The Parish Blog

From the Office of Worship

2012-01-23T08:53:00.001-08:00

Update from the

Chancery office …

On Wednesday, January 18th, I met with Msgr. Cotta at the Chancery office in Fresno. He had requested of me an overview of the parish of Our Lady of the Sierra and after submitting that, we had a conversation about some interim procedures that would be in place until a new pastor or pastoral leadership is named by Bishop Ochoa for our parish.

First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to Msgr. Jim Logan for agreeing to remain in the parish to preside at Liturgy until a new pastor or pastoral leadership is named for us. Msgr. Logan is well loved in the parish, and his presence here insures that our liturgy schedule will remain uninterrupted for the most part. Please do pay close attention to the weekly schedule, though, as weekday liturgies may be Communion Services from time to time.

Msgr. Cotta was very grateful to receive the overview of the parish, as well as the knowledge gleaned from it. He now realizes how busy our parish and its ministries have grown to be in the last several years; he joins with us as we pray for a new pastor or pastoral leadership that will have the energy and stamina to withstand the commute from Oakhurst all the way to Yosemite; the understanding of the importance of Liturgy in our lives; the need for powerful preaching and homilies. We will all, I am sure, be storming heaven with prayers for our new pastor.

When the pastorship of a parish becomes vacant, and until a new pastor is named; the Bishop of the Diocese will necessarily become the administrative power to safeguard the parish and its resources. While no extraordinary purchases are approved, the parish continues to pay for its necessary expenses. Checks for these payments are signed temporarily, by the Bishop or a chancery official.

The parish staff (Director of the Office of Worship, Director of Faith Formation, office manager and secretary) remain in place and continue their work until a new pastor or pastoral leadership is named.

The Chancery office is joining us in prayer during this time of transition; it is aggressively pursuing a new pastor for us. I will keep you very well informed as developments take place. In the meantime…let us pray!

Kevin Jonas, Director: Office of Worship

From the desk of the pastor...

2011-06-29T15:40:00.001-07:00

On this very busy weekend, our country celebrates its birthday with the Fourth of July. It is customary for many tourists and guests to come and visit our mountain communities, particularly Bass Lake. We wish to extend a warm welcome to all who are visiting us, and pray that all will have a safe and sane weekend with all the festivities.

The Parish Office is closed on Monday, July 4th. There will be no daily Mass Monday morning.

I want to thank all who contributed to the work of the Divine Word Missionaries when Father Donald O'Connor, SVD, was with us last weekend. Your contribution to the work of foreign missions is a testimony to our faith in Christ, and to those who work to make our faith known throughout the different parts of the world.

We are happy to announce that Monsignor Herman Bezunartea, first pastor of Our Lady of the Sierra Parish in Oakhurst is returning to spend a month in Bass Lake. He will help with Masses, visit friends, enjoy golfing and fishing, and just relax by the lake. We are really looking forward to Msgr. Herman's time with us. He will be here July 21st to August 15th. This will also be an opportunity to see one of Msgr. Herman's dream fulfilled as he gazes on the new cross that graces the church building at Our Lady of the Sierra. He always felt the church was not complete until the cross was placed over the entry way. We would like to have a celebration on Sunday, July 31st, following the 11:30 Mass to celebrate his presence and to thank him for his contribution to the beginning of this parish, and to honor him for what he did in building the beautiful church we have in Oakhurst. Fr. Mike

From the desk of the Pastor

2011-06-17T06:47:00.001-07:00

Next weekend, Fr. Donald O'Connor will be visiting our parish to do a missionary appeal. All parishes in the United States, including the Fresno Diocese are asked to host annually a missionary priest, sister, or lay person who allow us to share in the work of foreign missions. Your generosity to Father O'Connor's appeal will be appreciated.

Happy Father's Day!

The parish offers best wishes to all the fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, godfathers, and spiritual fathers on this Father's Day 2011. So many of our fathers give witness to their faith and their vocation as fathers in the leadership they show their children. In a very special way, we remember our deceased father (as I do my own father, Anastasio).

St. Joseph was the model of a father (foster-father actually), a caring and protective husband, a hard worker and wage-earner, and many other things that make him a suitable model for all men. His love for Mary and his care for the son entrusted to his care is something we need to learn in our day and age. With so many children that grow up without a father in the home, and the many men who are simply absent from the lives of their children, we need to encourage strong and supportive marriages and relationships that give witness to God's unconditional love.

Thus I find the need to focus this positive imagery of St. Joseph on the men of our parish. Men need to be encouraged today to be good husbands, fathers, workers, and basically good men through prayer and positive Christian living. I am today officially announcing the beginning of the formation of a parish men's group, modeled on the life of St. Joseph, and placing it under his protection. The St. Joseph Men's Group. Their focus would be on their spiritual life, their support for one another to live good Catholic lives, and to support and be supported by their parish community of Our Lady of the Sierra. This group would be under the auspices of the parish, the pastor, and each other. The men in the group would gather regularly to pray, to work, and to support the continue ministries of this parish.

I would like to gather men together to discuss this new venture in the Parish Hall at Our Lady of the Sierra Church on Wednesday, June 22nd at 7:00pm. If needed, we will hold another gathering at a later date to begin the commencement of our men's group.

If you are a Catholic man, of any age, wishing to gather with other men to pray, work, and serve with an open heart, please consider this endeavor by attending the meeting on Wednesday evening. If you cannot attend, but are interested, look for the next meeting, or send me an email, frmike@dioceseoffresno.org, and let me know you wish to join and participate. Once we have a good strong number and interest, we will move forward in creating and building this new asset to our wonderful parish community. Fr. Mike

From the desk of the Pastor ...

2011-06-11T06:14:00.001-07:00

As summer months arrive, though without the usual heat, we begin to receive many guests to our respective churches. Last week we were happy to host so many Catholics traveling to and from Yosemite National Park, enjoying the beautiful area in which we live. I am not sure we will be opening St. Dominic Savio in Bass Lake to the outside, since it has been very unusually cool on Sunday mornings, but the large crowds in Bass Lake have been great. The change of the time from afternoon to morning has been greeted by many tourists and regular visitors quite well. Many like to be open to go to Mass before heading out for the day or before they travel back home. I am grateful to the many of you who supported the idea, and for the sacrifice this might have meant for some of you.

Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the great feast of the birth of the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Pentecost Vigil Mass on Saturday evening will be slightly longer due to the Church's desire that we pray for the urgency of the Holy Spirit on the Church and the world. This Pentecost Vigil, while it has always been there, was no used often, but it will be mandated next year along with other changes coming to us on November 27th, with the publications of the new Roman Missal.

We continue to encourage our parishioners to be aware and supportive in assisting the many of those who lost homes in Missouri by giving to the American Red Cross or to Catholic Charities, USA. Both of this agencies are doing great work in bringing relief to the many who have suffered such horrible devastation due to the recent tornados in the Midwest.

The Gift Shoppe is looking for volunteers to staff the store on Saturday afternoons following the evening Mass. If you are able to give one weekend to help assist Dee, please call the parish office.

Fr. Mike

Today, the Church celebrates her official beginning as the power of the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and the other disciples of Christ, including Mary, Mother of the Lord, in the locked upper room. This power from God, which inflamed the passion of the believers would lead the followers of Jesus out of the locked room to preach the Word Incarnate. Many would die for their new-found faith. This Spirit-filled passion continues to enliven the Church throughout history, even in times of scandal, pain, suffering, and persecution. As we have entered the 21st. century, that passion is found in the lives of men and women dedicated to the Church. To the faithful laity who continue to pray, sacrifice, trust, and support their local parishes in spite of the misdeeds of other disciples, even the ordained and vowed. To the faithful bishops, priests, deacons, and Religious who continue to press in their ministries even though many have left active ministries for various reason in these past few years. Yet the Spirit gives us hope and empowers us to grow ever stronger and to be confident that we are doing what God called us to do. This is the Holy Spirit at work!

Father's Day 2011

Next weekend is Father's Day. We will set up a special memorial prayer area in each of our churches to remember all of the deceased fathers of the parish. There is an envelope, much like an All Soul's Envelope which you may use if you wish to have remembered a deceased father at Liturgy. You may bring your envelope to the parish office, or to the church prior to Mass on Sunday, June 18th. We failed to do this for Mother's Day, but will do so next year. We will attempt to make envelopes available this Sunday if possible.

Yours truly is celebrating another milestone tomorrow, the 13th. I will be reminded of my age now for a while as I look at every 55 mile an hour sign post. How did this happen?! Fr. Mike

Happy Father's Day!

Fr. Mike

From the desk of the pastor ...

2011-05-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

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 ...

2011-05-19T07:45:00.001-07:00

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 ...

2011-05-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

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

From the desk of the Pastor

2011-04-21T06:51:00.001-07:00

To all who come and join us this glorious Easter Sunday, we welcome you and wish you well. The promise of the Risen Christ is the promise of life: Eternal Life.

As a believing community of faith, we are rooted in the knowledge that the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, has come into our world; become human, shared life experiences, suffered death, and rose on the third day. He came to destroy death, bring hope, and to share with all the gift of salvation.

There are so many people to whom I am very grateful. These people work very hard in our parish community to make all our liturgical events come to life. Our various liturgical ministers: all who participate in Song, Proclaimed Word, Eucharist Ministry, Altar Attendants, Sacristans, Master of Ceremonies, Hospitality, Art and Environment, Funeral and Wedding coordinators, and all other forms of service under the direction of Kevin Jonas: we are truly appreciative. So much goes on behind the scenes to plan and execute all the liturgical events of Palm Sunday, The Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and finally the glorious Easter Sunday Masses.

I am grateful to our office staff of Nancy Hooper and Katie Santoro who keep us together through the week in making sure phones are answered, records are well kept, and people are greeted at the doors. Peggy Stewart, our catechetical leader guides children and their parents on the weekends through our Religious Education Classes. Peggy also coordinates our youth group in the parish. Virginia Molloy and her wonderful RCIA team have done so much in bringing several people into the full knowledge of faith through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults this year. We were happy to have two adults baptized at the Vigil, three people coming from other religious denominations to making a Profession of Faith into our Catholic Church and one Catholic adult completing her sacraments. Consuelo Mercier guides the growth of our Hispanic ministries, bringing a full faith experience to this group of our wonderful parishioners.

I want to acknowledge a very special group of volunteers who come every Wednesday morning to Our Lady of the Sierra Church, and weekly to St. Dominic Savio and St. Joseph the Worker to clean, repair, and to do all that is necessary for the care of the church grounds. We do not hire maintenance personnel because our parishioners take such great pride in their churches and buildings. All three churches and buildings are cleaned and taken care of by their respective volunteers. They are the real heroes in our midst!

The members of the Women's Guild and the Knights of Columbus support the parish by their full participation in the life of the parish in various ways. In a special way, we thank the Women's Guild towards the purchase of the new white and gold dalmatic used at Easter Masses by Deacon Ernie.

