A SNOWY DAY OF FAITH AND FELLOWSHIP IN MCCLOUD, SISKIYOU COUNTY.........

We awoke to it snowing at the McCloud Hotel Bed and Breakfast, in Siskiyou County this morning, at the St. Joseph Parish Redding Staff Retreat. It was still snowing at 11 am when we walked down the street to the McCloud Parish Church, also named St. Joseph's, making the scenery a winter wonderland. Our Breakfast was one of fresh fruit, a Mexican frittata, a muffin, coffee or tea, and orange juice, served in a small, old world style, breakfast room. Our Morning Prayer included a reflection we read together by the late, great, El Salvador Archbishop and martyr, +Oscar Romero, and the song The Summons...Then after a detailed and gracious personal introduction from Fr. Ben DeLeon, I facilitated a presentation on the topic of, "Ministry", and gave the more than a dozen parish staff members, a two part, question in a question, for small group sharing. The focus of my shared reflection with the parish staff members was on the Second Vatican Council's primary model of church being, "The People of God". I also shared my personal model of church in that context as Pastor of Yreka, Oroville and Citrus Heights, "Faith, Fellowship, Collegiality, Collaboration". My small group sharing question I gave them was centered around, "the impact of their personal ministry upon the rest of the parish staff and how their individual and collective ministries empower all of the parishioners to participate in the parish". All present seemed to appreciate the experience we shared. After checking out of the hotel, we proceeded up the street to the church for Mass. Fr. Ben presided and I preached. The Mass was attended by McCloud parishioners, as well as those of us at the Redding staff retreat. Then, many of the retreatants went to lunch at the White Mountain Cafe, formerly known as, the Soda Shop. Departing through the snow plowed roads of Highway 89, to Interstate 5, Fr. Ben and I arrived back at St. Joseph's Parish in Redding at 3:15 pm, and I started my drive back to Sacramento at 3:30 pm, arriving at 'La Rosa Blanca' restaurant for dinner at 6:15 pm, Jeremy is home sick tonight, but his mother, sister, brother, and restaurant staff took very good care of me. Chillaxing time back at Presentation rectory, the past ninety minutes has been watching CNN for news of the day and The Golden Girls on the Hallmark Channel. My weekend will include Saturday Confessions and 3 Sunday Masses at St. Philomene's.........Yours in the Faith, Fellowship, Collegiality, and Collaboration, of Jesus the Christ, Fr. Troy