St.
Patrick P A R I SH
Celebrating the feast of
St.
Patrick
F
ew 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.”
continued on page 7
C o u rt e s y 6
of the
Diocesan Archives