I am grateful to Deacon Ernie Molloy who through the course of the year assists me in his particular ministry as deacon. He is available to the community, especially in his ministry to the homebound. Easter joy is possible because God has given me wonderful collaborators in ministry and in friendships. I thank God for all our parishioners who come together with me today, for their faith, and to many, their companionship along the journey to the kingdom. Fr. Mike

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

2011-03-29T07:22:00.001-07:00

I am very disappointed to announce the cancellation of the Lenten Retreat that was scheduled for next weekend, April 8-10 at St. Dominic Savio in Bass Lake. It was due to a total lack of interest. Only three people expressed an interest, and thus I felt that we had to cancel. There will be a one day Day of Recollection on Saturday, April 9th at our Church and Retreat Center in Bass Lake for the RCIA Elect, their godparents and sponsors, and for the Confirmation students preparing for Confirmation this May 15th at Our Lady of the Sierra Parish. If you would like to join this Day of Recollection, please call the office. I want to thank the committee who planned a wonderful weekend: Wayne St. John who was to be chef of the weekend, Deacon Ernie who was to help with reflections, Virginia Molloy, Kevin Jonas, Barbara Ross, and all others who assisted in planning. We pray that we might all continue to grow in our spiritual journey this Lent.

Next weekend (April 8-10) we will welcome Father Kim from Korea who will be visiting the Allen Family and will be staying at the parish house in Bass Lake and presiding at the 9:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday April 10th.

We again congratulate those members of the RCIA, the Elect: Danielle and Chuck and the Candidates for Continuing Conversion: De and Donna all of whom were presented to Monsignor Cotta, our Diocesan Administrator, at St. Anthony of Padua Church last Monday evening at the Rite of Election ceremony. Danielle and Chuck will be baptized, confirmed and receive their first Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. De and Donna will be making their Professions of Faith, confirmed and are receiving their first Eucharist also at the Easter Vigil. Matt and Sara from Southern California will be joining them. We are so proud of their spiritual journey.

De from our RCIA program has become involved in the running of our Parish Store, and will henceforth be the coordinator of the store. We will be announcing the store hours in the coming weeks. Should you be interested in helping De, please call the parish office.

On Sunday, April 17th, we celebrate Passion Sunday of the Lord's Passion and thereafter Holy Week. The schedule for Holy Week will be published in next weekend's bulletin and an Easter Letter will be sent to every registered parishioner. The celebration of the Sacred Triduum (The liturgy which begins on Holy Thursday, continues through Good Friday and culminates on Holy Saturday with the celebration of the Great Easter Vigil) is the celebration of our highest holy days. Make plans to come and celebrate these sacred days with us. Also pass the news to other Catholics who we might not see regularly and to those who might be visiting the mountains those days. Fr. Mike

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike ...

2011-03-22T10:16:00.001-07:00

Thank you to all who welcomed Fr. Paul Walsman, OFM this past weekend as he spent the weekend talking to you about the ministry Food for the Poor. To those who transported him to and from the airport, transported him to the weekend liturgies and to and from his hotel (he was so disappointed that he couldn't spend the weekend at our parish house at Bass Lake, however the weather made that impossible); hosted him for breakfast, brunch and dinner. Truly a great reality of hospitality. Fr. Paul is hoping to be able to join us again when he makes his annual retreat later this year. Again, my sincere thanks.

The weather in the mountains this past weekend and, indeed this past week has caused havoc in many ways to many people. Please keep in your daily prayers those who have been adversely affected by the winter storms: the now homeless and hungry and all whose lives have been negatively impacted by the storms. As well, continue to pray fervently for the victims of the devastating Tsunami and earthquake in Japan.

Our journey of Lent is well underway, and it is my sincere hope that everyone will take full advantage of the hard work that has been done to prepare this annual journey for our parish community. Consider attending daily Mass if you are not a regular weekday mass attendant; consider attending Marian Devotions or Stations of the Cross on Wednesday mornings after the daily Mass; Holy Hour every Friday night, or a Lenten meal every Friday night. Allow this Lent to make a great difference. The opportunities are there, and they are for the community.

This weekend as we celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent, we begin the Scrutiny Rites for those preparing for the Easter Sacraments. We include the Elect (those who are going to be Baptized) as well as those who are going to complete their Sacraments of Initiation by celebrating their First Eucharist and Confirmation. The Scrutiny Rites are a wonderfully empowering experience and have been modified so that the entire worshipping Assembly can participate and be moved by them. The beautiful and moving Gospels of the next three weekends (The Samaritan Woman, the Man Born Blind, and the Raising of Lazarus) will be proclaimed in a slightly different fashion so as to be able to experience a new empowerment from them. The Rite of Election will be celebrated Monday at St. Anthony of Padua Church with Msgr. Cotta, the Diocesan Administrator. Please continue to keep Chuck and Danielle, De, Donna, Matt and Sara in your prayers as they continue their journey.

The Parish-sponsored Lenten Retreat is just a few weeks away, and we are hoping to have a minimum of 50 retreatants (plus staff and guests). Please sign up today to avoid missing this wonderful opportunity.

I am now well into the catechetical and preparatory sessions at many of the parishes throughout the Diocese of Fresno as we prepare to welcome in the Third Edition of the Roman Missal this next November. This causes me a great amount of travel and some additional time away from the parish; however, it is required by my responsibilities as Director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Fresno. I appreciate the continued prayers and support as the Diocese prepare for this new direction that the Church will be taking this coming Advent.

It is, indeed, a very interesting, challenging and empowering time. May we all be blessed as we continue to bless others.

From the desk of Fr. Mike

2011-03-14T18:23:00.001-07:00

We are happy to welcome Father Paul Walsman, OFM, on behalf of Food for the Poor. I pray that his message and the good that Food for the Poor affords the destitute will bring us to a heightened awareness of those suffering so close to our borders off Florida. I have been associated with Food for the Poor for many years, and am familiar with the work they do. Your support for their ministry will be appreciated.

Deacon Ernie, Virginia, and I are attending the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim this weekend. This is the largest gathering of Roman Catholics in the United States, which occurs at this time every year. The number of attendees has grown to over 40,000 persons attending. Youth Day was this past Thursday, March 17, when 15,000 young people gather to celebrate Mass with their new Archbishop. This year will be the first time Archbishop José Gomez, the new Archbishop of Los Angeles with preside over the congress. Cardinal Mahony, who has led the congress for the last 25 years, will not be around so as to give his successor breathing room to enjoy this great event. Don't be surprised if you have a 'cardinal sighting' around town in the next few weeks. If so, wish him well on his retirement.

As the season of Lent continues, we hope that all our parishioners take advantage of the opportunities to participate in the many spiritual exercises offered: such as daily Mass, Stations of the Cross on Wednesdays, Holy Hour every Friday evening, Lenten meals every Friday night, as well as making a visit to the Blessed Sacrament during the week. The church generally is opened daily from 7 am to 3 pm, Monday through Thursday, and of course, on the weekend.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to the Art and Environment Commission for the extraordinarily beautiful environment created in our three churches. Thanks to you all. Ash Wednesday liturgies were beautiful and prayerful, thanks to those who provided ministry that day.

We also extend our prayers and congratulations to Chuck and Danielle, De and Donna who celebrated the Rite of Sending this past weekend, and will celebrate the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion on March 28th at St. Anthony's Church in Fresno with Msgr. Myron Cotta, Diocesan Administrator.

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

2011-03-07T17:33:00.001-08:00

Today, with the First Sunday of Lent, we will celebrate the Rite and Sending and Enrollment of those candidates will either be received into the Church through the Sacraments of Initiation (baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist) or through a Profession of Faith at the Easter Vigil, April 23. On Monday, March 28, they will travel to St. Anthony of Padua, Fresno, for the Rite of Election with Monsignor Myron Cotta, Diocesan Administrator, who will officially welcome and others as the Elect for this year. We continue to keep them in prayer as they journey these last weeks to becoming Catholics.

As we begin this sacred time of Lent, I really invite all our parishioners to enter a period of prayer and reflection on our journey as disciples of Jesus. This Lent we will strive to be more reflective during our Masses and prayer services to engage God's presence in us as we struggle to lead better lives with one another in the Church and in the larger world. With so much pain and devastation all around us, with war still raging in the Middle East, with revolutions occurring in northern Africa, death, destruction, and human displacement calls us to somehow respond peacefully. We can, and often do, get so caught up with our own lives and struggles, that compared to what is going on around us, we forget to see how lucky so many of us are, and how those who lives are caught up by circumstance and geography, are not so lucky.

This week our Irish brothers and sisters will celebrate St. Patrick's Day. In a particular way, we pray for the Irish Catholics who are struggling, trying to live faithfully to their Catholic faith, recently so tested by the child abuse scandal that has wrecked the Church in Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland in 2012 I have been approached to lead a pilgrimage tour of Ireland next year in 2012. The tour would leave California March 14 for eleven days. We would be Ireland for ST. PATRICK'S DAY, March 17, 2012. Nawas Travel is offering this trip for the cost of around $2399, inclusive of airfare, hotels, meals, ground transportation and the like. A brochure will be made available. We need at least thirty (30) people to be interested in the trip for the price offered. A deposit of $400 will keep the reservation. We will start taking reservation immediately in our parish office. Katie or Nancy can give anyone interested more information.

Next weekend, March 17 to March 20, 2011 is the annual Los Angeles Religious Congress in Anaheim. Deacon Ernie and I will be attending the congress once again. Welcome, Fr. Paul Walsman, O.F.M. Fr. Paul joins us next weekend as our guest Presider and Preacher. He will be preaching on a ministry providing direct relief to the poor throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Fr. Paul will share what he has witnessed about Food for the Poors' mission to care for the destitute as a means of living out the Gospel mandate: "Love one another as I have loved you." Please join us in welcoming Fr. Paul into our wonderful mountain community.

A reminder that the Women's Retreat is being held on April 8-10 at St. Clare's Retreat House in Soquel, California. It is open to all women. For more information please call either Linda Lynch or Barbara Vasconcellos.

The Women's Guild is hosting their Fifth Annual Tea on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Our Lady of the Sierra Parish Hall. The tea begins at 11:00 a.m. and while there is no charge, donations are accepted. Please RSVP by April 18th to Linda Robison at 559-777-4111. If you would like to host a table, please call Linda as well.

Fr. Mike

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

2011-03-03T12:48:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, Archbishop José Gomez assumed the office of Archbishop of Los Angeles on Cardinal Roger Mahony's 75th birthday. (February 26th, 2011). As the Hispanic presence continues to grow in huge numbers in the United States Catholic arena, it was only natural that our Holy Father would name Archbishop Gomez to the largest diocese in the country. There are over 5 million Catholics in the LA area, of which 70% are Mexican or Mexican-American. It takes us back to our history, when the Spanish came to California to bring the Faith, and the large numbers of Spanish, and later Mexicans, who came to California. In those early days, all the bishops were Spanish, and some from Mexico. Things are reverted and now the reality of the Southwest. The new archbishop of San Antonio, Texas is from Mexico, Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Stiller. Of the other bishops serving California, the dioceses of Sacramento, Monterey, San Bernardino, and now Los Angeles have Hispanic bishops. It is without a doubt that the new Bishop of Fresno will also be Hispanic. The bishop before Bishop John Steinbock was Bishop Joseph J. Madera, from Mexico.

