The Mitchell Family: Growing in Faith and Fellowship, Embracing Opportunities for Service

For Joe and Sandra Mitchell, keeping their faith as the center of their lives has helped them grow together as a family, in their relationship with God, and with the greater parish community.

“Our stewardship allows for our own development of a deeper relationship with Christ — a greater intimacy with Him,” Joe says. “I am drawn to stewardship for love of our Lord, and stewardship in return brings me greater love for our Lord. It is a very reciprocal relationship.

“Being more involved with the parish has helped us to cultivate friendships we may never have experienced had we remained ‘spectators,’” he adds. “Our lives are enriched by all the wonderful people we have met as we have become more involved with parish life. By participating in parish ministries, we are trying to live an active faith that will hopefully inspire our children and others to do the same.”

Joe was born and raised in Yuba City, and Sandra grew up in the Central Valley/Turlock area. Both grew up around agriculture — Joe, fruits and nuts; Sandra, cows and dairy — and met in college at Chico State in 2001. They were married in 2005, and afterward moved to the Bay Area for graduate school and work. The couple has four children —Henry, 9; Samuel, 7; Olivia, 5; Hannah, 1 — and a fifth baby due in August.

Sandra was raised Catholic — however, Joe is a convert, and entered the Church on Easter in 2018. While he didn’t attend church regularly growing up, he did believe in God and identified as a Christian.

“When I met and eventually married my wife, I would go to Mass with her at whichever Catholic church we were living nearest to,” Joe says. “She comes from a large Portuguese family who, for the most part, are very devout Catholics. I always thought of the Catholic faith as ‘her thing.’ For this reason, along with my own sense of pride, I never considered joining the faith. My pride stemmed mostly from my identity with my family — my parents are two of the most generous people I know. They are smart, successful and kind, and they never sought out or ‘needed’ religion. So, I was happy to just accompany my wife to church never giving much thought to joining.” Around the time that their oldest children were born, Sandra struggled with health issues.

The Mitchell family

“We began to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Rosary together as a way to help us through such a difficult time,” Joe says. “It was also during that time that a close friend of ours brought a traveling statue of Our Lady to our house, so we could pray a novena and ask for healing. Although throughout this period I still didn’t have the desire to join the Church, I know our Blessed Mother planted a seed in my heart when she came to our home.

“When the time came to return the traveling Our Lady, our house felt empty and I felt a longing for her,” he adds. “But it wasn’t until mid-2017 that I felt the calling to join the Church. At St. Isidore during that time, the congregation would pray a vocation prayer before every Mass. At one particular Mass, I said the prayer, and asked God to let it be me who would respond to His call. Not long after, I spoke to the RCIA coordinator and began learning more about the faith and the teachings of the Church. I had wonderful classmates who were engaged, curious and thoughtful — and I had a great support system with my in-laws, Catholic friends and especially my wife.”

After Joe entered the Church, something clicked, and the family became more involved at the parish. Among other ministries, they have helped out with the Music Ministry, RCIA, the Parish Council and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The stewardship way of life has truly helped them to grow in faith, together, as a family.

“Sandra has been able to help with the formation of all of our kids through CGS,” Joe says. “She has also become involved with the current Family Faith Formation program by checking in with families and providing formation help. We also pray as a family on a daily basis. I currently serve as a parish council member, help with RCIA, make rosaries, and am an active third order lay Dominican.”

Joe’s rosary-making ministry started in November 2017, while he was going through the RCIA process.

“I was looking for a rosary to buy, but could only find plastic ones, or very ornate ones,” he says. “I had begun to develop a devotion to Our Lady, and was praying a Rosary daily and wanted a more rugged and personal rosary. I looked up videos on how to tie knots and how to make rosaries and found supplies for making them online. I began making rosaries and then sharing them with people I encountered. Since then, I have made and given away over a thousand rosaries. I have also taught classes on how to make them at the parish, and have met other rosary makers spreading the devotion. It has been a wonderful journey!”

Joe also became interested in the Dominican Order while in RCIA, through one of his RCIA instructors.

“I began attending monthly meetings with him and learning more about the order by becoming an inquirer,” Joe says. “The meetings begin with morning prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, followed by Mass and a Rosary. Afterwards, we would discuss any assigned readings and cover any formation assignments. I was drawn to the order because I was seeking to learn more about the Catholic faith after completing RCIA. ‘Study’ is one of the four pillars of the Dominican charism, along with prayer, service and community. I find that the charism has immensely helped me in trying to live an authentically Catholic and Christ-centered life. I also feel a kinship to the many Dominicans who have promoted the Rosary and are devoted to our Blessed Mother.”

The Mitchell family’s parish involvement has truly brought them closer to the parish family as a whole, as well. For example, through Joe’s involvement in the Music Ministry, he was able to meet his music partner — who, along with his wife, became godparents to Joe and Sandra’s daughter — and provide music for his brother-in-law’s wedding. Joe reflects on how taking the leap to get involved has truly changed his life.

“Being involved in ministries is something I never thought I wanted or needed in my life, but it has fulfilled me in a profound way,” he says. “I would never have experienced any of this had I not said ‘yes.’”