St.
Patrick P A R I SH m o n t h ly n e w s l e t t e r
P arishioner P rofile
Inside This Issue: 3
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“Hearts Singing in the Ears of God”
Fr. German Ramos Reflects on His Path to the Priesthood Listening Carefully to the Voice of God
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Prayer: Becoming More Generous with Our Stewardship of Time Experience His Peace and Love During 40 Hours of Adoration: “Go to the Heart of Jesus”
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TRACI JAGGER: Testifying to the Grace of God atWork E
ven though Traci Jagger didn’t really grow up in a Christian family, Christ was still alive in her young heart in a beautiful way, inspiring her to pray and seek Him despite the obstacles in her life. “My parents were both raised as Methodists but they didn’t take our family to church,” she says. “However, my older sister, Kim, would somehow find her way to various churches. Finally, she discovered a Full Gospel Pentecostal church that provided buses to take children to their Tuesday night Youth Group meetings and Sunday School. My mom allowed us to go, so we did, and the experiences I had at that church planted little As a new Catholic, Traci seeds of faith in my heart.” Jagger finds our parish to be Over time, Traci watered these little a beautiful source of strength, seeds by praying and keeping a friendship peace, and grace. with Christ. “I have always felt God’s presence in my life, and have made an effort to pray and keep a relationship with Him,” she says. “I had actually been praying part of the Rosary for many years. I was in the continued on page 2
St.
Patrick P A R I SH TRACI JAGGER
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Navy for four years, and I had a friend who was a marine who had been raised in a Catholic family, and he and his mom taught me the Hail Mary and the Glory Be.” A few years ago, these seeds of faith began to take root even further and brought forth the beautiful fruit in Traci’s heart as well as the heart of her son, Daniel. “My husband, Dan, and I enrolled our son, Daniel, in first grade at Mt. St. Mary’s Academy, and after going there for a couple of months, he came home and told me he wanted to talk about religion with me,” Traci says. “So we sat down and had a big conversation about the various religions of the world. Even though he was only 6 years old, he seemed to understand it all. He looked at me and said, ‘Mom, in my heart I am Catholic,’ and I said to him, ‘You know, I think I am too.’ This was a very important moment along my faith journey.” Soon after, Traci began the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults process, or RCIA, which she found to be inspiring and enlightening. “I really enjoyed the RCIA process, so much that I am a member of the RCIA Team now!” Traci says. “I appreciated going through the Scrutinies, as well as studying about Catholic morality with the other RCIA members and discussing it with them. We were all so comfortable with each other that we could be
really open with one another. It was so nice to be able to talk about things like morality and religion without people arguing with you!” In April of 2019, Traci came into full communion with the Catholic Church, her true spiritual mother on earth. “I had tried going to different churches over the years, but nothing really felt like home until I came to the Catholic Church,” Traci says. “Daniel was baptized in first grade and he and I received our First Holy Communion within a month of each other. As he was receiving his first sacraments, I was receiving my first sacraments though RCIA. Now we can share the Catholic faith together. Even though Dan is not Catholic, he has been incredibly supportive of us both as well.” As a new Catholic, Traci finds our parish to be a beautiful source of strength, peace, and grace for her and Daniel. She recently joined a small faith-sharing group, which she truly enjoys. “I love being Catholic!” she says. “St. Patrick’s is definitely a parish community, and it has been so good for me and my son. The parish and the school are our second homes. Through them, we have come to know a lot of people who have the same belief system and values that we do. It is such a supportive environment, and it has given me many opportunities to meet others and help them.”
“I love being Catholic! St. Patrick’s is definitely a parish community, and it has been so good for me and my son. The parish and the school are our second homes. Through them, we have come to know a lot of people who have the same belief system and values that we do. It is such a supportive environment, and it has given me many opportunities to meet others and help them.” — TRACI JAGGER If you would like more information about becoming Catholic or joining RCIA, please contact the parish office at 530-273-2347.