As the Metropolitan Archbishop, Archbishop Gomez also has the responsibility for the southern dioceses in the state of California. That means he is responsible for gathering bishops for meetings and discussing the needs of the lower half of the state. The other Metropolitan in California is the Archbishop of San Francisco who takes responsibility for Northern California, Nevada and Guam. It will be the responsibility of Archbishop Gomez to be the principle ordaining Prelate at the Episcopal Ordination of the new Fresno bishop, in the event that our new bishop has not already been ordained. We can be sure that he will be visiting the diocese from time to time.

We also give thanks to God for the ministry of Cardinal Roger Mahony. Cardinal Mahony, a priest of the Fresno Diocese, ordained at St. John's Cathedral in Fresno in 1962, served as priest, pastor, head of Catholic Charities, Chancellor, and Vicar General in our diocese before being ordained an Auxiliary Bishop of Fresno in 1975, with his Episcopal Ordination at the Selland Arena, Fresno Convention Center. In 1980, then Bishop Mahony was named the Bishop of Stockton, where he served until 1985, when he was named by Pope John Paul II as the new Archbishop of Los Angeles to replace Cardinal Timothy Manning (also a former Bishop of Fresno, 1967-73). In 1990, Archbishop Mahony was created a cardinal by the Pope. At the time of his retirement, he will have concluded 25 years as head of the Church of Los Angeles. In his time, the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was built and dedicated.

In a recent conversation with Cardinal Mahony, he told me he will be spending more time in his cabin in Fish Camp, which is within our parish boundaries. I told him that he is welcome here at any time to celebrate Mass . We can plan on seeing the retired cardinal around town. Keep him in prayer as he transitions into this new life.

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

2011-03-03T12:47:00.001-08:00

This afternoon, the mountain community in which we live will gather from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Center for fasting, prayer and reflection in light of the recent deaths that occurred in Oakhurst with the Montoya family, the killing and suicide in Ahwahnee with the Lewis family, and finally the very tragic killings and suicide at Ducey's in Bass Lake. There have been other violent deaths in our community, but these specific incidents have given all of us a reason to pause and to pray. There are so many reasons for these needless deaths: poverty for those who could not afford their utilities, depression and mental illness that would drive a mother to kill a child and then herself. Hopelessness and mental illness that would drive one to kill a spouse, a handicapped lawyer, and finally one's self. These are painful realities that remind us all of the need to continue opening ourselves to those most vulnerable in our society. It calls for a deeper look into the hearts of the disciples of Jesus to respond and to protect by law and by whatever means possible those who need our help. The cross of Christ opens up salvation for those who have died, even those who have taken their own lives. It is the promise of the Resurrection that ensures their eternal life in the presence of God the Father. We are called by the Holy Spirit to respond generously with gifts of faith and love. It is wonderful to see some of our Christian churches opening their doors to the homeless, feeding them and giving a warm place for them to rest and sleep. We unfortunately lack the space to offer this hospitality, but through the contributions of so many you, we are able to financially assist these communities to purchase food and pay for other items. We are also able to contribute to Manna House and Helping Hands on a regular basis, as well as help many individuals who come our way desperately needing help. Just this past week, we were able to give 50 blankets and 50 coats to those who most need them through the request by Manna House. Sincere thanks to all who donated. It is painful to realize that we were in a position to help save the Montoya family members if only they had come to us for help with their utility bill, since we assist as many as we can.

While it may be easy to blame others, including the devil, we must first realize that we must blame ourselves if there was something that could have been done first. Many times these actions are at the spur of the moment. Crimes of passion and mental illness cannot not be predicted. It is what it is. What we must do is to support those who are left behind with love, compassion and comfort. They are not at fault. We are all human, thus we are weak, and depend heavily on faith. We must admit our powerlessness and surrender these events to God.

I hope that many of you will join us for the prayer service, whether you come for an hour, or even five minutes. I will be at the Prayer Service at around 2:00pm myself to lead a prayer and reflection.

The winter weather continues to stay with us, and this weekend as in the last, it has been impossible to access St. Dominic Savio in Bass Lake. Also, the drive to St. Joseph's in North Fork can be a treacherous drive due to the ice that forms in the higher elevations. Your patience and understanding is appreciated with the cancellations of the Bass Lake Mass today. We do urge all parishioners not to take unnecessary risks of getting to Mass if it is too dangerous. We urge all our parish families to furnish the office with email addresses so that we can send out information to as many as possible when a cancellation is required. You can email the parish at olsparish@sti.net, you can phone the parish office.

From the desk of Fr. Mike...

2011-03-03T12:46:00.001-08:00

On this President's Day Weekend, while many will travel with the three day weekend offering extra time off from work, it is important to reflect on the gift and challenge of leadership, and those who take on these responsibilities. In our nation, and in our Church, leadership calls forth people who have received the gift, according to St. Paul, to guide others in the way of salvation, and to carefully care for those most vulnerable. Those called to Church ministry, such as bishops and priests and to apostolic leadership in charge of dioceses and parishes accept not only the responsibility allotted to them by those they care for, but also to be challenged by those who may disagree and not accept their actions or opinions. In this present world we live in, with all the media avenues available to us, it is much easier to receive information about our leaders, and it is much easier to condemn and even act with evil intent when we do not care for personalities, or we disagree with policies and points of view. Websites and blogs can be found everywhere that can encourage and discourage leaders of the Church. It is only with God's grace and with gifts received that we can appreciate the work and risk it takes to guide communities today. Church leaders are human, not gods, angels, or spirits, and they will make mistakes, commit sin, and made errors in judgment. Healthy and constructive criticism is good for the soul. Of course, criticism be done in gentle charity. Cruel remarks only harden those attacked. I also remember, no matter how awful the remarks and criticisms thrown at Bishop Steinbock in his nineteen years of leadership as our bishop, he would take them to prayer, forgive what was said or done, and always find joy and laughter through it all. Having gone through my own challenges, I appreciate even more how he modeled for us priests, genuine love for God's People, even when they hurt and insult. The bishop always reminded us, that if Christ was hung on the cross because of hate for his ministry and presence, why should we escape what he could not.

When it comes to civic leadership, the discord in our public arena in recent years has grown ugly and extremely uncharitable. We all have our political bent, and as Americans, with the great gift of free speech, we are allowed our opportunities to give and share what we think is for the good our country. The rhetoric in recent years, though, has gone over the top. The lack of respect for those elected by the majority is not a good measure of our Christian heritage. Those who lead us have put their reputation, lives, and energies for the service of their respective communities and country. Even in disagreement, we are called to be civil and to respect the offices our leaders occupy. Change always comes soon enough if those elected do not serve their people well.

On this President's Day holiday, I invite our parish community to pray for all leaders, both in Church and State, and that God inspires them to work for the greater good, and that we will together journey along to care for those most in need of the common good.

The parish offices will be closed this Monday, February 21st.

From the desk of Fr. Mike...

2011-03-03T12:45:00.001-08:00

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

2011-03-03T12:44:00.000-08:00

The Clergy Convocation of last week in Fresno on the New Roman Missal was a great success. The priests and deacons very much enjoyed all the presentations given by Dr. Paul Ford Ph.D., Professor of Liturgy and Theology at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo.

He led us through the various changes that we will see with the new language and new rubrics concerning the Mass, to begin on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. Most of the changes will directly affect the priests, since most of the language of the Missal (the prayer book used at Mass) will be different. The laity in the pews will have to learn new responses, but as with most things, we learn and adjust. As the year goes on, more information will be forthcoming.

One of the major movements in the Mass is the implementation of more quiet time for prayer and reflection during Mass. Sacred Silence is to be incorporated in more places during the Mass, such as after the invitation to the Penitential Rite, after the invitation (Let us pray,) before the Opening Prayer, and between the readings, after the homily, and before the Closing Prayer. These are moments that invite all the people to quietly prepare ourselves to listen carefully to the prayer we are about to hear, or the Word of God just read or about to be proclaimed. We will begin putting some of these things into action now and especially at Lent.

We continue to receive donations towards our Memorial in honor of Dr. Edward Santoro, the statue of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, patroness of the Diocese of Fresno. If you wish to donate to this memorial, please contact the parish office.

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike ...

2011-01-31T13:47:00.001-08:00

From the desk of the Pastor:

2011-01-27T15:21:00.001-08:00

BISHOP'S ANNUAL APPEAL 2010-2011

Nearly ten years ago, Bishop John Steinbock, of happy memory, began the Bishop's Annual Appeal in our diocese so that funds could be raised for the many projects the diocese has going on. The funds were used for the Priest Retirement Fund, to purchase properties for future church sites, to help with funding the education of our seminarians, to purchase St. Anthony's Retreat Center, now to continue building new buildings at the retreat center, etc. The major capital campaign was a real boost towards many of these needs. The annual Bishop's Appeal continues to raise funds for new programs: to educate permanent deacon candidates, to fund many catechetical programs. The initial hope was to raise $800,000 a year from all registered parishioners in all 90 parishes in the Diocese of Fresno. The other hope was to lower the assessment that each parish pays the diocese annually (currently 16% of plate income) for administrative costs of the Diocese.

Two years ago, Bishop Steinbock began to assess each parish the amount each parish will be expected to give to the Bishop's Annual Appeal. Up until that point, the diocese accepted whatever was offered. This is common practice in most dioceses. The balance of the amount assessed, after receiving what the individual parishioners give, is then to be paid from the operating budget of the parish. The assessed amount for the parish of Our Lady of the Sierra, (which includes Our Lady of the Sierra, St. Dominic Savio and St. Joseph the Worker) for the year 2010-2011 is $7,840.00. To date, parishioners of our parish have given $880.00. The parish will be owing $6,963.00, due June 1st, 2011. The balance left owing on June 1st will have to be paid from our budget.

If you still have your envelope and letter from the Diocesan Development Office requesting your assistance, we would certainly appreciate your giving to the appeal. We may have to have second collections before June 1st in order to raise most of the funds needed to complete our obligations. Your help is needed.

Fr. Mike

St. Thérèse of Lisieux statue

We are continuing to receive funds towards the purchase of a beautiful statue of St. Thérèse of Lisueux, the patroness of the Diocese of Fresno. The statue has been designed in order to duplicate the color, size, and style of the wall relief of the Holy Family that now graces the right side of the sanctuary at Our Lady of the Sierra. The amount originally raised in honor of my 25th Anniversary of Priesthood was over $1500. Funds are coming in as a memorial to Doc Santoro; the statue will therefore be in honor of my 25th Anniversary and as well, as a memorial to Doc. The relief will be installed next to the wall relief of the Holy Family. Please call the parish office to donate.

From the desk of Fr. Mike

2011-01-10T08:35:00.001-08:00

We have returned to Ordinary Time today in the liturgical year. Green vestments are brought out, Christmas decorations have been put away, and life moves on through the winter months. We have an exceptionally long period of two months before we begin Lent on March 9, 2011. There will be many activities to keep us all busy in the meantime.

The next major event in the diocese is our Clergy Convocation, a mandated exercise for all priests and deacons. We will be missing the presence of Bishop Steinbock this year, the first time in nineteen years. Dr. Paul Ford, a seminary professor from St. John's Seminary in Camarillo will be leading the discussions regarding the new changes coming later this year in the New Roman Missal. This convocation will give the clergy, especially the priests serving the Diocese of Fresno the opportunity to see the new revisions for the first time. The entire English speaking world will commence with this Missal on Sunday, November 27th.

