may 2022
Our Lady of the
Assumption Pa r i sh
The Altar Guild:
Inside 2
The Bible The Textbook of Stewardship
3 The Month of Mary:
A Time for Celebration and Joy
4 Save the Date for Our
70th Annual Country Fair A Favorite Community Event Is Back and Better than Ever
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The May Crowning Celebrating the Coronation of Mary
7 Meet Parishioner Maggie
Mongeau: Carrying on the Blazing Torch of Faith
5057 Cottage Way Carmichael, CA 95608 (916) 481-5115 | olaparish.net
A Special Way of Serving the Parish and Growing Closer to God
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rom the more visible, wellknown ministries to the smaller, behind-the-scenes groups, everyone here at Our Lady of the Assumption plays a part. The Altar Guild is one important piece of the puzzle and a wonderful example of stewardship in simple and unseen things. For Marylee Johnson, this is a special way to serve the parish while growing closer to God. “It is one of those things that people don’t always notice — a lot of people want to do something, but they don’t necessarily want to be out in the limelight,” Marylee says. “We all just feel like it’s something we can do to contribute. A lot of the ladies The Altar Guild is a wonderful example of stewardship in are retired, and they can’t get the simple and unseen things. involved in some of the other ministries at the parish because they might not be physically able. This is something they are able to do.” Marylee has been involved with the Altar Guild for about five years and organizes the schedule of who will launder and iron the altar linens each week. Each member of the ministry cares for the linens on a different week, going on a rotation. continued on page 5
THE BIBLE
The Textbook of Stewardship
H
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ave you ever wished that life came with an instruction manual? What a valuable resource that would be! Whenever you find yourself running in circles, this instruction manual would give you step-by-step instructions on how to fix the problem and reroute your course. Well, here’s some good news. For those living a Christian life, there is such a manual — the Bible. Sometimes referred to as the “textbook of stewardship,” the Bible is a bountiful resource for the present-day Christian. Written by anointed prophets and sages, this collection of divinely inspired parables, poems and letters is full of testimonials that express the blessings that come from true discipleship, conveyed through lives of stewardship. Stewardship is not a new concept. The Bible gives proof to this claim through passages such as the 26th chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy. We read Moses’ words, as he tells the Israelites to offer the choicest portions of their harvest to God: “When you have come into the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you as a heritage, and have taken possession and settled in it, you shall take some first fruits of the various products of the soil which you harvest from the land the LORD, your God, is giving you; put them in a basket and go to the place which the LORD, your God, will choose as the dwelling place for his name… ‘Now, therefore, I have brought the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, LORD, have given me.’ You shall set them before the LORD, your God, and you shall bow down before the LORD, your God” (Dt 26:1-2, 10). St. Paul briefly touches on the essence of stewardship when he said, “In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind
the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). Again, in St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we read about living a life of Christian stewardship: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:6-7). While this is well and good, what does it mean for the present-day Christian? Why should it matter that the Bible alludes to stewardship in various passages? It shows us that Christians and Jews have struggled with and benefited from the concept of stewardship for thousands of years. It ties the message of stewardship to the role of a Christian disciple. It gives proof that stewardship and discipleship go hand-in-hand. It offers encouragement to us, that stewardship is in fact a foundational component of the Christian life, a way of life that one of the founding fathers of the Church — St. Paul — preached about and advocated. The Bible is indeed the textbook of stewardship. It lays out the steps we must take to become true disciples of Christ. Reading and meditating upon God’s Word is always a fruitful exercise. Those who regularly delve into Scripture often develop a deeper understanding of Who God is, how and why He loves us, and how we can show Him our love in return. As you strive to become a grateful steward and live the life of Christian discipleship, develop a love for Sacred Scripture. Allow God’s Word to nourish your soul regularly, and watch as stewardship changes from a foreign concept to an integral component of your daily life.
