REVISTING OROVILLE THE PARISH OF MY SECOND PASTORATE.........

Today, I journeyed back to St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Oroville, where I served as Pastor from September 8, 1994 - November 24, 2000. The Funeral Mass for Shirley Reeder, a parishioner who was a liturgical and pastoral minister in the parish for several years was the occasion for my return visit. After celebrating 8 am Mass at St. Philomene's, I headed to Highway 70 and the one hour fifteen minute drive to Oroville for the 10 am funeral liturgy...Joe Anchors St. Philomene's weekday Mass sacristan informed me of the end of Arden Way extension onto I-5, to head up Highway 70 to Oroville. With heavy traffic and road construction along the highway, I arrived at the church at 9:55 am wearing my alb and stole, but instructed to put on a chasuble. I was one of four priests present to concelebrate Shirley Reeder's Funeral Mass. Father Benedict DeLeon, who succeeded me as Pastor of Oroville was the presider, and the current St. Thomas the Apostle Parish Pastor, Father Roland Pabellan, St. Thomas More Parish Paradise, Pastor Father Steven Foppiano, and yours truly, were the concelebrating priests and Deacon Emmett Pogue, was deacon of the Mass. Fr. Ben gave a wonderful remembrance of Shirley's consistency and dedication to parish ministries at St. Thomas. I appreciated his recollection that I was the Pastor who appointed Shirley as Coordinator of Pastoral Ministry, in the parish and his subsequent recollection of parish priestly vocation, Fr. Steven's work with Shirley and the parishioners, as well as how it was Shirley who introduced Fr. Ben to Emmett Pogue, as a Deacon in Training, upon his arrival there in 2001.
Her funeral taking place today, November 24, occurs on the ninth anniversary of my departure from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Oroville, to become the Pastor of Holy Family Parish, Citrus Heights. During those nine years Shirley was one of a band of Oroville parishioners who have remained in regular contact with me. Shirley called wrote, came to visit, and was especially solicitous from the outset of my health problems through my kidney transplant. Today is 13 weeks since my transplant, with tomorrow being three months exactly, and the end of the initial convalescence period. Seeing and being with my former Oroville parishioners this morning was an exciting and effervescent tonic for me, as I stand at the three month threshold post transplant and gradually continue to progress in fulfilling everyday priestly ministry activities, without overtaxing my new kidney and body energy. Thank You St. Thomas the Apostle parishioners. God is Good !!! Hopefully Yours in the Living and True God, the King of the Universe, Fr. Troy