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Hearts Singing
A L e t t e r F ro m F at h e r
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IN THE EARS OF GOD”
Dear Family,
“N
ot a voice, but a desire — not a clamor, but love — not instruments, but hearts singing in the ears of God.” This inscription is carved into a wooden chair, dating from 1504, recalling the “essence of prayer.” The chair is in the Church of San Damiano in Assisi, Italy. San Damiano is the little church where St. Francis of Assisi prayed often to know the will of God for his life. With a sincere desire and filled with the love of God, he often prayed, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” In answer to his prayers, he distinctly heard the voice of the Lord command him, “Francis, go and repair my house, which, as you can see, is falling into ruin.” Francis found his mission and an answer to his prayer. That was in the year 1206. The rest of the story is an amazing response on the part of Francis to the Lord’s answer to his prayer. There are many ways to describe prayer, while a favorite of mine has been the quote from St. John Henry Newman: prayer is heart speaking to heart. I deeply treasure the opening quote from St. Francis, I have been graced to visit Assisi twice and even celebrated Mass in the Basilica of St. Francis and that of St. Clare. This sense of prayer from that beautiful quote is palpable; the quiet hidden prayer of religious and the silent and fervent prayer of the countless pilgrims rise up, and one’s soul can feel, more than hear, the song being sung to God. Prayer is one of the essential pillars of living stewardship as faithful disciples, and one that Francis practiced following the conversion he experienced in San Damiano. He desired to love and sing the praises of God. It was in this small chapel where he composed the “Canticle of the Creatures,”
a hymn of gratitude, fraternity and peace — none of which could have happened unless prayer had preceded it. To pray with “not a voice, but a desire — not a clamor, but love — not instruments, but hearts singing in the ears of God” gave Francis the direction to live a life faithful to the Gospel. Could it not do as much for us? The “essence of prayer,” distilled from this beautiful quote, drives our efforts at evangelizing the stewardship way of life: which uses prayer as communication, action born of our desire to love with a love that comes straight from the heart. What better way to describe our conversion in choosing to live as Christian stewards? There is something very appealing about how the prayer of the heart is a song, singing to the “ears of God.” Could or should anyone ask for more in their prayer? St. Francis got it right, and it inspired St. Clare and countless others to get it right; for centuries, their prayer and spirituality have inspired others to live life the same way. Many have, and hopefully, many more will continue to do so. My prayer is that, in choosing to live as a Christian steward, we will all pray in a way that is “not a voice, but a desire — not a clamor, but love — not instruments, but hearts singing in the ears of God.” With all my love, Your Father in Christ,
Fr. Estrella Parochial Administrator
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St.
Patrick P A R I SH
FR. GERMAN RAMOS Reflects on
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s Fr. German Ramos reflects on his path to the priesthood, he can see the hand of God in everything. Though his early faith journey followed a somewhat long and winding road with its fair share of obstacles, Fr. Ramos has no doubt that he is now right where the Lord intends him to be, serving the Church as a priest for the Diocese of Sacramento. Fr. Ramos grew up in a small village in Mexico. While his parents were nominally Catholic, the faith was not a big part of their life. However, the family did attend Mass once a week when a priest came to their village, and Fr. Ramos received all of his Sacraments of Initiation. With no access to an education beyond grade school available near his family home, Fr. Ramos went to live with his grandmother in a bigger town to attend high school. She asked that he go to Mass with her and join her for a daily Rosary. Soon, Fr. Ramos began to connect with his Catholic faith in a new way. “Little by little, my grandmother was instilling in me that love for the Church and for my Catholic heritage,” he says. “The priest was offering Catholic formation, so I began to learn about the core tenets of Catholicism, the history of the Church and the sacraments. I realized I had been missing so much — the Church gives us so much!” As Fr. Ramos was growing in faith, he was distressed by the young people in his school who seemed to turn their backs on this great gift. “I was going through high school and I began to see a lot of bad things,” he says. “My classmates were having premarital sex and they were doing drugs. They weren’t determined to focus on their studies and to eventually become something in life. I knew that wasn’t what I wanted for myself — I wanted a mission and a purpose in life. I began to cherish and appreciate my faith and the Catholic Church.” As his involvement in the Church increased, Fr. Ramos found more and more people were encouraging him to consider a vocation to the priesthood. Thanks to a weeklong seminary retreat, he realized that priesthood was the vocation that