A Letter from Our Pastor
The Month of Mary:
Dear Parishioners,
I
A Time for Celebration and Joy
n the Catholic Church, we designate a particular devotion for each month — and May is when we honor our Blessed Mother Mary. Thus, this is a good time for us to think about and concentrate on our devotion to the Mother of God. Perhaps we can add a few more Marian prayers to our daily routine. Praying the Rosary might be even more important. Of course, that assumes that daily prayer is part of our daily routine — which it should be. Our Blessed Mother is important to our faith and our Church. Her willingness to serve in a way that allowed the Lord to take human form made our salvation a
possibility. Because of her complete trust in God, she lived her life free from sin, and after her life, she was assumed into heaven by the power of God and crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. She is, of course, not divine. We worship only our Lord Jesus Christ, but we honor Mary as a saint, and also in many other ways. We honor God when we remember the role of Mary in our salvation. Devotion to Mary always leads to Jesus Christ Himself. Mary was joyous when she said “yes” to God. That is the kind of joy we need to seek — and we, too, must say “yes” to the Lord. Let us be grateful to Mary for bringing us her Son. This is why we crown her on our Catholic version of Mother’s Day. Through Mary, we are given an invitation into the Catholic fold. Her feminine presence and the safety of her motherhood may help us grow. For most of us, this time of year is a month of growth in relation to nature. It is difficult not to have May as one of our favorite months for so many reasons. May is a beautiful time. We are called to make it even more beautiful, and we can do that as we serve and love one another. I am deeply blessed to be your pastor. I may say that often, but it is true. My priesthood has been a blessing and serving you all has made that blessing even more significant. I pray for you daily. Please pray for me. God bless you and keep you always. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Eduino Silveira Pastor
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SAVE THE DATE for O
A Favorite Community Even
and Saturday, May 14. This theme of celebrating our 70th year doing this event is a reminder that while many things change over time, many things stay the same. Due to the pandemic, this event did not take place the last two years, but this year, it is back and better than ever. “This event is really a time to come together as a parish and a school,” says Gail Lomba, one of the co-chairs for this event. “We are celcountry fair brings to the ebrating that the children have sucimagination an old-fashioned gathering of a community. It is an ceeded through another school year, event that brings together all ages our eighth-graders are moving on to and walks of life into a celebration their next big stage and just really of community and fun. As news sto- finding time to enjoy life with one ries and headlines read constantly another. This event is going on 70 of pandemic updates, global disrup- years strong and that is a wonderful tions, and economic concerns, this thing to celebrate!” “Someone once explained to me parish celebration invites us all to push these anxieties from our minds that this isn’t so much a ‘FUNDto take part in a couple days of fun raiser’ as it is a ‘FUNraiser,’” Gail says. “We aren’t just a church and and joy. The 70th Annual Country Fair we aren’t just a school. It is one big will take place on Friday, May 13, family making the school and parish
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work. We have to have one to have the other.” This year, each classroom at the school is undertaking a booth as a special project. The booths will have a unique theme and be decorated with hand-made art by the students of that class. The class with the best-decorated booth will be awarded an ice cream party. Principal Robert Love, extension director Mrs. Lynn Sweeney, and art teacher Ms. Margaret Blanchfield will be judging the booths. Games and events will have an old-fashioned feel to them. Kids’ games and activities will include the cake walk, three-legged race, talent show, etc. Adult games and activities include the wine wheel, roulette table, and bingo. “We really focus on having something for everyone at this event,” says Fred Messerer, co-chair for this event. “There are games for the kids and games for the adults, plus a lot of food and activities. “The first time my family participated in this event, it was such a great celebration of starting summer,” he adds. “We love the community of the parish and the school, and this
“An old-fashioned country fair was about the community coming together and having fun by putting together activities with what they had. Nothing over the top — just good fun and community.” — Gail Lomba
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Our 70th Annual Country Fair
nt Is Back and Better than Ever event just has this hometown feel of an old-fashioned summer picnic.” The fair will be taking place on Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be food trucks and games, and the DJ is Disc Jockey Rob. Saturday’s hours will be 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the activities will additionally include a chili cook-off, talent show, a pie-eating contest, as well as an opportunity to throw a pie at Principal Love. There will also be a dinner in the evening. “We are really just trying to focus on the old-fashioned side of things,” Gail says. “An old-fashioned country fair was about the community
coming together and having fun by putting together activities with what they had. Nothing over the top — just good fun and fellowship.” Saturday’s festivities will also include a live band. Parishioner Nick Witry will be performing with his band LVVS as a special send-off for his last son finishing eighth grade. Mr. Witry and his various bands have been performing at the fair for years. “With the times we have been going through, we just can’t take life for granted,” Gail says. “Family is so important, and we need to get together and celebrate. Every moment is precious, and this is an
The 70th Annual Country Fair will take place on May 13 and 14. All are welcome to join the church and school family at this event!
