St. Patrick Catholic Parish Newsletter — April 2021

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Patrick P A R I SH m o n t h ly n e w s l e t t e r

Meet Our Parish

Inside This Issue: 2 Time: The Foundation of Stewardship

3 ...Give Thanks to the Lord, Our God...It Is Right and Just

4 Mt. St. Mary Academy: A Catholic School Community Based in Faith and Gratitude

6 Parishioner Profile:

Tom and Joan Jacobs

APRIL 2021

Knights of Columbus Council Bringing the Faith Alive Through Service and Fraternity

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harity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism — these are the four guiding principles of the Knights of Columbus. Everything that our St. Patrick and St. Canice Knights of Columbus members do falls into one of these categories.

“I just really enjoy being involved in the Knights of Columbus and getting to know people through the group,” says Bill Mahar, who serves as Grand Knight and has been involved for the last four years.

Bill worked out of state for his career, so previously, joining the Knights had not been a possibility. He knew if he was going to get involved, he wanted to be all-in. Bill’s son, Fr. Ryan Mahar, was recently ordained to the priesthood and also joined the Knights at the same time as Bill.

A global, Catholic fraternal service organization, the Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney. Our chapter, 1875, is associated with our parish and St. Canice. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Knights' meetings have taken place via the Zoom videoconferencing platform. They also took on a new project for part of this past winter — outdoor Mass. Prior to indoor Mass being permitted, again, the Knights were setting everything up that was needed continued on back cover

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Patrick P A R I SH

Time: The Foundation of Stewardship

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he U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has told us that stewardship is part of discipleship and is a way of responding to God’s call in every aspect of our lives. We refer to the three facets of stewardship as “Time, Talent and Treasure,” and when we consider the importance of these three Ts of stewardship, the "time" component comes first by design.

When we talk about stewardship of time, we are referring to prayer time. Prayer is of the utmost importance in a disciple’s life, and it serves as the fertile ground from which the gifts of talent and treasure blossom. Only by spending time in prayer each day and receiving the sacraments are we able to consistently and generously donate our talent and treasure to the Church.

When looking for examples of how to live our lives as disciples of Christ and as stewards of God's gifts, we can always turn to the great saints of our Church to guide us. And when it comes to the Stewardship of Time, the life of St. Damien is just one example of how prayer, or “Time,” is the foundation for our lives of stewardship.

Shortly after being ordained a priest, St. Damien volunteered to serve a colony of lepers isolated on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. From May 1873 until his death in 1889 (at the age of 49) St. Damien worked to restore within the lepers a sense of personal worth and dignity.

Although for some time St. Damien took the necessary precautions to ensure that he did not contract leprosy, he knew that physical touch was necessary to communicate his love and concern to those afflicted with the disease. He embraced the lepers, dined with them, cared for them, and anointed them in the sacraments. With great

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humility and sacrifice, St. Damien offered his own life in order to save the lives of others.

From where did St. Damien draw his strength?

What was the source of his inspiration? "Were it not for the constant presence of our divine Master in our humble chapel, I would not have found it possible to persevere in sharing the lot of the lepers in Molokai,” St. Damien wrote. "The Eucharist is the bread that gives strength... It is at once the most eloquent proof of His love and the most powerful means of fostering His love in us. He gives Himself every day so that our hearts as burning coals may set afire the hearts of the faithful."

St. Damien found his strength in the Mass, the greatest prayer of the Church. Prayer was the impetus behind the generosity of this faithful servant of God, and is the fuel that ignites every heart to flame in love. Without prayer, without the grace that flows from the sacraments, we are incapable of leading lives of service and responding to God’s call!

How much time do you dedicate to prayer each day? One hour? Fifteen minutes? None at all?

Before you consider joining a parish ministry or volunteering your talents in service, and before you discern your gifts of treasure to the Church, be sure that prayer is your foundation. Identify a prayer schedule that is manageable. This may entail arising 20 minutes early each day to offer your work to the Lord, or attending daily Mass once a week. Every prayer commitment is unique and personal. Yet, no matter what, this time offering, this dedication to prayer, is the key to serving the Lord with faithfulness, generosity and joy.

