Dear Fellow Parishioners, This past Friday, May 8, was the one-year anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV. I had to look up the date just to be sure. Pope Leo has needed to make several adjustments, first from his life as a Roman Cardinal, and before that as a Peruvian bishop and citizen. […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Now that Easter Sunday is behind us, itâs beginning to dawn on me how little of this school year is left. Confirmation of both adults and young people is done, and Iâm still signing a huge pile of certificates. First Communions are just around the corner. Graduation dates for 2027 are already […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, By the time you read this, we will all have passed with our Lord through his passion and death, to his resurrection. It is the most spiritually intense three days of the entire year â not only because of the events themselves, but also because the pattern of the death and resurrection […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, This weekend we celebrate âLaetare Sunday,â which means, âRejoice.â It is a close relative to the Third Sunday of Advent, known as âGaudete Sunday,â which means roughly the same. They both come after the mid-point of a penitential season, and may be celebrated with rose-colored vestments, the only two Sundays when that […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Just a few days ago, we took part in the perhaps the most widely attended Mass of the year: Ash Wednesday. The most likely estimates set the number of people worldwide who received the ashes of penitence above one billion, and probably significantly more. In many parishes, including our own, more people […]
2026 Lenten Regulations for the Diocese of Santa Rosa  “The Lenten Season has a double character, namely to prepare both catechumens and faithful to celebrate the paschal mystery. The catechumens, both with the Rite of Election and Scrutinies, and by catechesis, are prepared for the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation; the faithful, ever […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I would like to add some final thoughts on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, begun last week. The Presentation of the Lord (February 2) should not be confused with the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, celebrated on November 21. This was a completely separate event which took place a […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, The Feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple, which we celebrate on Monday, February 2, is an ancient feast related to an event in the life of Jesus. It arises from a complex biblical and liturgical history. This is intended to cover some of the basic points, and […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, By the time you read this, we will have concluded the majority of our Christmas celebrations, though some families go on to celebrate in some way the âTwelve Days of Christmasâ â that interlude between Christmas and Epiphany. And to the relief of many of our youngest parishioners, the âElf on the […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Â This Second Week of Advent, now coming to an end, includes the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As you can see from the inside of the church, the spirit of the feast is still with us, and never quite leaves us. In addition to the temporary shrine, I […]