opportunity to get together, enjoy life, and relax. We cherish watching the kids have so much fun because they are our future.”
The Altar Guild: A Special Way of Serving the Parish and Growing Closer to God continued from front cover “We usually pick up the linens on Sunday after the Masses — the linens, purificators, towels, altar cloths, and anything else the priest uses to celebrate Mass,” Marylee says. “We keep an eye on the vestments — we don’t launder them, but we do send them out to be cleaned and we let Father know when it needs to be done. “All of the ladies each have their own way of doing it, but with our training, we just make sure that if the Body or Blood of Christ is on any of the linens, that we rinse it out in a bowl and then put that water into the ground,” she adds. “Some do this in the sacristy, and others take them home and use a special bowl they have at home. I say the Rosary when I’m doing mine, and others say different prayers, such as the prayers said at Adoration. Each one of us has something different that we do.”
Over the years, Marylee has been involved in a variety of ministries and has enjoyed the way each one has brought her closer to God. The Altar Guild is a wonderful way to serve on a quieter, lower-profile level. “I also help with RCIA, facilitate Baptisms, and I worked at the school for 20 years,” she says. “I think that everything you do for any of the ministries will focus you a little bit more on what you believe in, and what’s your reason for being Catholic. It brings you a little closer to the community and a little closer to God.”
If you would like more information about the Altar Guild, please contact Marylee Johnson at jmjohn@surewest.net or 916-359-1225. 5
Bring Flowers of the Rarest Bring flow’rs of the fairest, Bring flow’rs of the rarest, From garden and wood land And hillside and vale; Our full hearts are swelling, Our glad voices telling The praise of the loveliest Rose of the vale. O Mary! we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May, O Mary! we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.
The May Crowning Celebrating the Coronation of Mary
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or many Catholics, May Crownings of statues or icons of the Blessed Mother have become rites of spring. Like flowers blooming or Mother’s Day, this annual Marian devotion reminds us that the cold of winter is behind us, and it ushers in a month during which the Catholic Church pays special homage to Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. Generally taking place during the first weekend of the month, May Crownings bring children — often, recent First Communicants — out in their Sunday best to participate in processions and adorn statues of the Blessed Mother with crowns of flowers or actual gold crowns. Additionally, the children often place roses at her feet, and Catholics carry out similar practices in their homes by placing roses around statues of the Blessed Virgin, or even adding ornamentation to images of Mary. But where did this practice come from, and how did it develop into the tradition that we currently know and love? The Coronation of Mary had been a popular subject in European art and literature for centuries, but the tradition of the May Crowning can be most accurately traced back to the late 16th century. Perhaps inspired by the practice of adding
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ornamentation to Marian icons that had been carried out by some Eastern churches, Pope Clement VIII added two crowns to the icon of Mary with the Infant Jesus in the St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome. The crowns were eventually lost, but were replaced by Gregory XVI in 1837 in a rite that was to become the standard practice for crowning. While the May Crowning is not an official liturgical celebration on the Church calendar, it is an important practice in honoring Mary as the Queen of the Universe, and its imagery is especially influential in the faith formation of children. As Liz Kelly writes in May Crowning, Mass, and Merton and Other Reasons I Love Being Catholic, “One of the defining aspects of being Catholic is devotion to Mary. I favor no Marian celebration more highly than May Crowning, the feast that recognizes Mary as queen of heaven and earth. To a person of any age, this is a mighty big title, but to a child of five or six or seven, it expands to enchanting, magical proportions. How many queens does one get a chance to meet in a lifetime, much less crown?” This year, make a special effort to honor the coronation of Mary through participation in a personal or public May Crowning devotion.