I want to remind all parishioners as we go through the winter months, to please be careful on the roads, especially when driving to Mass on the weekend. If the conditions appear too dangerous, do not risk driving to church. Also, on questionable days, when one is not sure whether there will be Mass in Bass Lake or North Fork, call the parish line for an update (559-642-3452), or check the website (www.olscatholic.org). If the weather appears dangerous, liturgy at one or both St. Joseph's in North Fork or St. Dominic's in Bass Lake might be cancelled.

In order to conserve my energies now that we have five Masses on the weekends, Deacon Ernie will be helping me more by taking one of the mission Masses a month as a Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest (SCAP). From now on, the second Sunday of the month Deacon Ernie will lead a Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest at St. Dominic Savio in Bass Lake. On the fourth Sunday of the month, Deacon Ernie will lead a Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest at St. Joseph the Worker in North Fork. This will be ongoing. I will Preside at all the Masses on the first and third Sundays, unless there is a serious reason. This will assist me and will allow for the parish community to experience more of deacon Ernie's gifts. Fr. Mike

From the desk of the Pastor...

2011-01-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

On this final day of a very short Christmas Season, I wish to thank the many of you who shared with me your Christmas wishes through gifts and baked goodies. I received so many cards and kind sentiments this year, in the midst of a very busy season. Thank you to each and everyone of you. I was simply overwhelmed this year by the generosity of so many.

I want to also thank the many people involved in our parish community in preparing and executing a beautiful holiday season. From all those involved in liturgical ministries, to all those who were instrumental in singing or playing instruments, to those who help to decorate all three churches; to those who clean on Wednesdays and other days to keep our churches beautiful and clean; and to those who worked quietly behind the scenes. There are so many to thank and I am so grateful that we are blessed with wonderful parishioners who love their parish and come together to make these days special.

In a very special way, I want to acknowledge the men who planned and work hard to finally place the new cross on Our Lady of the Sierra Church. The cross is beautiful, and the shape below the cross mimics Half Dome in Yosemite Park, with the cross on top to signify God's presence in our mountain communities. Father Herman, who had dreamed that this cross, which was on the original plans, but never completed, was sent pictures of the completed project. He will return to Oakhurst to personally see the cross this summer. I blessed this cross in honor of Father Herman and in memory of our beloved Bishop John Steinbock, who dedicated the church some eleven years ago. Thank you, gentlemen … well done.

On Christmas Eve morning, our parish lost a very dedicated parishioner in Dr. Ed Santoro. I want to acknowledge many of the ways Ed was instrumental in the spiritual life of the parish with his dedication to the Marian Hour and First Friday Adoration, and to leading the many rosaries after daily Mass. We pray for his widow, Katie, who will continue working in our office and we pray for his family in their loss. May God grant him eternal rest.

Next Saturday, January 15th, the Diocese of Fresno will ordain sixteen men to the permanent diaconate. His Eminence, Cardinal Roger Mahony will return to Fresno to ordain these new permanent deacons. We ask that you keep these men and their wives in your prayers as they prepare to the serve the future of the diocese of Fresno.

From Fr. Mike, the Pastor ...

2010-12-14T07:50:00.001-08:00

We are marching very quickly towards the Christmas Season. This coming week, all our registered parishioners will be receiving a letter, a Christmas Mass schedule, and an offering envelope from me. Please save the information you receive and do share with other Catholics, especially those we might not see on a regular basis. Since Christmas is on a Saturday this year, we will celebrate two Christmas Eve Masses, A Family Vigil Christmas Liturgy at 4 pm in Oakhurst and a Candlelight Vigil Christmas Liturgy in North Fork at 7pm. Midnight Mass will be preceded by a Festival of Carols beginning at 11:30 p.m. and there will be a Solemn Mass of Christmas celebrated on Christmas Day at 11:00 a.m. (There will be no Spanish Mass on Christmas Day.) This will help Kevin and I to get a breather on Christmas Day since we start all over again on Sunday, the 26th with a full schedule.

Advent is a season of Hope and Anticipation; it does not have the same penitential nature as does the season of Lent. As well, it is becoming more and more difficult each year to get priests to help with Penance Services; therefore, there will NO Advent Penance Service this year. I will add extra hours of confessions on Saturday, December 18, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at Our Lady of the Sierra Church in Oakhurst.

We are continuing to collect food items for Manna House to help with the many who have great needs this Christmas Season and beyond. I would like to continue collecting canned goods even after Christmas, so that we can be more help to the many who have such great needs.

We are now only a week away from the Christmas Feast. All are reminded of the Christmas Mass schedule which can be found in this bulletin. Please share the information with all the Catholics you know and may not receive our mailings.

At this special time of mourning for Bishop John Steinbock, which extends for 30 days from the date of his death, we continue to lift our prayers and hearts as we remember the many ways we were touched by this great shepherd. I personally cannot count the number of ways Bishop John expressed his fraternal love and support through our 19 years together. I was able to serve him in many capacities. When times were hard for me, he was a true, loving and supportive pastor, who wouldn't let me go, and encouraged me to renew and revive my priesthood. I will never forget him. In a picture that hangs on my wall, he wrote, "Mike, with the esteem of a friend, +John T. Steinbock." We who knew him came to know Christ! May he be forever in our hearts. Rest in peace, dear Servant of God.

As we now move into this period without a bishop, the diocese is officially 'sede vacante', which means "vacant seat". The College of Consultors have elected Msgr. Myron Cotta to be the Diocesan Administrator until such time as His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, appoints a new Bishop. The Diocesan Administrator has most of the rights and responsibilities given to a Diocesan Bishop. He cannot ordain, and when a Bishop is required for liturgical events, one will be invited to come and assist us. The Diocesan Administrator re-appoints all department heads (I am the Director of the Office of Worship). The Priests' Council is dissolved. The College of Consultors will be a governing body along with the Diocesan Administrator.

All operations, construction projects, ministries, and similiar Diocesan activities can continue under a Diocesan Administrator, working with a College of Consultors.

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

2010-11-26T18:32:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

With this First Sunday of Advent, the Universal Church once again begins afresh with the beginning of the new Year of Grace 2011. In this new year, we once again look forward to celebrating the many feasts and festivities that celebrate the saving power of Jesus Christ in Sacrament and action. Today is also the beginning of the year of preparation to welcome the new Roman Missal which will go into effect, exactly one year from today. It will give us all an opportunity to once again renewal our understanding of the Mass, its history, its development, and why we are always in need of reform. In the long 2000 years of the life of the Church, the Mass has gone through hundreds of revisions and evolution. That is why we are remind that even the old Latin Mass was only in place from the sixteenth century to 1969, a mere 300 or 400 years of the Church's history.

We will be announcing a full schedule planned for the diocese and the parish in the coming weeks. As the Director of Worship for the diocese I will be spending much time traveling around the diocese helping small parishes and different groups in this preparation process. The first major event concerning the implementation of the new Roman Missal will be the Clergy Convocation in January, where the priests and deacons will be introduced to the changes. Since the changes will affect priests the most, they need to be prepared. They will carry the greatest weight of the revisions, since its all the prayers of the Mass that we use that will change the most. In our parishes, we will evenings to explain the changes, and this spring and summer, I will be doing catechesis during Mass in connection with the upcoming missal.

The parish was able to send to Manna House of gift of $2000 for the Thanksgiving Day holiday season to help them purchase food. Thank you to all who support our charity collection. We will be sending more funds for the Christmas season.

Fromthe desk of Fr. Mike ...

2010-11-08T08:37:00.001-08:00

Our Parish Festival held on Sunday October 17^th was a success. Although it rained and certainly stopped some of the activities, we raised $6500 for our parish maintenance fund. This could not have been accomplished without our parishioners' many contributions for which we are very, very thankful.

At this time, I want to thank the many people who were involved before and during the festival – starting with the Festival Committee: Chuck Anspach, John and Anne Corrigan, Flora Franck, Lilly Dilly, Jerry Roche, Consuelo Mercier, Mick Callaghan, Mary Oldham, Peggy Stewart, Kevin Jonas and Nancy Hooper.

In many cases "it takes a village", in our case it took many parish volunteers and they are:

Bank

Chuck Anspach, Chair

Gene Harvey

Georgia Harvey

Drink Station

Mick Callaghan, Chair

Bill Gerth

Robert Marquez

Jerry Robison

Bingo

Flora Franck, Chair

Theresa Boyle

Zona Cahill

Bounce House

Donna Springer, Chair

Jennifer Springer

Matt Springer

Tim Springer

Dessert Station

Provided by the

Womens Guild

Lilly Dilly, Chair

Tillie Helmer

Carolyn Kelly

Linda Robison

Duck Race

Cecelia Harding

Karen Bennett

Elizabeth Coleman

Face Painting

JoAnn Szyonkowiak

First Aid

Nancy Anderson

Jenny Becker

Fran Callaghan

Debbie Donahue

Mary Haugen

Jackie James

Golf Carts

Pat Anspach, Chair

Jerry Robison

Don Vasconcellos

Putting Green

Gail Gilbert

Mike Carter

Georgia Harvey

Horse Shoes

Jerry Roche

Lee Jonas

Mexican Food

Provided by

La Cabana Mexican Restaurant

Casa Velasco Mexican

Restaurant

El Cid Mexican Cuisine

Consuelo Mercier, Chair

Sandra Luna

Ignacio Luevano

Maria Luevano

Isabel Padilla

Norma Salazar

Parking

Don Vasconcellos, Chair

Tom Donoher

Chuck Galyan

Gary Gilbert

Fred James

Jerry Robison

Jeremiah Sampson

Hamburgers and Hot Dogs

Provided by

The Knights of Columbus

Jerry Roche, Chair

Carl Burkard

Mike Gremp

Jan Gremp

Richard Lamontagne

Jeremiah Sampson

Tim Springer

Tony Tucker

Scarf Making

Peggy Stewart, Chair

Patty Cross

Nellie Perez

Joe Perez

Set Up/Clean Up

Tim Springer, Chair

Chuck Galyan

Laura Russell

Jim Russell

Donna Springer

Jennifer Springer

Matt Springer

Mary Oldham

Silent Auction

Kevin Jonas, Chair

Madeline Aoki

Carolle DeGeorge

Laura Jonas

Lee Jonas

Beverly Smoliski

Donna Wolfe

Square & Line Dancing

John and Anne Corrigan

Gold Dust Dancers

Ticket Booths

Katie Santoro, Chair

Pinkie Bowman

Jan Fjellbo

Valerie Jacobs

Nancy Lamontagne

Virginia Molloy

Volunteer Scheduling

Mary Oldham

Advertising and Promotion

Kevin Jonas

Signage

Kevin Jonas

We are so grateful to the parishioners that made donations for our raffle tickets, the outstanding silent auction gifts and the many underwriting donations. These donations have been posted toward your year end statement. Thank you to all.