A L e t t e r F ro m F at h e r

…Give Thanks to the Lord, our God… It Is Right and Just Dear Family,

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s I write my monthly letter to you in this newsletter, we find ourselves preparing to share in the celebration of the Sacred Triduum — it’s hard to believe that this is my fifth celebration of the Sacred Triduum as a priest. In the midst of this, I am reminded how blessed I am — being a priest is a true blessing. The demands and duties of being a pastor are many, sometimes overwhelming, but the rewards and consolations are equally amazing. One of the things that amazes me, and for which I am grateful, is how the holy things I do so often never grow stale.

By far the most striking is offering the Holy Mass; consecrating the bread and wine so it is transformed into the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ — His Real Presence among us. The very word “consecration” literally means “association with the sacred.” To have that duty is incredible.

Almost all of us are familiar with the Mass, and with what we do and say leading up to the high point — The Reception of Holy Communion.

As familiar and welcome the ritual of Holy Mass is, priest or parishioner, we should treasure each

gesture, posture, and word we say in Holy Mass. Each time we attend Mass, we enter into the great mystery of our salvation and participate in the greatest act of prayer and highest form of worship the world has.

I could write a whole series of letters or articles on the meaning of everything we say and do at Mass, but one exchange in particular comes to mind, the preface dialogue.

I say to you, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” and you respond, “It is right and just.” Think about what that means, because it is very much at the heart of stewardship. I am saying we need to thank God, show gratitude for everything we are and everything with which we are gifted — and you, at least in words, acknowledge that doing that is exactly what we need to do. The Mass is filled with statements and exchanges of that sort, and I would ask that we think about what they truly mean.

Even the simple exchange when you receive our Lord in Holy Communion, is heavy with meaning.

We say, “the Body of Christ,” and you reply “amen.”

In that instance, “amen” means “yes, I do believe this is Jesus.” Like myself, you are blessed. Sometimes we just need to realize it. Happy Easter!

Your Father in Christ,

Fr. Estrella Parochial Administrator

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Patrick P A R I SH

Mt. St. Mary Academy:A Catholic School

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rs. Dina Rubino remembers being at Mt. St. Mary Academy on March 13 last year and putting together packets with the other teachers as they prepared for distance learning. They didn’t know what the following week or weeks would look like.

“It has been my pleasure to be part of an institution that, when given the pressure to adapt, we were able to do that on a dime for our students,” Mrs. Rubino says. “I am so proud of what we have accomplished, and when I think of the sisters who started this school over 160 years ago, I know they went through so much more than we have.”

Mt. St. Mary Academy has provided our

community with Catholic education since the middle of the 19th century. This commitment to community and continuity testifies to the spirit of the school.

“Our commitment to the community was to be in school for five full days a week, and once we made that commitment, we made sure we did everything we could to keep it,” says Principal Edee Wood. “In our community, we have a lot of first responders, and it’s important that they know we’re supporting them as they support us.”

After finishing the 2019-20 academic year through distance learning, Mt. St. Mary Academy welcomed students back to in-person education in August 2020. Since then, they have pivoted frequently according to evolving mandates from the state of California and the Diocese of Sacramento.

“The biggest challenge has been keeping up with protocols and communicating those to families and children as we seek to keep everyone healthy,” Principal Wood says. “These are moving benchmarks from public health and the diocese. Though it has been a challenge, the teachers and students have been so adaptable and willing to do whatever is necessary to keep everyone in school.”

The greatest challenge for Mrs. Rubino during the pandemic was not being able to see her students through to the end of the year. When we returned to school in the fall, Mrs. Rubino found that half of her third-grade students were familiar with the school and half were new. They nearly all had large eyes filled with worry.