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Fr. German Ramos was happy to be assigned to St. Patrick last September. He knew Fr. Estrella from seminary and has enjoyed working with him. He has also loved getting to know the faith community here. would make him fulfilled and happy. Having witnessed so many of his peers going astray during their high school years, Fr. Ramos had a great desire to facilitate the spiritual help and support they needed for a conversion of heart. As high school graduation neared, Fr. Ramos had discerned a strong vocation to the priesthood. However, that didn’t mean that his path there was getting any easier. “My father disliked the idea that I wanted to become a Catholic priest and said if I went to seminary, he would disown me,” he says. “On the one hand, I was so overjoyed and happy that God had shown me the way, but on the other hand, I was so deeply saddened and heartbroken because my father was so opposed to my decision. But I’m so glad that I had that courage, that spiritual strength to do what God was asking me to do. It was a tough decision, but the best decision.” Following his high school graduation, Fr. Ramos attended minor seminary in Mexico. During his first year of philosophy, a priest from Sacramento visited
His Path to the Priesthood Listening Carefully to the Voice of God his seminary and told the men there that the Lord needed courageous young people to serve the Church in the United States. After a year of daily prayer for guidance on his decision, Fr. Ramos ultimately discerned God’s call to come serve in our diocese. Arriving in the U.S., Fr. Ramos attended Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon, where he faced the challenge of taking classes in a new language. Within in a year, he was speaking, reading and writing in English, and he graduated with honors. Following his ordination on June 2, 2018, Fr. Ramos was sent to serve his first assignment as a priest at St. Clare Parish in Roseville. There, he greatly enjoyed the multicultural community and discovered a passion for serving the homebound. “I realized that we had a lot of people in need of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick,” he says. “These people were quarantined even before pandemic — they were forgotten, abandoned. So every week, we would visit the sick and pray with them, encourage
Fr. German Ramos (center) with (from left) Bishop Weigand, Fr. Hernandez, Fr. Jauregui, and Bishop Soto.
them, have a conversation with them, and just try to show them the merciful face of Christ. I really learned a lot from my ministry to the homebound and the bedridden.” Fr. Ramos was happy to be assigned to St. Patrick last September. He knew Fr. Estrella from seminary and has enjoyed working with him. He has also loved getting to know the faith community here. “I have met wonderful Catholics here who are dedicated to the church and to their community,” he says. “They care a lot about their priests. I know that they pray for their priests, and I also have seen that they have a tremendous appreciation for what Fr. Estrella and I do.” On his off days, Fr. Ramos can often be found outdoors, hiking or paddleboarding. He also calls his mother daily and spends a good part of his day off on the phone catching up with her. Knowing the important influence of parents in the early faith life of children, he encourages all Catholic families to prioritize a Catholic education for their kids, especially in light of some of the indoctrination taking place in the public schools. Fr. Ramos traces his call to the priesthood, in large part, to the distressing behaviors and youth culture he witnessed in his high school. To any young person who is discerning their place in the Catholic Church — and especially a vocation to the priesthood — he offers some inspiration from St. John Paul II. “The words of St. John Paul II resonate with me — ‘do not be afraid,’” Fr. Ramos says. “I believe that the Church has a lot to offer to young people, but I think the mainstream culture has undermined the genius of our faith, the greatness of Catholicism. So I would say, do not be afraid, do not follow the voice of the world. Listen carefully to the voice of God that is echoing and resonating in your heart.” Here at St. Patrick, we certainly feel blessed that this servant of God was courageous enough to answer the call to priesthood and come to the Diocese of Sacramento as a missionary priest!
