St. Patrick Mass Registration
Nevada County has entered into the Orange Tier.  It will no longer be necessary to register for Mass as our allowed capacity has increased and all the pews have opened up.  Thank you for your patience and cooperation with all the restrictions and procedures over the last year!
 

Dear Family,
Probably the best view in the whole rectory is out of my office, from the corner where my desk is I can easily look outside into the rose garden where the statue of St. Francis is. I love roses for a variety of reasons. As lovely as this view is, it is also equally distracting. I am grateful to those who take the time to care for the parish grounds so diligently. As I look out, it also reminds me of the work I need to do in my own garden; a little more prep and then the planting, but if only that were the end.
Whether it’s vegetable gardens or flower beds or even farm crops, we have to the cultivate the things that grow out of the earth. And so it is with our souls. April 16^th we had Confirmation, on the 8^th of May we had First Holy Communion and in between first Confessions for the First Communicants. Such special days that we all remember with fondness, perhaps special traditions that went along or special people who took part in that special day. These moments are more than milestones along with sweet sixteen celebrations and graduations. First Communion and Confirmation are “Sacraments of Initiation” they bring us into deeper life with Christ and fortify us for our unique roles within the Church, roles given to us at Baptism.
A solid spiritual life will have the same elements but in different degrees and so there will be variety from person to person. First are the Sacraments, when we speak of the Sacraments, it always includes regular Confession (at least once a month) and the frequent and worthy reception of Holy Communion, at least once a week and more often as possible. The worthy reception of Holy Communion means that a person is not conscious of having committed a mortal sin, has fasted from all food and drink (save plain water and medicine) for one hour, and is properly disposed, focused and recollected. Beyond the Sacraments we must do more to care for our souls, to cultivate the grace of God given to us by these sacramental encounters with the Lord. We must have our own spiritual life, our own pattern of prayer.
In second place, is some sort of meditative or contemplative prayer; Sacred Scripture, a book of meditation but something that helps one have “holy thoughts” that lead to a conversation with God and then to silence so we can listen for His answer. Following this is devotion to the saints, especially the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and our own patrons. Third is spiritual reading, this can be broad as long as it is related to the faith and raises our mind to the Lord. Lastly, is faith formation, the active learning about the truths of our faith of the teachings of the Church. This can be done in the context of formal classes e.g., bible study and apologetics, small groups, podcasts or even something as conventional as reading the catechism.
If we practice these as individuals and a community then we will see fruit start bearing. A sense of hope and joy, kindness and charity. The desire to serve and to enter into deeper relationship, deeper communion with our fellow parishioners. My hope is that our parish survey will help us discern how to grow in these and bear their fruit as a community born out of the Sacred Eucharist.

Your Father in Christ,
Father Estrella
 

We, the parish of St. Patrick Church, being one community growing in faith and proclaiming our belief in the message and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ, invite all to open their hearts, hear His call, and become one with the Body of Christ.

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