“They didn’t know me or what that school year would look like, but we began to inch forward together,” she says. “It became comfortable. It

“I am so grateful to have this opportunity to teach during this pandemic. We have embraced and welcomed students of every faith. Parents who have never thought about a Catholic school now see what we’re all about and wouldn’t think of leaving.”

— Mrs. Dina Rubino 4

Community Based in Faith and Gratitude became our school community, our third-grade family. We respect that we need masks and space between each other to be together.”

This year, the school community demonstrated their adaptability even while celebrating Catholic Schools Week, during which so many parents were incredibly generous in their support of the teachers and the staff.

“Everything looked a lot different for Catholic Schools Week, but the foundation was there,” Mrs. Rubino says. “We wrote 'thank you' notes to the police department. We wrote 'thank you' notes for Mr. and Mrs. Wengryn, who used to make lunches for the school. The basis of it was still gratitude for our community.”

During an uncertain time, Catholic education and the Catholic faith have provided so many of our families with a certain sense of stability. As with so many Catholic schools right now, Mt. St. Mary Academy has experienced a dramatic increase in enrollment.

“All children need routine and consistency, but definitely in a time like this,” Principal Wood says. “We are so community-minded and community-centered and have had a huge influx in enrollment this year because people recognize that we are committed. They can feel confident in the protocols we have in place.”

During this time, though faith community members aren’t able to support the school by volunteering in person, they can show their support through their prayers and through donating their treasure or simple offerings like school supplies.

“I am so grateful to have this opportunity to teach during this pandemic,” Mrs. Rubino says. “We have embraced and welcomed students of every faith. Parents who have never thought about a Catholic school now see what we’re all about and wouldn’t think of leaving.”

If you would like more information about Mt. St. Mary Academy, please reach out to the school office at 530-273-4694.

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Patrick P A R I SH Parishioner Profile

Tom and Joan Jacobs

Reflections on Stewardship

Tom and Joan Jacobs

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hen Tom and Joan Jacobs moved to Grass Valley in 2004, they could have never imagined how much the timing of their first visit to St. Patrick Parish would impact their life in our faith community! At their very first Mass here, it was announced that the parish was getting ready to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

Since Tom and Joan had helped with the 50th-anniversary

celebration at their previous parish, they both felt called to step up as volunteers.

After getting over some initial “newcomer nerves,” Tom and Joan offered their help.

“We probably walked in front of the rectory in little circles for 10 minutes before we rang the doorbell,” Tom says. “By helping with the anniversary, we met a lot of really nice and sharp people, so that was nice. Then, about 12 months later, Helen Shearer rang up and said Father wanted us to come to the next Stewardship Committee meeting.”

Tom and Joan are both lifelong Catholics — in fact, the couple first met on the bus to their Catholic high school! When their oldest child was 3 and started attending Catholic school herself, Tom and Joan began volunteering with the school and various parish ministries. Although a shared active faith had long been a central part of their married life, neither felt familiar with the concept of stewardship when they were first invited to the committee.

“We were brand new to stewardship then,” Joan says. “In

fact, Tom’s mother was called into a meeting with her Parish Council that was about stewardship, and she had come home saying it was all about money. So when we heard about the committee here, we thought it was a money thing.

With time, I think we grew into an understanding of stewardship, just by being there and learning what we were supposed to do.”

As Tom and Joan began to understand the stewardship way of life as discipleship and an answer to the Gospel call to serve, they realized that providing parishioners with a way to share their time, talent and treasure with God and His people was essential.

Through the Stewardship Committee, they began hosting ministry fairs and publishing a quarterly calendar of parish events and activities.

In addition, Tom began writing a stewardship column for the church bulletin that included information about various opportunities for parish involvement.

“Our focus has always been on trying to make people aware of the talents that they have and the

“Our focus has always been on trying to make people aware of the talents that they have and the things that are available for them at the parish, including all the ministries. The bulletin articles were a way to give people the opportunity to use their talents. We just kind of stumbled onto it — somehow, God put us there.” — Tom Jacobs 6

a Lifelong Stewardship Journey things that are available for them at the parish, including all the ministries,” Tom says. “The bulletin articles were a way to give people the opportunity to use their talents.