From the desk of the Pastor: Fr. Mike

2010-10-12T16:00:00.001-07:00

Pastor's Reflections on Festival Day 2010

While recently attending the Papal Audience on Wednesday, September 22nd, it was an incredible experience to be in the presence of the 'Church', the hierarchy, Religious Men and Women, Laity, gathered in unity to see, hear, and receive the words of Faith and Blessings from the Holy Father. This is a reminder of how Catholics gather on Sundays with each other and their priests, how diocesan events bring the people, clergy around the Bishop, and how this Universal expression of faith and unity is a quality that cannot be underestimated. Thus this weekend, as we all get together for the Parish Festival, it brings the local Catholic community together to a unified Altar, together to hear the Word, be fed by the Eucharist, and to gather for fellowship. I pray that all have an enjoyable time today. Since the tour company, NAWAS, notified the audience organizers that we were attending, the name of Our Lady of the Sierra Parish in Oakhurst, California was called to the Holy Father. Parish groups and other institutions are recognized from the pulpit that submit there intentions to be present at the Papal Audience.

Thank you to the many who have worked hard in bringing together this wonderful event. The many workers/volunteers that have organized, cooked, baked, set-up and taken down, the liturgical ministers and to the many, many quiet folks behind the scene who simply, out of love for God, Church, and parish, sacrifice time, talent and treasure. In future bulletins we will take more opportunities to name as many as we can.

We will also have time for reflection as we will be moving on to our new Sunday Mass schedule, commencing on the weekend of November 6/7th, 2010. The schedule found elsewhere in this bulletin is not to everyone's liking I know, but after much discussions with as many groups and with the Pastoral Council's blessing, this new schedule will serve the needs of those we are called to serve. I have found out how many, many Spanish speaking former Catholics there are in this community, now members of Protestant Churches and sects, like the Jevohah Witnesses, that have left the Catholic Church over many years due to the lack of outreach to them here in the mountain communities. Bishop Steinbock is exceedingly happy and has given us all the encouragement possible as we embark on offering a Mass in Spanish every weekend. His full support is deeply appreciated. I do appreciate all the comments, notes, and emails, even from those that are disappointed with the new schedule. I pray that we can work together for the good of all those we are called to serve, not just the few.

As you know, members of our parish and I recently went on pilgrimage to Rome, Florence, Assisi, Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, Oberammergau, and Lucerne. It was a wonderful experience which included the Papal Audience, Masses in Rome at St. Peter's and St. Mary Major, Mass at St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, a parish in Florence, and the cathedral in Lucerne. Probably the most incredible part of the pilgrimage was the Passion Play in Oberammergau, which will be something I will never forget. The German village is extremely charming, the play so well done, and some of us stayed in private homes, since there are few hotels in the area. Six roomed in a farmhouse that was charming and hospitable. Home cooked breakfast woke us up.

The last few days, after the pilgrims left Zurich for home, my mother and I continued on to the French Basque Country to spend time with my mother's three sisters and one brother, and with cousins and friends. We also went to the Spanish side to see my aunt who is in a rest home, who I had not seen in many years. It was a joy to be with family, friends, and in the land that I love very much. On October 7th, my family and I traveled to Lourdes. It was the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and nearly 200,000 people had gathered to pray that day. It was another great experience of faith.

The next pilgrimage is planned to the Holy Land in November of 2011. This seems to be a popular trip as I have begun to received numerous inquiries and reservations are coming in with deposits. If you are interested, I need to know before the end of December, as it is first come, first serve. We will be able to take up to as many as 40 people.

From the desk of the Pastor: Fr. Mike ...

2010-08-22T21:40:00.001-07:00

In this weekend's bulletin, we are publishing the actual budget that finished this past June 30, 2010. In this budget, you will be able to see exactly what was brought in as income and what our expenditures were. We finished the year with a deficit of about $25,000. We borrowed some funds from our savings to cover needs that we either did not anticipate, or we could not meet. You will note that our weekly income has dropped from the previous budget year. We also are publishing the prior year of 2009-2010 to give you an insight of the direction we are heading at this time, especially in the light the recession that affects the mountain communities. Also, most of all the parishes of the diocese have suffered losses, and in some cases, severe losses and severe cutbacks in their operations. Some of our Catholic schools are in crisis mode, since parishes can no longer support the schools, and the schools are totally dependent on their own ability to raise funds and must push to bring in new students. With high employment and underemployment, fewer parents are able to place their children in our Catholic schools. In fact, we recently saw San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno suffering the lowest enrollment in years, and pushing to advertise for new students. They have even lowered the tuition, with the hopes it will stimulate interest among our Catholic families in the Fresno area. We pray this works.

With regards to our own parishes, our income has fallen from one year to another. We held all our employees to another year, but seeing the continuing decline, we no longer pay our Youth Director a stipend, we have cut our Religious Education Director hours from 30 to 20 hours a week (this also meant that she lost parish- provided health insurance for herself and family) and we have taken the part time secretary days from three to two. We have made every effort to control travel cost, with gas reimbursements that are provided to the pastor, deacon and parish staff down considerably from last year. The deacon and I were the only ones to attend the LA Congress this year, with me staying one less night to save on hotel and priest supply costs for that weekend. We have closed the parish office on Fridays during the summer and we will continue this practice until further notice. This saves on salaries and utility costs, especially with summer heat and running the two air conditioners at our rented office space.

This brings us to the most difficult but necessary move we will be making in the coming months. At the time we moved to the facilities at 49430 Road 426, we were in a healthy financial situation. The lease on the rented office space is up this November, and with the decline of income continuing well into this new year, and not seeing a better future at the present moment, we are moving our offices back to Our Lady of the Sierra Church facility. The upper lounge will be the pastor's office. The Religious Education Office will now be Administration Office. The area that was used for religious education classes on the east side of the parish hall will now be cubicles for additional office space for Peggy and a conference room for small meetings. This does mean that the hall will be smaller for general use. There will be challenges for some of our groups. We will add a storage building outside the kitchen area so items in the locked closets will be moved there, giving Peggy the necessary room for her religious education materials and equipment. This may also mean that not all religious education classes will be taught on Sundays, possibly making older children classes be on Saturday or weekday evenings. On the other hand, we will be on church grounds all the time, increasing security and being on hand when groups are present during the day. People can once again come up the church for business and pastoral needs, not having to look for us elsewhere.

We look to complete our move in mid-October to the church grounds. This is between my pilgrimage to Rome/Europe, and when Nancy will be on her vacation in November. As time moves on, we will keep you informed. We ask for your patience, as we will be on top of each other at times, and we pray that someday we will be able to build our own facilities on site or purchase a house that is next to us that can be turned into offices in the future.

On the other hand, we are very grateful to many of our parishioners who have made substantial contributions to some area of our budget, such as Religious Education, Youth Activities, or Liturgy. You will note the large amount of money that it takes to send our youth to Arizona, to fund their youth activities, pizzas on Mondays at the high school and other expenditures associated with youth ministry and youth religious education. We receive large gifts that are dedicated for this purpose alone, including memorial gifts. We are appreciative to parishioners who have donated large gifts at whim, walking into our offices or mailing us a large check, making no demands other than it be used for whatever the parish needs. In this past year, we were gifted with a bequest from a will of a parishioner who left money to the parish. Many that come to our parish at Christmas and Easter allow us the extra breathing room at those times of the year.

Most important, we cannot forget the many, many parishioners who volunteer their time to our parish. They come to clean and repair on Wednesday mornings at OLS , they quietly care for the mission churches, they count the collections, they help with stuffing envelopes, they wash church linens, they care for the poor, they serve the youth, and they lead groups and committees. These wonderful parishioners make it possible for the staff to save on money in so many big and little ways. They too contribute to the budget in ways that we cannot express and we owe them all our gratitude.

Lastly, I am grateful to Roman Zabiki, Charles Anspach and to Roger Mercier, members of our Finance Committee. They have been diligent in asking the right questions and giving wise advice on many issues. They have complete access to all financial accounts and are able to see them anytime they wish in accord with diocesan statutes. I also am grateful to Nancy Hooper, our office manager, who keeps a sharp eye on all things financial.

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike...

2010-08-22T21:29:00.001-07:00

As mentioned in earlier bulletins, we are searching for a way to provide a Mass time for our Hispanic community on Sundays. The results I have been getting back from many people are that we should adjust the Sunday Masses at St. Joseph the Worker in North Fork and Our Lady of the Sierra Church by half an hour. The strong consensus coming back to me is to move the afternoon Mass from Bass Lake to Sunday mornings, possibly to 9:30am.......thus we would have the Spanish Mass in the afternoon slot where we had the Bass Lake Mass. This would give us five weekend Masses; one Saturday, and four on Sundays. The new schedule would start in November with the change over to the winter hours. The new winter hours would, beginning November, become our regular Mass schedule for the year.

WINTER HOURS:

Saturday Vigil Mass: 4:00pm at Our Lady of the Sierra, Oakhurst

Sunday Masses: 8:00am at St. Joseph the Worker, North Fork

9:30am at St. Dominic Savio, Bass Lake

11:30am at Our Lady of the Sierra, Oakhurst

4:00pm [Spanish Mass] at Our Lady of the Sierra, Oakhurst

I am open to further discussion and would like more input from as many of our parishioners as possible. Again, the reason for the Spanish Mass in the afternoon is that most of our Spanish speaking Catholic community work in the hospitality industry in the mountain communities, and the afternoon Mass would be in between their lunch and dinner hours for those who work in restaurants, and for those who work in the hotels/motels in housekeeping: they would be finished by that time to attend Mass. I know that the greatest inconvenience is to the Bass Lake community who have had the afternoon Mass for years. However, this will be a greater service for our tourists who would be much more able to attend Mass in the morning as opposed to the late afternoon. I am hoping for understanding and for all of us to reach out to the Spanish speaking Catholics who live in our mountain communities. Presently, of all the baptisms we have in our church, the Spanish speaking baptisms far outnumber the English baptisms. Also more and more Spanish speaking weddings are coming forth as young couples seek to marry or have their marriages revalidated.

I am also happy that Consuelo Mercier will undertake the ministry of outreach to the Spanish speaking, and will help in coordinating the Spanish Masses. Her help is deeply appreciated. She has a long history of working with the Spanish speaking in the local school district, and is familiar with many of the Spanish speaking families in the area.

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike:

2010-08-10T08:31:00.001-07:00

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.

From the desk of the Pastor: Fr. Mike ...

2010-08-05T22:02:00.001-07:00

Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America

aosusa@sbcglobal.net

I was recently invited to join a special ministry that is provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and by the Holy See, called the Apostleship of the Sea. This ministry consists of volunteer priests who serve merchant sailors, cruise ship crews and passengers. This ministry has been in existence throughout the world for well over two hundred years. In the United States, priests and bishops give a week or so of their year to provide sacramental services to those at sea or in ports. This service is provided with no compensation with the exception of the ship passage, in some circumstances. Many of the seaports, such as San Francisco, Oakland and San Pedro have full time priests who are available for merchant sailors who come ashore after many months out at sea. Cruise ship companies now engage the AOS directly to have priests on board many of their cruise ships to provide daily Masses for passengers and crew members. The greater majority of the crew members of cruise ships that sail in and out the U.S. are Filipino men and women, nearly all of them Catholic. Usually a cruise ship chaplain will celebrate two Masses daily, one for passengers and one for the crew. The priest is also asked to provide a protestant-style service on Sundays for non-Catholics, and may even lead a Jewish community in prayer, if requested. He is responsible to hear confessions for Catholic passengers and crew, and be available for pastoral counseling for the crew. Not all cruise ship companies use Catholic priests, who must have the permission of their bishop to serve, and be in good standing. It is forbidden for AOS priests to witness marriages on cruise ships. Recently Celebrity Cruises ceased using Catholic priests (since only priests are brought in to do this ministry, not Protestant ministers.) Holland America uses the services of AOS the most of any cruise line. About a dozen priests of the Diocese of Fresno volunteer for the AOS. Rules for priest conduct and ministries working with AOS are set by the Vatican's office of the AOS. It is headed by a bishop. The American AOS is headed by a priest.

