continue to grow as strong Catholics with the help of their parents and parish.

I hope you have all now seen the beautiful statue of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (the "Little Flower")  that now graces Our Lady of the Sierra Church.  This statue was made possible by so many who contributed to a gift in honor of my 25th Jubilee of Priesthood Ordination last year, and in the memory of Dr. Edward Santoro, a long time active parishioner who died this past December 24th.  I thank all who were also able to put up the statue (actually a 3/4 "relief) on the wall in the church next to the relief of The Holy Family, a gift from Isabel Rajcan, when the church was originally built in 1999.  Our new statue will be blessed on Saturday, June 11th at the 4:00 p.m. Vigil Liturgy of Pentecost.

Next weekend is the Memorial Day weekend. The parish office and church will be closed on Monday, May 30th.  It is also the official opening date for the large window doors at St. Dominic Savio Mission in Bass Lake.  Summer is coming, though at press time, it still feels like winter.                              

 

From the desk of the Pastor ...

 

The Sacraments of Initiation

Today, our parish celebrates one of those special annual events with the combined celebrations of  First Holy Communion and Confirmation.  Both of these sacraments are a part of the what the Church calls the Sacraments of Initiation.  All the Sacraments of Initiations include Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.   In our Catholic tradition, we celebrate these sacraments of entering the full life of the Church at different phases in the life of a young Catholic person: baptism at birth, first Eucharist at the what is know as the 'age of reason' (usually 7 years of age in our culture), and then at a later age, confirmation, the full reception of the Holy Spirit. That age can be different in different dioceses in our country and in many countries around the world.  In most US dioceses, that age is approximately 16  but now it has been lowered to first communion age.  In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, all three sacraments are given immediately after birth, a tradition that goes back to  early Christian practices.  

It is not necessary for a bishop to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation.  It has become custom to do so in our Western Latin Church, but as mentioned above, Orthodox priests confirm all babies.  Many times, our bishops in this country will delegate their priests to confer confirmation in the case of a bishop's busy schedule, or illness, or other circumstances as he sees fit.  At this moment if time, having no bishop in our diocese, the Diocesan Administrator, Monsignor Myron Cotta has given permission to all pastors to confirm their own youth, unless the pastor declines, at which point Msgr. Cotta or someone he delegates will go to that parish to confirm.  I have requested and received delegation from Msgr. Cotta to confirm at Our Lady of the Sierra Parish.  I invite you all to pray for the children of our parish, recently having made their first confession, as they receive First Communion today. To our teens who will be confirmed at the same Mass (11:30am), our support and love at this important stage of their Christian development.

Second Offering Today 

Today is known as Catholic Charities Weekend in the Diocese of Fresno.  On this day, all parishes will take up a second offering to assist our diocesan charities that gives financial and other helps to many thousands of people in our diocese.

Ireland 2012

As mentioned in earlier bulletins,  I will lead a 11-day trip to Ireland next year, departing March 12th, that puts us in Ireland on St. Patrick's Day on March 17th, 2012 in the Republic of Ireland.  We will have two informational meetings to answer questions regarding this tour for our parishioners.  The gathering will be held at the noon hour on Tuesday, May 24th, and again in the evening at 6:00pm on the same day.  Both will take place in the parish hall.  If you are interested and not sure if you could go or might need more information to deal with any issues, please come and join us for this informational meeting.

Basque Events

Also many of you have asked when there are Basque events in the Valley.  Last weekend we had our Basque festival in Fresno, at which I celebrated Mass.  The next Basque festival is in Los Banos at the Fairgrounds next Saturday, May 21, beginning with Mass at 10am and followed by a Lamb BBQ, and then Basque folk dancing.  All are invited, with this special spring weather, it will be a splendid way to spend a Saturday.                                                                    Fr. Mike