Message from Bishop Robert Vasa My Dear People of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Since Pope Francis’ poor health was a topic of news for weeks, we were all surprised, but not extremely shocked, by the word of his death. Father Moses Brown, at the Cathedral, has set up a Mass for the Repose of the soul of Pope Francis on Monday,…

……from the Pastor’s Desk HAPPY EASTER! A Happy Thought on a Happy Feast. Have you ever considered that this is the only time when people, even strangers, give a spiritually based greeting? Merry Christmas is often replaced by ‘Happy Holidays’ and ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ has become a secular salutation; but so far ‘Happy Easter’ stands firm in its acknowledgement of what we commemorate.…

……from the Pastor’s Desk Holy Week This week we begin a time so Sacred to us Catholics that it is called ‘Holy Week.’ It is true that as far as individual celebrations go, Christmas seems to overshadow Easter, but Holy Week is more than just Easter Sunday. Today’s Liturgy makes a diametrical shift from the celebration of our Lord’s triumphal entry into…

……from the Pastor’s Desk One in Great Misery and the One with Great Mercy Holy Week is drawing nigh. In fact, a week from today is Palm Sunday and the following Sunday is Easter. For many or most of us the season of Lent has sped by very quickly, since, at least for me, it seems we just began, and are now…

……from the Pastor’s Desk WOOF! Have you noticed the way dogs hang their heads and grovel when they are scolded, wheedling their way back into good graces? To us humans it looks as if they are saying “I’m really, really sorry for what I did, and please, please, please forgive me. To make up for it, I will do any base thing…

……from the Pastor’s Desk Bearing Fruit for God All parables make us ponder what they might mean. Today, Jesus imagines a withering fig tree that has failed to bear fruit for the past three years.The reaction of the owner seems quite normal.That fig tree must be cut down because it is only wasting space in the vineyard. Top 10 Things Catholics BelieveWed.…

……from the Pastor’s Desk SPRING CLEANING This Thursday, March 20th, is the first day of spring. Perhaps it is time we all did a little ‘Spring Cleaning.’ So many of us have accumulated much more than we need. It bursts from our closets, overflows our shelves and clutters our lives to the point we even rent storage areas. Lent might be a…

……from the Pastor’s Desk Hello Friends,I was looking through the ‘Archives’ for an idea as to what to write in this ‘Pastor’s Desk’. I found this from three years ago. Strikingly poignant, it is. With the health issues of our beloved Pope Francis, the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, the Yemeni Civil War, the Israeli-Gaza-Border Conflict, the Afghan Conflict, the Ethiopian Civil…

……from the Pastor’s Desk “Where have all the Flowers gone?” You’ve heard me say that Lent was not my favorite time of the year. I am, by nature, a jovial person. I love to laugh and smile, to joke and jest. So, as a lad in the 1950’s these did not go well with the Season as it was then observed. Through…

……from the Pastor’s Desk 2025 Lenten Schedule for Holy Spirit Parish Ash Wednesday March 5th Masses: 9am Mass and 6:30pm Mass. Daily Mass during Lent: Monday – Friday 9am. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament [Holy Hour] – 2 p.m. every Friday (Except Good Friday, April 18th) Stations of the Cross – every Friday [except Good Friday] at 3pm in church. April 11th…