AUGUST 2022
Blessed
CATHEDRAL OF THE
SACRAMENT A Letter From Our Pastor
Meeting Our Priests and Forming Our Youth Dear Parishioners,
P Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament 1017 11th Street Sacramento, CA 95814 MASS TIMES: Sunday: English - 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. (Livestream) & 4:00 p.m.; Spanish - 12:00 p.m. (Livestream) & 6:00 p.m.; Chinese - 2:00 p.m. (Livestream); Daily Mass: Monday-Friday: 12:10 p.m. RECONCILIATION: Monday-Friday: 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Saturday: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
VER AL DORSO PARA ESPANOL
(916) 444-3071 cathedralsacramento.org
lease join me in learning more about our priests in residence in this issue of our newsletter. Fr. Kiernan and Fr. Mémo are a tremendous help and blessing to me and I wanted everyone to learn a bit more about them. We are also incredibly blessed to have our Parent Leadership Ministry, which is open to all Spanish-speaking adults who want to be better equipped to form the youth of our community. You can learn more about this opportunity in this newsletter. I hope everyone enjoys these last weeks of summer. Sincerely yours in Christ, Fr. Michael O’Reilly Pastor
Blessed
CATHEDRAL OF THE
SACRAMENT Stewards of God’s Gifts
Fr. Michael Kiernan Returns to Our Cathedral Community Serving the Lord According to Our Talents
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r. Michael Kiernan is no stranger to the community of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Having previously served as Rector, it’s been a “coming home” of sorts to be in residence at the Cathedral and assist Fr. Michael O’Reilly as opportunity presents. “I know the Cathedral like the back of my hand,” Fr. Kiernan says. “As Fr. O’Reilly needs help, I assist with Confessions and Masses. I also have the honor to minister four days a week to those who serve our country at Beale Air Force Base and am involved in many Charities, Ecumenical/Interfaith and Service organizations. Returning to the Cathedral has been an immense blessing, and great joy, especially because of the welcoming, friendly people.” There are many more aspects Fr. Kiernan enjoys about being in residence at the Cathedral — the awesome beauty and reverence of the place, the practical charity he sees extended each day to those in need, celebrating English and Spanish Mass in such a beautiful church, working with the wonderful staff, and looking forward to the interactions he can have in the neighborhood on any given day. “I love to walk in our downtown area.” Fr. Kiernan says. “Through serving in this neighborhood, I might encounter wealthy and influential people one minute or the very ordinary like myself and those who are desperately in need of help. The variety of people I come in contact with helps me to see Christ in each one of them.” Born on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and raised in Ireland, Fr. Kiernan came to Sacramento 49 years ago after his priestly ordination. For him, the call to the priesthood was a slow, uneventful but constant call. “I first felt called to the priesthood while I was in high school,” he says. “Little by little, the Holy Spirit moved me, so I decided to give the Seminary a try. 2
I was ordained on June 3, 1973, and God-willing, I will celebrate my 50th anniversary in June 2023.” In his priestly life, Fr. Kiernan has ministered to so many joyful and generous people as pastor of five parishes. He has also served the Diocese on the Priest’s Personnel Board, as Director of Catholic Social Services and St. Patrick’s Home of Children, and as Officer for the Diocesan Ecumenical/Interfaith program for many years. Fr. Kiernan says that seeing the goodness of the Church in the people that step up to offer assistance any time there is a need is one of the enriching parts of being a priest. He has always found people to be enormously cooperative, putting their faith into action in generous giving, fundraising, or using their talents in Liturgy or Faith Formation and in all sorts of ways assisting the church. Father is very grateful for those he has worked with and all who have helped him so much along the journey. He is thankful to God that in spite of his shortcomings, loving people have made his priesthood joyful, easy, satisfying and of some benefit to the church and society. As he reflected on various aspects of priesthood, Fr. Kiernan shared interesting thoughts and encouragement to a stewardship way of life. “Bringing the message of Christ to people, especially now, in our fragmented society, is the hardest part of being a priest,” he says. “It is always one of the most challenging aspects of this vocation, regardless of the time period. You preach the best you can and pray that God does the rest to soften and form hearts. Although I know I am not the best preacher, I serve the community as best I can in response to God’s call. The Holy Spirit will do the rest! That’s part of what stewardship is — giving ourselves to the Lord and serving Him according to the talents we have been given.”