I joined the AOS last year and am now taking my first chaplaincy cruise with Holland America to Alaska this week. I am responsible for paying for my own way to and from the airport where the ship disembarks and returns, and in this case, it will be Seattle, WA. I am given free passage as long as I say two Masses every day, provide confession time for passengers and crew, and be present and available for pastoral counseling. I must pay for all incidentals that other passengers pay for, i.e. soft drinks, alcohol, etc. The priest must also host a dinner table with passengers as he is considered a ship officer employee for the week.

You probably also know that I lead tours and pilgrimages either every year or every other year. I have been doing this for NAWAS Catholic Travel for nearly all 25 years of my priesthood. I will be leading a pilgrimage from Oakhurst/Merced/Hanford in September to Rome and to the Passion Play in Germany. I also provide Mass everyday on these pilgrimages, give talks, sometimes give local tours when in Rome, and hear confessions and depending on where we go, celebrate marriage anniversaries, etc. I am the one who finds people for the tour/pilgrimage, usually those who have traveled with me before, and always new people from new parishes that I serve. I do not pay for the tour/pilgrimage itself, since, if you will, I'm "working it", making sure everything goes well, and I am ultimately responsible for the group, from the moment they step on the plane in the US, to the moment they are home.

The parish I serve never pays for my vacation time or my incidental charges when serving as a chaplain on a cruise ship. If I go to a conference/meeting/convention that is connected with the Office of Worship, the diocese pays my way. The parish, exclusively, absorbs the cost of the Religious Education Congress which is held annually. This enhances my pastoral ministry to the parish. I pay for my private vacation and any transportation that is personal.

Whenever I am called to celebrate a Basque Festival Mass on a Sunday, I personally pay the visiting priest his stipend for presiding at Mass here at Our Lady of the Sierra. Since I am compensated by the local Basque community, I feel that it is my personal responsibility to compensate the priest who takes my place here. The parish compensates priests when they are here because I am on vacation or away on diocesan business. At this writing, I have two Basque events left this year, one at the end of August and one in December. As mentioned in an earlier bulletin, I am the only Basque speaking priest now serving in the U.S., and thus when a community wants to have a Basque Mass on a Sunday, I am notified. Many of these Masses are now being moved to Saturdays, which will be easier for me.

From the desk of Fr. Mike...

2010-07-19T07:17:00.001-07:00

Recently the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops voted to accept the long standing work of ICEL (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) re-working of the Roman Missal in English. It was at the insistence of the Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship in Rome that the English version be updated so that the English text would follow the Latin text more faithfully.

Following Vatican II in the 1960's, the first translation of the Roman Missal in English, the dynamic process that was utilized, which is different from a word to word literal translation from Latin to English. In the dynamic translation, words or phrases that are similar could be used, allowing for a more colloquial style of speaking that is common in our country. Many of our prayers are not literal, but like phrases and words are implemented. The American style of speaking and writing English would certainly be different than English that is used in the United Kingdom or Australia.

The Holy See wanted all the English countries to develop a translation that would be common to all with a very closely held literal translation to be implemented. One reason was that many other languages would translate their Sacramentary from the American version, taking them further away from the actual Latin text.

The official Third Edition of the Roman Missal in English is now finished and ready to be implemented in all English speaking countries. The Holy See has given its endorsement and it has allowed each bishop's conference to set the date for implementation. Unless we hear differently, the new translation will go into effect on the First Sunday of Advent of 2011, a full 18 months from now. The reason for the long period is to assist bishops, priests, and the laity transition into the new language. Many of the new prayers will be difficult for American priests. Phrases and words, long not used in our country will be introduced. The Collect (Opening Prayer) of all Sundays will take on another form of praying.

(This information will be continued in next week's bulletin)

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike...

2010-07-07T21:17:00.001-07:00

Holy Land Pilgrimage with the Pastor: November of 2011

I will be leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land that will begin Monday, November 7th, 2011, flying from San Francisco and will last ten days. We will visit the sacred shrines of Caesarea, Solomon's Stables and Tiberius. The tour will then take us across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, the home of St. Peter's on the lake shore. We will visit the place where the miracles of the loaves of fishes took place and where Jesus taught the Mount of Beatitudes with a stop at Caesarea Philippi where Peter was made the head of the Church. We will visit Cana and couples on the pilgrimage will have an opportunity to renew their marriages where the Lord attended the wedding feast, turning water into wine. We will visit Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, with a stop at the Church of the Annunciation and step into the Jordan River to renew baptismal promises.

We will spend adequate time in Jerusalem, visiting the Old City, the Wailing Wall, Walking the Via Dolorosa, praying the Stations of the Cross, Mass in the Holy Sepulcher, walking through the Garden of Olives, a visit to Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. We will visit the Dead Sea, the place of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Caves of Qumran, and one of the oldest cities in the world, Jericho.

At each sacred shrine, whenever possible, we will celebrate Mass or have another prayer service or the Stations of the Cross in the Old City. This is a prayer experience, to walk where Jesus walked and to grow in personal holiness.

Those who are interested (and we need 16 to do it) we will add a three day trip to Jordan that would take us to Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Amman, Petra (the ancient buildings in the side of a mountain) and back. This is optional and would be an extra charge.

The Holy Land Pilgrimage begins and ends in San Francisco. The cost is $2799 per person, which includes hotels, most meals (breakfast and dinner daily) a full time English speaking guide, all service charges and local taxes and automatic $100,000 flight insurance. For those who want to extend the pilgrimage into Jordan, the extra cost would be $698.00 per person for the three days.

The parish website has a copy of the brochure, along with the form for those interested, otherwise come by or call the parish office for a brochure.

I did this pilgrimage in the Jubilee year of 2000 and it was a fantastic success!

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike...

2010-06-21T14:10:00.001-07:00

Family Based Religious Education Program for the Parish

As the Roman Catholic Church moves through history, she must respond to the issues and social realities of the present moment. In the very early history of the Church, it celebrated Mass in secret, not to expose her children to death by the established governments and religious groups. As the Church became the state religion of Rome, it took on other realities; as she began to build churches, establish governing structures, regulate ritual actions such as the Eucharist and the sacraments, education became important. The Scriptures were canonized and established. Small groups of men and women began to live in communities and religious orders and communities came into being. Monasteries became centers of learning, hospitality (hospitals) and places where the Divine Worship was studied and standardized. As the Church grew into the Dark Ages, it survived through the monasteries, particularly due to the Irish monasteries which were far enough from the turmoil of Europe of northern tribes coming into the southern regions. The Irish Monks were responsible for maintaining the copying of the Bible, for literature, and for keeping intact the essentials of the Church. It responded to the times.

Today, as the Catholic Church marches into the twenty-first century, she again responds to the needs of this period, and renews herself in matters of worship, Scripture, and self-understanding. As the Church emerges from the turmoil of the clergy sexual abuses of the twentieth century, she will also begin to see shifts of how things will be done and who will do them. As the priesthood evolves in the next twenty years from low numbers and new restrictions, new leadership styles will become commonplace. The Laity will take on many more roles, some will actually be parish leaders where there are no priests, they will run hospitals and universities and other Church organizations. They will have a greater voice in the management of the Church structures as we know it. As fewer Catholics actually attend Sunday Mass and participate in the sacraments, such as marriage, new models of catecheses will emerge in our religious education programs.

The Diocese of Fresno, as well as many dioceses around the United States, is moving towards a new model of teaching children in our Religious Education Programs. What was formerly called CCD, an old term that was short for the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, is evolving into new norms in which children are not the only ones receiving doctrine. What is now a common occurrence in most parishes, and here, is parents will drop their children at religious education classes and go home. They do not bring their children to Mass on Sundays. Children are prepared for First Communion, not to see the inside of the local parish church again until they either make their confirmation or come to their weddings. This practice would never be allowed in any protestant church, where membership is determined by physical presence and monetary support of the church.

Thus Family Based Catechesis Process will be the new model for Religious Education in the Diocese of Fresno in the coming years. The Parish of Our Lady of the Sierra will begin to implement this program this coming year, 2010-11. This means that all parents ALONG with their children will be involved in religious education. If the parents cannot come, then the children cannot attend either. The new process is meant to strengthen the faith of the WHOLE family, to bring the WHOLE family in the knowledge of the faith, and to have the WHOLE family worship with us every Sunday. Any component of this process that cannot be followed will mean that we must DELAY any sacramental preparation for children who wish to receive their First Penance and First Communion. Another feature that is troubling too many of us is that some of our children go to different churches, meaning to both Catholic and Protestant Churches. This is terribly confusing to the children and it gives them no sense of tradition, for either community. We will ask parents to make a choice which tradition they wish to pass on to their children and to stick to that tradition. While we are all Christians who believe in Jesus, how we see faith, Scriptures, and the sacraments are very distinct and different from each other.

There will be more information coming forth as the summer continues.

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike ...

2010-06-15T17:06:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day

Today we honor the men who were given a special vocation from God the Father to be fathers, grandfathers, godfathers, stepfathers, and fathers of all sorts. This role is a hard one for many fathers, who have felt the need to work hard, to be good models, and strong parental figures to their children. We know that being a father is difficult and demanding, and it rarely comes with a handbook of how to do it, you just trust your instincts. Mistakes are made and the best efforts can turn out wonderful. My own father Anastasio, deceased since 1981, was a strong role model, a gentle but firm guide, demanding, yet so giving. He supported my own vocation and encouraged me to go to college and eventually to the seminary. He did not live to see me ordained but I know he was present in heaven on that day. My father came from a very religious Basque family, and it was that gift of faith that he passed on to me. We have many priests and a bishop in our family line from Spain and that sense of service to the Church was a natural gift he practiced himself by faithfully going to Mass every Sunday in his life when he was able. God the Father is the ultimate role model for our fathers and we ask God to bless these men, whether called to heaven, or to those here on earth with us. Their role in our lives cannot be measured.

Priest Retirement Fund Father's Day Collection

Today is the annual Priest Retirement Collection taken up every year to assist Bishop Steinbock and the Retirement Fund Committee in providing for those priests who now enjoy the reward of working so hard for so many years in the Diocese of Fresno. This collection goes to the endowment fund from which all retired priests are paid monthly. WE NEED YOUR HELP IN PROVIDING A LIVING RETIREMENT PENSION FOR THESE PRIESTS. Your gift at the second collection today goes directly to this fund. Monsignor Herman, retired from Our Lady of the Sierra Parish, now living in Spain, receives his retirement check from the fund. Please, not only help the retirement fund, but do pray for our retired priests, as they move on in their advanced ages. Many times they are forgotten when they now longer minister in parishes. Thank you so much!!!

I extend a great big thank you to so many of you who wished me well on my birthday last Sunday. I had a lot of fun and it was a joy to be with my parish family for another milestone of my life.

