Pastor’s Desk – October 11, 2026

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

The question I’ve gotten most often over these past two-and-a-half months has been, “When will you be back offering Masses?” For a long time, I didn’t know. Once the reality of a serious injury sets in, it seems at first that one will never recover. Slowly, little by little, I have improved enough to begin offering Masses. The main questions remaining in my recovery were balance and how long I could stand without sitting down. I’m ready to give it a try. At first, I will have the help of a trained and instituted acolyte, if necessary, to go to the tabernacle and be on stand-by to help with other tasks.

In the beginning, lest anyone think I have become antisocial, I may not be quite ready to walk down the aisle after the final blessing to greet you after Masses. I’ll take it one step at a time.

In the meantime, I want to thank the many of you who offered prayers and expressed your best wishes in cards and offerings of food. It was all very much appreciated. (If I haven’t returned your container, please let me know.) I also want to thank Fr. Rodriguez, Msgr. Whelton, Fr. Lombardi, Fr. Culligan and Fr. Canny, the last three of whom generously came out of retirement to help in this time of need. I would also like to thank our wonderful parish staff who made this time minimally disruptive to the parish. Once I got home from the hospital and rehab, I was able to keep in regular contact by phone and text. Finally, I would like to thank you, the people of St. Vincent Parish, for your continued understanding, generosity and support of our parish. About one-third of my time of recovery had already been set aside for my planned vacation, so that helped a bit as well.

I’ve often thought of time as God’s way of keeping everything from happening all at once. The seasons also play a role in this, and fall is my favorite of them all. In Petaluma, fall often begins with a wicked heat wave, and this year is no different. Another sign of fall is the increasing nearness of Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are mere weeks away. At our parish staff meeting this week, we laid plans for those two holy days and through the beginning of 2027. Recently I opened my new 2027 desk calendar to a page that read, “Order Your 2028 Calendar Now.” That calendar will include the dates of feast days through 2029. Good grief!

In the passing beauty of the seasons, God speaks to us in the language that He and we perhaps know best.

Blessings, Fr. Bill Donahue