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PRAYER:
Becoming More Generous with Our Stewardship of Time A professor stood in front of a class, and in his hand was a big glass jar. He put six big rocks in the jar, with the rocks up to the edge. He then asked his students, “Is the jar full?” And they replied, “Yes.” The professor told the students, “No, it’s not.” Then, he pulled out gravel and put it in the jar. He then asked, “Now is it full?” The students once again replied, “Yes.” The professor responded, “No, it’s not.” He reached down and pulled out sand, which he poured into the jar with the same responses. Then, he reached down again for a pitcher of water, and poured water in, all the way to the brim. Then he asked, “Now is it full?” And the students replied, “Yes.” The professor then asked, “Okay, what lesson do you learn from this?” The students responded, “No matter how many things you’ve got in the jar, there’s always room to put a little more in.” The professor told them, “No, that’s not the lesson. The lesson is, if I didn’t put the big rocks in first, they would have never fit!” Most Catholics can appreciate this story — in particular, how it can apply to our own prayer lives. Essentially, every person has to decide what the “big rocks” are in his or her life. And, for us Catholics, prayer should be one of those big rocks in the jar. As Catholics, we know that prayer is important, and we know that we can and should always pray more. Yet, connecting with God in this way often slips through the cracks of our busy lives. The stewardship spirituality is about trying to become ever more generous with our Time, Talent, and Treasure. And there is a reason why “Time” is first in line. Time in a stewardship context refers to the
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time we spend with God in prayer. We need to take time to talk to God and take time to be quiet and seek to listen as He expresses His love for us and wants us to know His inspiration in our life. There are many different forms of prayer — from weekly prayer, such as the Mass, to daily personal prayer. A daily Rosary is one of the most universal spiritual practices that can enrich the lives of Catholics around the world. Even if the decades are spread out throughout the day, or even if you pray just one decade a day, you will find yourself growing closer and closer to the Lord each time. Morning and night prayer are also important disciplines to maintain. Set aside a comfortable place in your home where you can find silence. Maybe focus on a spiritual image and take time to center yourself with Scripture or some other kind of spiritual reading. For many, spending large portions of the day in silent prayer may not always be possible. But make it a priority to find those moments of quiet throughout the day, and to find ways to incorporate prayer in the midst of your busy schedule. When you get into a vehicle, pray — before a meal, after a meal, if you’re faced with a tough decision. Just pray! Ultimately, the bottom line is this — just as in any human relationship, communication is a central aspect of a vibrant relationship with God. Prayer is fostering this communion of love with God. He loved us into existence and He wants us to enter into a loving conversation with Him. We’ve got to talk to Him. And we have to listen to Him. He will take care of everything if you just trust Him. He’s knocking at the door and waiting for us to open it in prayer.
Experience His Peace and Love During 40 Hours of Adoration:
“Go to the Heart of Jesus”
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t was an intense time of suffering and anguish for Sheryl and Ray Saturnino. Their fourth child was born with epilepsy, and he was experiencing multiple seizures every day. One night, after a particularly difficult day, Sheryl told her husband they needed to find an adoration chapel. “I needed to cry to the Lord,” Sheryl says. “As we face the storms of life, whether it is a sick child or a difficult time in a relationship or any concern whatsoever, go to the heart of Jesus in the tabernacle.” In Eucharistic Adoration, we have the honor to visit with Christ, Who is truly present in the Eucharist. “If people only understood that this is actually Jesus — Jesus is there and truly present,” Sheryl says. “The Eucharistic Miracles show us that the Eucharist is the heart of Jesus. He is present in tabernacles around the world keeping His promise to be with us until the end of time.” Parishioners have regular opportunities for Adoration at St. Patrick, and recently we as a parish participated in 40 Hours of Adoration during Lent and Advent. Now we will also have this opportunity as we prepare for the Feast
of Corpus Christi. Our next 40 Hours of Adoration will start with Mass at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 4. Adoration will begin at 7 p.m. and continue to Sunday, June 6, with a procession into church at the beginning of the 11 a.m. Mass. “Parishioners can sign up for an Adoration time through Flocknote or by contacting the parish office,” Sheryl says. “We try to have two people for each hour, and you can also just drop in. We need to cover all the hours so that Jesus is never alone.” For Sheryl, Adoration has been part of her life since she was 9 years old when her family moved across the street from a Catholic church. “Adoration is really close to my heart, and it’s such a privilege and a joy to talk about Adoration,” Sheryl says. “I have strong memories of going to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as a child. It’s where I went for solace, where I went for peace.” Eucharistic Adoration is similarly important to Ray. When Fr. Ryan Mahar was preparing for his ordination with 24 hours of Adoration in the church last year, Ray was one of the faith community members who
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St.
Patrick P A R I SH 235 Chapel Street Grass Valley, CA 95945 (530) 273-2347 stpatrickgrassvalley.org
Peace and Love During 40 Hours of Adoration continued from page 7
accompanied him in prayer during the night. “Ray is always ready as a Knight of Columbus to help with the Adoration,” Sheryl says. “The Knights provide security for parishioners who adore in the middle of the night as parishioners go from their cars to the chapel.” If you have any doubts about the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Sheryl would encourage you to read about Eucharistic miracles and to spend time with Christ in Adoration. “I want everyone to experience the comfort that God provides in Adoration,” Sheryl says. “I hope people will stop in to enjoy that peace and love and know that they’re important to the Lord. He’s waiting for each of us." If you would like more information about Adoration and 40 Hours of Adoration at St. Patrick, reach out to the parish office at 530-273-2347. Adoration is currently available on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the first Sunday of each month from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the third Sunday of each month from 2 p.m to 6 p.m.
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)