We just kind of stumbled onto it — somehow, God put us there.”

Another project close to the couple’s heart is the annual outdoor Mass and picnic that the Stewardship Committee initiated some years ago. With about 400 parishioners and visitors gathering on the county fairgrounds each year, this Mass has proven to be a wonderful way to bring the community together for an increased sense of connection and fellowship.

With the same spirit of “family” in mind, Tom began a new calling ministry. He was able

to find 40 parishioners willing to call 20 St. Patrick households each in order to check in, say "hello" and ask what the parish could do for them. Like the annual outdoor Mass, this ministry draws people closer to their faith community.

In all their years on our parish Stewardship Committee, Tom and Joan have certainly picked up a lot of experience and knowledge along the way. Tom has even written a book, Starting a New Stewardship Committee, that covers many of the basics involved in getting a Stewardship Committee up and running for its first year.

Even with their extensive experience, however, Tom and Joan still feel they are continuing to learn more about what it means

Having witnessed the deep devotion of their fellow St. Patrick parishioners, the Jacobses have no doubt that wonderful things will continue to happen in our faith community!

Even with their extensive involvement and experience, Tom and Joan Jacobs still feel they are continuing to learn more about what it means to live the stewardship way of life as a parish. to live the stewardship way of life as a parish.

“Somewhere in the last couple of years, I just started to get a glimmer of what this stewardship is really all about,” Tom says.

“What has happened is Fr. Estrella has shown up, the parish secretary Michelle McDaniel has shown up, and our son, Tom, who spent years in a stewardship parish in Georgia, has shown up. So these three people have come together and Father is encouraging us on stewardship, so it’s like the stars have all aligned.”

Having witnessed the deep devotion of their fellow St. Patrick parishioners — “saintly people,” Tom calls them — the Jacobses have no doubt that wonderful things will continue to happen right here in our faith community!

“With God and Fr. Estrella, everything is possible,” Joan says.

“We want to see stewardship grow here the way it has in places like Wichita,” Tom says. “We’re just excited to see what happens.”

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St.

Patrick P A R I SH 235 Chapel Street Grass Valley, CA 95945 (530) 273-2347 stpatrickgrassvalley.org

Knights of Columbus for the outdoor Mass. They also helped with teardown, ushering, parking, and anything else that was needed.

“As Knights, we are called to step in where we are needed,” Bill says.

The organization members support one another in strengthening their faith and are dedicated to the Rosary and pro-life efforts. Prior to the pandemic, our Knights performed a lot of service projects in order to benefit our community and the pro-life movement.

They have held pro-life signs along the road in support of the movement and Knights have gone to San Francisco for the Walk for Life. The Knights of Columbus are known for hosting delicious breakfasts and our chapter also participated in this tradition, once a month after Mass. They have also collected coats for children at Christmastime. Another important project for the Knights is Bill’s Wheels, through which the chapter collects wheelchairs in any condition and refurbishes them to donate to those in need.

In March, the Knights were able to hold one of

continued from front cover their famous fundraisers, the Crab Feed, in a drivethru fashion. They also participated and assisted in the St. Patrick Day Dinner to celebrate the Patron saint of the parish and the Anniversary of the Dedication of the church building. Both events were a big hit. The Knights also raffled off three-$250 grocery certificates.

The Grocery Raffle, as they called it, made $4,500 for area charities. Each year in June, the Knights’ donation money is divided among area nonprofits.

“Being a part of the Knights has just really strengthened my faith life,” Bill says. “I really enjoy everything we do and all that we are able to do for the community.”

If you would like more information on the Knights of Columbus or to get involved, please contact Bill Mahar at 530-274-9990 or wsmahar@comcast.net.

MASS SCHEDULE Monday-Saturday: Daily Mass at 8:30 a.m. | Saturday Vigil Mass: 5 p.m. | Sunday Mass: 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. (Spanish)