S T. ISI DOR E C AT H OL I C CHURCH
THE MITCHELL FAMILY:
G row i ng i n F a i t h a n d F el l o w s h i p , E m b r a c i n g O p p ort u n i t i es f o r S er v i c e
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or 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
The Mitchell family 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. “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 continued on page 8
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