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.