Fr. Guillermo Hernández Shares Faith and Vocation Journey “Only Jesus Knows What We Are Made For”
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r. Guillermo Hernández, known as Fr. Mémo, has been a priest in residence since 2020, but the path to our parish has been far from straightforward! Fr. Mémo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. His family would vacation in the United States, but he never planned on moving here. However, God had other plans. Fr. Mémo was a successful banker and was even discerning marriage to a wonderful young Catholic woman. Yet, he started listening to that small voice that was calling him to the priesthood. “I was afraid of leaving behind my security,” he says. “Everything was certain in my life. I had a good job, a car and a home. But out of love for the woman I was with, I had this fear of failing to love in the way I should. So it brought me to man up and ask our Lord what He wanted of me. It became very clear that He wanted me to leave all of this behind.” In 1999, Fr. Mémo entered a missionary religious community and was sent to the Philippines, where he studied theology, and then he moved to Italy to do missionary work. This work in Italy brought him the friendship of many different people, including several priests from the Diocese of Sacramento. They asked him to come here, but he felt comfortable where he was. After being in Italy for several years, he left the missionary religious order. Fr. Mémo’s mother became ill and as the eldest in his family, he returned to Mexico to care for her. “During this time in Mexico, I had the opportunity to pray about where God was calling me to go next,” he says. “Should I return to Italy where I feel very comfortable and happy? Or is He calling me somewhere else? I decided to apply to the Diocese of Sacramento and if the process went smoothly, I would take that as a sign that this was God’s will for me.” Fr. Mémo emailed the vocations director and received a response the very next morning. His priest friends advocated for him and in 2010, he came to the U.S. and entered St. Patrick’s Seminary. He was ordained a priest in 2013.
After a few parish placements, Fr. Mémo was placed in the role of Director of Priestly Vocations for the Diocese of Sacramento. This assignment made the residence at our Cathedral his home. “Living here, I serve the parish in different ways,” he says. “I work with the staff and the Knights of Columbus for different activities. I celebrate Sunday Mass at least once a month, as well as the daily Mass on Thursdays. I try to assist the priests where I can in this way along with hearing confessions.” Fr. Mémo’s position requires him to visit other parishes or parochial schools within the diocese. He looks after the formation of the seminarians for the diocese, and works with other departments and organizations to promote vocations. “I feel very blessed to be a part of the Cathedral family,” he says. “The community here is just so wonderful.” Fr. Mémo offers encouragement for those discerning a call to the religious life. “If you feel that God is calling you to live a life fully dedicated to the service of the church, go to the Blessed Sacrament and talk to Jesus — spend time with Him,” he says. “Only He knows what we are made for and the best place to learn about that is in His Presence. After that, talk to your priest and share these things with him. If you are really feeling the call to religious life, give me a call.”
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Blessed
CATHEDRAL OF THE
SACRAMENT Stewards of God’s Gifts
Parent Leadership Ministry
Offers Essential Faith Instruction to Parents and Other Adults
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ith a dedicated team of instructors, our Parent Leadership Ministry works to teach parents and other interested adults information about our Catholic faith to not only help them deepen their faith, but also to guide the children in their lives to a deeper understanding of their own faith. Leticia Hilbert coordinates the ministry that first began in 2005 as an in-person class for parents held at the same time their children were in Faith Formation class, under the leadership of Sr. Jenny Aldeghi, FDCC, Director of Faith Formation at that time. Currently, the sessions are held in Spanish at 10 a.m. each Sunday on Zoom. “We teach the parents the things that adults are interested in,” Leticia says. “There are many different topics, such as the meaning of Mass and its parts, news about Pope Francis, the lives of the saints, and how to guide children to keep them safe online.” The sessions talk about putting our faith in action in our daily lives, and what makes a good Catholic. “There are pretty wide topics, but they are all Christ-focused,” Leticia says. The ministry initially began
when it became apparent that parents were routinely dropping off and picking up their children from Faith Formation classes. Although the children were learning about their faith, their parents were not equipped with the knowledge to help reinforce what the children had learned. So, in-person classes were started, but COVID restrictions brought them to an end. Zoom classes were put in place just for parents and other adults from the Cathedral interested in building up their faith. The classes follow the liturgical calendar and help families live each liturgical season as the domestic church they are. “We are now an independent ministry in cooperation with Sr. Lisa Marie Doty, FDCC, Director of Faith Formation at the Cathedral and with the blessing and support of Fr. Michael O’Reilly, our pastor,” Leticia says. “We are reaching more parishioners and are planning on returning
to in-person classes.” The concept of parent leadership follows the philosophy that parents are leaders in their families and society. “If we engage the parent and facilitate a culture of the parents being well versed in the Bible and able to talk to their children about God and His works, the children will grow in a better atmosphere, even if things around them are negative about God,” Leticia says. “If God is the center at home, they will be good members of society.” The instruction team meets each week to choose the topics and learn more about them. The team includes Miguel Aguilar, Maria Serrano, Virginia Aguilar, Myriam Cruz, Ernesto De LaRosa, and Carmen Mora. “They are really dedicated,” Leticia says. “They love to serve.” Besides offering the sessions online, the ministry also offers extracurricular activities to build community. There are picnics twice a year and Las Posadas in Advent, as well as a Christmas pageant. “It’s wonderful to see people enjoying the activities, and children can see they are not an island, that there are people who share their faith and are joyful about it,” Leticia says.
The sessions are open to anyone who wants to learn more about our faith and to build community. To join, please email Leticia Hilbert at Leticia_hilbert@hotmail.com for the link. 4