Celebrating the Feast of St. Patrick and Sharing in the Evangelizing Mission of the Church

Few in our faith community would have thought that last year’s celebration of St. Patrick, on the evening of March 17, would mark the beginning of a pandemic that would drastically alter the life of our church and suspend the celebration of public Masses.

“Looking back, it was a sobering experience knowing things would be very different after that Mass,” says Michelle McDaniel. “I remember sitting in church and having a deeper sense of appreciation for the sacredness of the Mass and procession that followed.”

Now, 12 months later we prepare to celebrate the feast of our patron, as a faith community that, in Fr. Estrella’s words, “testifies to the spirit of St. Patrick.”

“People are excited for this celebration, and for that, I am encouraged and grateful,” Fr. Estrella says. “Beyond that, the desire to help testifies to the spirit of St. Patrick himself and how we embrace his missionary zeal.”

Much like St. Patrick evangelized Ireland, many Irish priests and nuns came to California to evangelize “the Wild West.” This spirit is part of the rich history of the relatively young Diocese of Sacramento.

“As you can see, many of the churches in this diocese were named after Irish saints like St. Mel, St. Canice, and St. Patrick, the principal patron of our diocese,” Fr. Estrella says.”

“It is inspiring that our patron is the saint who evangelized Ireland, the country that provided so many missionaries to the world and to this diocese, as we the Church in Grass Valley embrace the new evangelization,” Fr. Estrella adds.

St. Patrick’s Parish was established in 1855, prior to the establishment of the current Diocese of Sacramento in 1886. This year, the Feast of St. Patrick is the 166th anniversary of the parish and the 71st anniversary of the dedication of the present church building, which has been renovated a few times since the 1950s.

On March 17, Mass in honor of our parish patron St. Patrick will begin at 5 p.m. The Mass will be followed by an outdoor dinner and fellowship. Please visit the parish website or call the church office to register for Mass and RSVP for dinner.

We would like to thank parishioner Carrie Locks, owner of Marshall’s Pasties, for her generous donation of the Pastie Dinner for our celebration. We also express our gratitude to the many parishioners and ministries involved in making this celebration possible, including the Catholic Ladies Relief Society, the Knights of Columbus, and Mt. St. Mary’s Academy.

“It is refreshing to see people eager to help and want to participate,” Michelle says. “I’m grateful for our ministries.”

There are also ways to join in this celebration from our own homes, including live streaming the Mass, ordering pasties to enjoy at home and, above all, remembering the spiritual significance of this day.

“Spend some time in reflection on the life of St. Patrick, for the parish is placed under his patronage,” Fr. Estrella says. “How might we all live in a way that is worthy of such a patron? How might we live the call to share in the evangelizing mission of the Church?”

If you would like more information about celebrating the Feast of St. Patrick, please contact the parish office at 530-273-2347 and visit the parish website to RSVP at www.stpatrickgrassvalley.org.

Courtesy of the Diocesan Archives