Dear Fellow Parishioners, Near the end of June, we celebrate two important solemnities, which is the highest rank of liturgical observance. That means they are celebrated even on Suanday, if they happen to fall on that day of the week. (The only thing they lack is status as Holy Days of Obligations.) These are the […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Now that we are nearly at the midpoint of the calendar year, I would like to do a “lightning round” of completed projects and coming events, in no particular order of importance. Restoration of the church façade: thanks to your support of the Maintenance Fund, the restoration of the front facade of […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, This Sunday we join countries on every inhabited continent in celebrating Father’s Day. While the Third Sunday in June is by far the most common day for celebrating it, there is a smaller group of 14 traditionally Catholic countries which celebrate Father’s Day on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, the […]
Dear St. Vincent de Paul community, My name is Fr. Mauricio Rodriguez. I am 39 years old, and I am originally from Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico. I was raised in a Catholic family, and I’m the youngest of four brothers. In 2006, I moved with my family to Sonoma County. In 2013, I started getting more […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, This edition of “The Pastor’s Desk” might be called “The Tale of Two Vocations”. This weekend, Deacon Christopher Girolo, a long-time SV parishioner and alumnus of our parish schools, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Santa Rosa. Ad multos annos! Vocations, like people, manifest themselves in an infinity of unique […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, This week, Fr. Stuart is announcing his move from St. Vincent’s to St. Apollinaris Parish in Napa. No one will miss him as much as I will. In this diocese, while pastors are important in their own way, there is no more valued servant of the People of God than a talented […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Beginning next weekend, graduations and commencement ceremonies will take place all over the country, from Kindergartners in pint-sized caps and gowns, up to the doctoral level, and beyond. At the higher levels, graduates often add two-sided hoods, color-coded to the field of study – green for medicine, purple for law, brown for […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Mother’s Day is one of the very few, if only, observances celebrated throughout the world. It is truly transcultural. The vast majority of these celebrations take place either on the second Sunday in May, or on another day in Spring, the season of new life. (Consistent with this logic, Argentina celebrates Mother’s […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, I would like to continue my discussion of the interior of our church, statues, windows, and other works of art. First, I’d like to share some general thoughts on the roles of art and technology in the history of the Christian, and then specifically “Catholic”, Church. For the first 1,500 years of […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Last week I shared a few thoughts about devotions in general, and more specifically about the devotional life and design of our church. The response was surprisingly positive, and I’ve decided to go a week or two further on this subject. The statues and devotional images behind the communion rail and facing […]
Our parish mission statement identifies St. Vincent’s as a Eucharist centered people who, as the Body of Christ, live our faith in word and deed by sharing our time, talent, and treasure to support one another and serve those in need.
This website is intended not only to provide you with the information you need about our parish but also to help us build up our life as a community and so help us in our mission. It provides a way for us to connect with each other; and we invite you to use it to share stories, to learn about what’s happening and what’s coming up, and to provide information you think we all need to hear. This site will evolve as our parish evolves; it belongs to all of us. I hope you find it helpful.
This hymn speaks to the atmosphere, design, and heart of St. Vincent’s parish: there is a place here for everyone. In fact, you are not only welcomed, but needed! As we explore and expand our ideas of just what a Church community is, we recognize first that pivotal life events occur in church: weddings, baptisms, First Communion, Confirmation; but, we also find that we need community in order to be a Spirit filled Church where we praise God, share our faith, and help one another by way of fellowship, and the numerous ministries available to all parishioners. Through our stewardship, the gift of our time and talent, there is a wonderful opportunity to give and receive, to make friends, to help friends, to see how our talents are a gift from God made for sharing. We are bonded to a group of people with whom we already have at least one thing in common, and that is our faith. It is our hope that you will use this community website to build bridges and connect with one another, and see that each of us, too, is a gift from God meant to be shared.