Let us not forget our parish deacon, Ernie, who is celebrating his birthday this weekend on Saturday, June 19th. He assures me that he is only a year or two older than me, though I admit he sure has a lot more hair than I do. Happy Birthday, Deacon Ernie!!!

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike ...

2010-06-09T11:13:00.001-07:00

Today, the Church brings to closure the special Year of the Priest as proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. This special jubilee was called by the Holy Father to bring to the attention of the Universal Church the gift of the ministerial priesthood. While we also believe in the priesthood of all believers, the Church also calls forth men, in their humanness, with their sins, personalities, and all their qualities to offer themselves to the service of the Altar and the Sacraments. We know that most priests are very good men, serving with loyalty to the core of the Gospel and serving people in parishes, schools and universities, prisons, and hospitals. They come in all shapes and sizes and from every land on the earth. They feel called and they have responded. Some have made grave mistakes and after dealing with their faults, continue on since no one but Christ is perfect on earth. Some have left active ministry to pursue marriage or feel they can no longer serve within the framework of the Church's teaching and structure. The stain that affects our priesthood, especially those who have committed crimes against children, will leave an impression among our ranks. We know that whatever is said of us, and many things are, (I heard the rumors too!) we continue to serve in spite of our unworthiness. None of us are perfect and without faults (that does include the laity), but we strive to be better human being at the service of God who calls all to holiness of life.

I pray, that in spite of my own unworthiness, but with the God-given gifts and talents that I do possess, that I continue to service the Gospel, the Church, the local Church of the diocese, and this parish community well. As age and experience creeps up on us (today is yours truly's birthday) we are all the more aware of taking care of our spiritual, physical, and mental health. Otherwise we cannot serve others well. Thank you for allowing me to be in your midst, and together, we can and will build up the Kingdom of God.

A word to encourage a better working relationship with our parish clergy, staff, and parish community. Rumors and gossip are NOT from God, but are inspired by the Evil One to create division and discord in the community. I want always to invite anyone who has a question or concern about anything in the parish to come directly to me, instead of me having to hear about it (and I ALWAYS do) in the back alleys. It is a SERIOUS sin when half truths and lies disturb people's faith. A true disciple of Jesus works at bringing peace to the community and building up the kingdom of God.

Next weekend is Father's Day and we continue to encourage all to bring in their Father's Day Remembrance Envelope with the names of your deceased fathers so that we can create a special memorial dedicated to our fathers who now share fully in the Kingdom of God in heaven. Photos will be accepted for display at Masses in our three churches. You may contact the parish office for more information.

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike...

2010-06-03T13:17:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated Memorial Day as we remembered our fallen service men and women. Soon we will be celebrating Father's Day, on Sunday, June 20th. As a part of our celebration of Father's Day, we would like to also in a special way remember our deceased fathers. My own father, Anastasio Lastiri, died at an early age of 56 from lung cancer in 1981. These men were important to us boys especially since it is said that men spend their whole life trying to imitate or have the approval of their fathers.

In your packets of giving envelopes that you received at home, there is a special Father's Day Remembrance Envelope which would enable you to place the name of your father or husband and, like we did for All Souls, we will create a special place in our churches as we offer the Sacrifice of the Mass for the intentions of these men. We would ask that you complete the envelope giving us your Father's name and bring it to church this next weekend or you mail it in. The Art and Environment Committee will create a memorial table. If you have a photo of your father and are not afraid to leave it with us, we will place photos of the fathers on the memorial table. If you have questions, you may call the parish office.

We again ask you to review the many changes and additions made to the parish website recently. PayPal, updates on liturgy, and other events and items of interest can be reviewed. Please take the time to glance at the website. We thank Kevin Jonas who weekly, sometimes daily, updates the information on the website. This takes a great deal of time and dedication, and we thank Kevin for his commitment to the website.

As the summer months begin to settle in, it is a wonderful time to slow down and take time to enjoy the beautiful mountains and national parks that make living here so special. Take the opportunity to see God's creation and let us also show our appreciation and hospitality to the many visitors and guests that will be coming to one of our three churches.

From the Desk of our Pastor, Fr. Mike ...

2010-05-25T10:30:00.001-07:00

On this Memorial Day weekend, we Americans take the opportunity to remember the brave men and women who have worn the military uniforms of our nations. It is an honorable and noble gesture to remember our fallen heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy in this country. We remember them all in our Masses and prayers, not only this weekend, but always. We also pray for the safety of our service men and women who are presently serving in many troubled places in the world. My godson is a West Point graduate, now serving in a dangerous area of Iraq, and I pray the he and others return safely to their parents and families unharmed.

The Parish Office will be closed this Monday in honor of Memorial Day. On Tuesday, I will join my fellow priests in congratulating Fr. John Schmoll for his 25th anniversary of ordination in Lamont, south of Bakersfield.

A reminder that our monthly Spanish Mass will be next Sunday, June 6th at 12:30pm. Please pass the word along.

From the desk of the Pastor, Fr. Mike ...

2010-05-20T21:47:00.001-07:00

Today the Church celebrates Pentecost Sunday, the mystery of the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the holy women who had gathered in the locked room. We know well that the Holy Spirit has guided the Church, even in her darkest hour, and we rely on the Spirit power and grace through this time as well.

I want to express my sincerest thanks to all who made the Confirmation Mass last week memorable for our young people who received the sacrament from Bishop Steinbock. He also expressed to me personally how well things went and how pleased he was with all the ministries, including music. Thank you all.

This coming week, Monday thru Friday, May 24 to 28, I need to cover the Mass at the Convent of the Sisters of the Divine Master in Fresno since their pastor will be away for vacation. These Sisters are Eucharistic centered in their spirituality thus Mass in essential for their prayer life. Their Mass is at 7:30 am every morning. I will celebrate Masses here at Our Lady of the Sierra Church on Monday and Tuesday at 9:00AM. There will be a Communion Service on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 8:00 a.m. I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause anyone.

Next weekend is the Memorial Day weekend. There will be NO MASS OR COMMUNION SERVICE on Monday, May 31st. The Parish Office will also be closed on that day.

On Tuesday, June 1st, I will be joining Father John Schmoll in celebrating his 25th Jubilee. Father John and I were ordained in the same year, though different days. He is pastor of St. Augustine in Lamont, south of Bakersfield. We congratulate Fr. John for all the hard work he has done. When he went to Lamont, he alone replaced three to four priests, since the parish was staffed by the Augustinian Fathers, who left the diocese in the early 1990's.

Next Sunday, May 30th, is the fifth Sunday of the month. We have begun to have a special second collection whenever there is a fifth Sunday for the Parish Maintenance Fund. These funds, as explained in prior bulletins, help us to do upgrades, updates and repairs on our aging buildings. Remember that both St. Dominic Savio and St. Joseph the Worker where built well over fifty years ago. Our newest church, Our Lady of the Sierra was built eleven years ago. We have already spent considerable funds on re-staining the wooden poles and we need to fix curbs that are crumbling and the repairs at the missions continue. We must seriously consider the installation of an alarm system at OLS Church since we have been made aware of break-ins and damages suffered by other churches in the Oakhurst area.

We do hope you will seriously consider your parish next weekend in the second collection. There is a FYI feature box that outlines our completed repairs in the recent past and those that need to be made.

From the desk of our Pastor, Fr. Mike

2010-05-11T13:12:00.001-07:00

Today we welcome Bishop Steinbock as he comes to confer the sacrament of Confirmation on five of our young people at the Sunday morning 11:00am Mass. We want to congratulate the following :

Tyler Grocholski

Nathaniel Luna

Eloisa Ortiz

Pierrette Peredia

Samantha Shackelton

The Knights of Columbus will again host a luncheon following the Confirmation Mass for the Bishop and the families of those who receive confirmation in the parish hall. Thanks to the Knights again for their hospitality.

I, as mentioned in last week's bulletin, am presiding at the Basque Festival Mass in Los Banos this morning. I will return in the afternoon for Mass at Bass Lake.

With Deepest Gratitude!!!

I want to extend this weekend to all those who were responsible for organizing and executing all the festivities that were recently held for my 25th Anniversary of Ordained Ministry. So many of you dedicated months of effort in planning the event that came to a conclusion on April 27th. I want to thank Barbara Nadeau and her wonderful committee for organizing the wonderful meal, along with the parish Women's Guild and the Knights of Columbus who barbequed the meat. The decorations were beautiful as well as the table settings in the hall. I was told that nearly 250 people were fed that evening, as well as many of the priests who came to share the day with us. Great fun was also had with Father Cardoza and Father Bulfer providing the roast that evening. Father Cardoza brings a lot of memories of our time together since we were teen-agers in Hanford. I also want to extend thanks for the kindnesses shown to my mother in the jubilee celebrations by many of you. As you honor her, you honor me. I am also very grateful for the many gifts that were showered on me as well. Your generosity was overwhelming.

The Choir and Friends of the Choir collected nearly $1300 for a wall statue of St. Therese, the patroness of the Diocese of Fresno, which will be placed in the sanctuary at a future date in honor of my Silver Jubilee. I am not certain what the final cost of the statue will be but if anyone is interested in donating to the cause, you many call parish office. I am grateful for this honor and it is a way to give thanks to the Little Flower for all she has done for me and for all of us.

I also want to profusely thank Kevin, the choir, and all the liturgical ministers who participated in the most beautiful and solemn Mass that afternoon. Everything went so well. The church was full and the music was out of this world. The art and environment was stunning, especially all the roses that adorned Our Lady of the Sierra Church. Several priests who drove a great distance to be here (Bakersfield, Lamont and Gustine) as well as from closer locations were amazed at the talent in our parish. They were also once again taken back by the warm hospitality they were shown.

All in all, it is an event that I will never forget. When Bishop Steinbock named me pastor a few days later, it was a great finish to the event. I feel I belong and I know that we can continue to work together to build up the Kingdom of God in these mountain communities.

From the desk of Fr. Mike...

2010-04-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

Next weekend, our Children from the Religious Education Program will be celebrating their First Holy Communion at the Sunday 11:00 a.m. Mass. We wish them well and pray that their parents will continue to encourage them to receive Our Lord as often as possible. Do keep them in prayer, and give them your encouragement when you see them next week.

Next weekend is Mother's Day on Sunday and the Women's Guild and the Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a Mother's Day Breakfast at the Community Center. Please stop by BEFORE coming to the 11:00 a.m. Mass and enjoy a delicious breakfast with your mothers. They will serve from 7a.m. to nearly noon. To keep the one hour fast before communion, you should have eaten by 10:30 a.m. ....since you would not receive the Eucharist until after 11:30a.m.

Today, I will be celebrating my Jubilee Mass at Holy Spirit Church in Fresno at 3:00pm. Thus there will be no Spanish Mass at 12:30pm and the Bass Lake Mass will be a SCAP (Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest). Thank you for understanding.

Next Saturday morning, for those who might be interested, I will be celebrating a Basque Mass at the Borba Ranch in Madera (right on the San Joaquin River and the 99) at 11am. It is our annual Fresno Basque Picnic and all are welcome.

This coming week, two very special priests in our diocese, Monsignor Francis X. Pointek and Father Francis X. Alabart (yes, both are Francis) will be celebrating their 70th Anniversary of Ordained Priesthood. Both are retired and in their nineties. The priests and the bishop will gather with these men on Wednesday morning at St. Francis Church in Bakersfield for a lunch. Pray for these true pioneers of priestly life as they worked hard in many parishes in their lifetimes.