MEET PARISHIONER
Maggie Mongeau
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Carrying on the Blazing Torch of Faith
hen Maggie Mongeau was young, she received the “torch of faith” from her beautiful, devout Catholic family. Now, many years later, she enjoys passing on this light of Christ to all of those around her. “I do things for my parish today because I received a lot of help from my parish when I was growing up, as well as plenty of kindness from my mother and father, and I would like to pass it on,” Maggie says. “I am following in the footsteps of my mother, Anne Kilkenny. She was very involved in our church and Maggie Mongeau representing Maggie with her husband, Don helped with many projects there. It was a the Legion of Mary small-town parish and they needed our help.” Furthermore, Maggie contributes to Martha and Mary, a As the oldest of six children (one of charitable women’s group that helps with our parish social dinwhom is now deceased) and a member of the Kilkenny family, Maggie has learned what it means to put God and ners and funeral receptions, as well as other parish ministries. “We like to pitch in at the church however we can,” she others first in life. “The whole Kilkenny family was very helpful in our com- says. “We assist Father as well because he has so much munity and our parish,” she says. “They showed me the way work to do, and he needs us. It is such a blessing to be able to thank God through my faith by being active at church, to help our parish priest.” Maggie is also an enthusiastic member of People Enjoyand I am glad to carry on this family tradition.” For example, over the years, Maggie has been highly ing Retirement Together (PERT), a ministry that reaches out to our retired parishioners by providing them with active in the Legion of Mary. “As part of the Legion of Mary, I really enjoyed praying social events such as lunches and field trips. “It is an organization that enables the retirees to meet the Rosary at church and bringing Communion to those in care homes,” she says. “However, when the pandemic hit, one another and visit with each other,” Maggie says. “It is the care homes closed to visitors, so the Legion’s work there important that Catholics spend time with one another, and ended. Our group has also disbanded for now, but I would that parishioners get to meet the other wonderful people really like to get it started again after the pandemic ends. of our parish. It makes it more of a faith community, and makes our lives better and richer.” The Legion of Mary is such a special ministry.” continued on back cover
“There are a lot of nice, good people in our parish, and by being active in stewardship ministries, I am able to meet them and get to know them. It is such a blessing. Volunteering is also my way of thanking God for the good life I have.” — Maggie Mongeau
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5057 Cottage Way Carmichael, CA 95608 (916) 481-5115 | olaparish.net MASS TIMES: 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass Monday-Friday and first Saturday Saturday 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass Sunday Mass 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. *See website for diocesan and county guidelines.
MEET PARISHIONER
continued from page 7
Over the years, Maggie has found that by being an integral part of our parish family, she makes the stewardship vision come alive and is able to savor the beauty of fellowship in Christ. “There are a lot of nice, good people in our parish, and by being active in ministries, I am able to meet them and get to know them,” she says. “It is such a blessing. Volunteering is also my way of thanking God for the good life I have.” Maggie and her husband, Don, have three grown children, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. When they were raising their children, they made sure to bring them to Holy Mass. Two of their children attended our parish school as well. Today, as both a mother and a grandmother, Maggie enjoys the opportunity to bring them the love of Christ by attending family events and family funerals together. “We show our Catholic faith and model it by attending these things together,” she says.
Maggie Mongeau
As she shares her stewardship gifts, Maggie enjoys bringing the love of Christ to her family and the members of our faith community.
If you would like more information about the Legion of Mary, please contact Maggie Mongeau at 916-483-5807.
