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 […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, Every place has its own markers of times and seasons. Here, the first signs of fall can begin in late September or early October, but really take hold in November. The pumpkin patches and corn mazes of October become the Christmas tree lots of late November and beyond. At local farmersâ markets, […]
Dear Fellow Parishioners, This Pastorâs Desk will be a collection of smaller items I hope you will find of interest. The October Mass Count has been tabulated, and Iâm happy to tell you that for several years in a row, our Mass attendance has continued to grow, both at the English and Spanish Masses. It […]
Our parish mission statement identifies St. Vincentâs 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 whatâs happening and whatâs 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. Vincentâs 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.