From the desk of Fr. Mike ...

2010-04-14T10:32:00.001-07:00

Last week, Richard and Jeri Gardini, long time members of our parish were killed in a horrific car accident in Fresno. We want to extend to their family and friends our heartfelt condolences. They were regular members at our Saturday evening Mass. May God grant them eternal rest. Please keep Richard and Jeri and their family in your prayers.

I returned on Saturday from a few days of rest and reflection at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, CA. The abbey is a Trappist Monastery, where I made a retreat thirty years ago before I entered the seminary. It was nice to return to the quiet countryside of northern California near Chico. The monastery was once a part of the Leland Stanford Ranch and given to the Trappist monks who came from Gethsemane Abbey in Kentucky over a hundred years ago. The monk's ranch and farm is on 500 acres on which they pray, work, and study. I am grateful for their prayers over the years. I then went to Yuba City/Marysville area to celebrate a Basque Mass before driving home. I thank Father Ricardo Magdelano for celebrating the Saturday 5:00 pm Mass. Father Ricardo is a hospital chaplain to Kaiser and Children's Hospital in Fresno.

Recently a joint meeting of the Pastoral Council and the Liturgy Committee was held at the Bass Lake facilities. The two groups joined me to review and look at our recent experience of Lent, Holy Week, Triduum and Easter. As mentioned in the recent bulletins, so many people make things happen. So many people work hard to make our churches beautiful, the liturgies meaningful and dignified, and take the time to do the scheduling and training of all the liturgical ministries that serve our parish community. While we are not always as happy as we want to be, since this is not paradise (that will coming soon enough for all of us), we attempt to listen, to evaluate what we hear, make no immediate decision, and carefully consider what we might do better in the future. It was also an opportunity to affirm what was done well. Overall the consensus was that the liturgical events went well and that all those who participated worked well and did a fantastic job. There is room to correct, grow, and improve what we all try to do. We continue to work on better communication. We thank everyone and we hope that our Liturgy Committee can continue to improve our quality of service. I also ask you to notice that our ushers now have all purchased and wear blue blazers and their badges so they can be identified if they are needed. They are also going through training to handle medical emergencies should they be needed at the Masses they serve.

I am sure you may have heard in the news recently that Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Archbishop Jose Gomez, the Archbishop of San Antonio, TX as the new Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles. Archbishop Gomez will officially take over the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on March 1, 2011, upon the retirement of Cardinal Roger Mahony, who retires on his 75th birthday, February 28, 2011. The Diocese of Fresno is a suffragan see under the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, making Archbishop Gomez our new Metropolitan at that time. That means he leads the Provence of Los Angeles. He will not have any direct jurisdiction over this diocese, but gathers all the bishops of the Los Angeles Provence for two meetings annually to discuss the issues of the Catholic Church of Southern California. This also means that Cardinal Mahony who has a residence in our parish at Fish Camp may be helping us more when he has the time to come to the mountains.

From the desk of Fr. Mike

2010-04-10T07:36:00.001-07:00

I want to add more notes of gratitude for many of our parishioners who have given so much of their talents to the parish community. Easter is such a special time for us to thank God, and thus I feel it necessary to take the opportunity, last week and this week, to thank many people who serve this parish community.

A big thank you to the North Fork Choir and their director, Phyllis Mediati, who have played faithfully for the 8:30am Mass at St. Joseph the Worker Mission Church for so many years, and have also helped Our Lady of the Sierra Church by providing music for Good Friday and for the Confirmation Mass in the past. Thank you to all of you. I also want to acknowledge Vince Smith who takes care of the sound system and to the volunteers who come to St. Joseph's to clean the church. Without all of you, many things could not happen. The Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, and the Ushers continue to serve the mission community as well. We are indebted to you all.

Thanks also to Art and Environment committee of Bass Lake at St. Dominic Savio and to the musicians who help Kevin whenever they can. Also to Jim Ferguson and Mike Carter who set up for Mass for me on Sunday afternoons. They make it a pleasure to celebrate Mass there near our beautiful Bass Lake.

I want to also acknowledge those of you who come and clean Our Lady of the Sierra Church every Wednesday morning after the 8:00am Mass. Under the leadership of Booty Guadagnini, these wonderful people come and vacuum the carpet, clean the tables and window sills, clean the toilets, and many other tasks that need to be done in order to maintain our beautiful church. You are all appreciated!

There are also those men who, under the leadership of Nico Guadagnini, do the hard manual labor such as mow the grass, fix plumbing, do heavy lifting, and just about anything else that needs to be done. These men always work quietly behind the scene on Wednesday mornings. We send our gratitude to them for their time given to the parish.

There are a group of ladies who give up their Monday mornings in order to come to the parish office and count the collection and make the necessary deposits in the banks. This group will work three hours or more to make sure that all is done well under the guidance of the parish staff. They had to work especially hard after the Easter celebrations. Here again is another group of parishioners who come and quietly work behind the scenes to give aid to the parish. Thank you so much ladies!!!

The members of the Parish Finance Committee - Roger Mercier, Chuck Anspach, and Roman Zabicki - are of very valuable help to me and Nancy in overseeing the financial aspects of the parish. They meet with me regularly, look at all receipts and deposits, and give me advice concerning projects.

The Pastoral Council also helps me in dreaming of ways of creating the Kingdom of God in our time and in our place here in our Catholic mountain communities. This council's main responsibility is to advise me on how we can better serve all of you and to dream of ways of creating a better Catholic community. It is through this council that we have a Health Outreach committee and we have been working hard to be more hospitable to those who come to our church. Through the Liturgy Committee, an outreach of the pastoral council, we have been able to do some wonderful things at Mass, especially at the special times of the year.

Let us also not forget those who pass on the faith to our children and young people under the direction of Peggy Stewart and Consuelo Mercier. To the teachers and their aids who teach religious education on Sunday mornings, to those who help gather the high school students at the high school at the Monday noon hour and to Jerry Roche who teaches the Confirmation class on Sunday mornings. Their ministry is extremely important to the parish!

We cannot ignore in our gratitude list those members of the parish Women's Guild and the Knights of Columbus who give of their resources and their presence in our parish. Thank you to all their members and continued blessings in the future.

From the Desk of Fr. Mike ...

2010-03-30T17:19:00.001-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!

To all our parishioners and guests this Easter Sunday morning, we wish you and yours a happy Easter day! The whole Church rejoices in the new life we have received in the Resurrection. May our prayers today enrich our faith, strengthen our hope, and encourage us to live in harmony with each other.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the many parishioners who work behind the scenes to make our Lent and Holy Week so special and beautiful. I am grateful to Kevin who, despite receiving only a small stipend, has worked many hours planning the music, the art and environment, helping prepare the liturgical ministers, and organizing many other things. It was also Kevin who initiated the work and brought about the volunteers that finally helped move the library from Bass Lake to our offices at Oakhurst. He was able to get volunteers and was there to oversee the cleaning, painting, installation of new floors, and repair of the bathrooms at the A-Frame at Bass Lake. We can now host day long retreats, confirmation class retreats, weddings and other activities which we have now begun to schedule. We have two weddings alone in May at Bass Lake. Kevin has also taken on the responsibility of daily updates on our website - now considered one of the best in the Fresno Diocese. Kevin also leads the music at Bass Lake every Sunday afternoon as well as the Oakhurst masses.

I want to the thank the sacristans, especially to Norm Nadeau, Fran Callaghan, and Shirley Waynar, who have prepared for their respective Masses on the weekends. In this past Holy Week, Norm was Sacristan for Holy Thursday, Shirley was Sacristan for Good Friday, and Fran was Sacristan for the Easter Vigil. All three have been great help to me since I have been here.

I also thank the many volunteers and ministers who have helped in the art and environment at all three churches particularly Carrol De George, Madeline Aoki, Donna Wolfe, Donna Wimer, Barbara Vasconcellos, Diane Kraft, Eleanor Francoeur, and Kevin Jonas. A thank you to the lectors and Eucharistic Ministers who are present and prepared, to the Choir, to Larry Cone and his ushers, to Dave Kraft and his greeters, to Diane Kraft and her lectors, as well as to Peggy and Consuelo in the children and teen education office.

The work and preparation of music and liturgical ministries is crucial to good liturgy and at St. Joseph's Mission in North Fork and St. Dominic's Mission in Bass Lake this was particularly evident this Lent and Palm Sunday. The refreshments following the Mass at North Fork do not hurt the experience either. A sincere thank you to all!

As I mentioned, there are SO many people who give so much to the parish and each one helps to make this parish community a living reality to the world outside. God bless each and every one of you!

At this point I must mention and thank our office staff, Nancy and Katie, who work tirelessly during these holy times.

Last, but not least, thank you so much to our parish deacon, Ernie Molloy, and to his wife Virginia who oversees the RCIA process in our parish. Your ministry and support is appreciated.

From the Desk of Fr. Mike ...

2010-03-25T07:56:00.001-07:00

HOLY WEEK

We enter into a sacred time this week starting today with Palm Sunday, into Holy Week and the Triduum, where we walk with Jesus, first joining him at the sacrificial banquet at the Last Supper, to see him betrayed, then led to trial. We walk with him the steep hill of Calvary to witness his dying and our dying with him as he promises life to the repentant thief. We celebrate the sacred mysteries at the Easter Vigil next Saturday night at 9:00pm, to see the new fire, the blessing of the new Pascal Candle and its procession into the darkened church, to listen to the Scripture stories of our redemption, to singing with lively faith that first Alleluia this Easter and to be bathed in the new waters of baptism which recalls our dying and rising. We will then experience, along with Adam Stevens who will join our Catholic Church, the power of the Holy Spirit as he is confirmed in the faith that God has called him to. What a holy week! What a week to look forward to seeing how loved we are by God and how Jesus Christ, the center of life, shares with us eternal life.

To better celebrate the sacred mysteries during Holy Week, we will break from some of our 'usual' customs to experience deeply the events that gave us the most important elements of our salvation:

· Holy Thursday night, as we did last year, members of the Liturgy Commission and friends will bake Eucharistic bread that was more like the very bread that Jesus used at the Last Supper. It was unleavened and will be more 'bread-like'. This bread will be consecrated at the Mass and that which is left over will be used at the Liturgy of Good Friday, as in keeping with sacred tradition. We did this last year and it was well received.

· Deacon Ernie and I will wash the feet of parishioners at the Washing of Feet by going down the aisle and doing this holy action right in the assembly area. We did this last year and again it was well received and the parishioners nearby are able to see and experience the love that Jesus was trying to express in His actions before the Last Supper.

· At the end of Mass, we will process the Blessed Sacrament down to the Parish Hall where the Altar of Repose will be set up. We are inviting parishioners to come down and spend some time in prayer before the greatest of all gifts given to the Church, the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ.

A warning to those sensitive to incense. Incense will be used at Palm Sunday Masses for the Entrance, at the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, at the Easter Vigil and at Easter Sunday Masses. If you are sensitive to incense, you may want to sit near the doors or away from the aisle.

Good Friday Liturgy will begin at 1pm at Our Lady of the Sierra Church.