BEGINNING AS THE SIXTH PASTOR OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES PARISH.....DEL PASO HEIGHTS / RIO LINDA..........

Six weeks after being appointed Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Del Paso Heights / Rio Linda in North Sacramento, I begin my priestly pastoral ministry here today as the 6th Pastor of this parish community in its 53 year existence. Having moved in yesterday afternoon and spent my usual night before effective date of appointment in the new parish I will celebrate the 8 am Mass today and begin returning the phone messages already received for me. Then I will begin preparing for the weekend and my opening homily as Pastor on this 4th of July weekend. Preparations for my formal Installation as Pastor a week from Saturday, July 10, at the 5 PM Mass and the Potluck to follow in the Parish Hall need to be addressed. The 8 am Mass which Fr. Tony Traynor concelebrated with me this morning, on what is the 24th Anniversary that I began my Transitional Deacon Year with him as Pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Auburn, was wonderful. 21 parishioners, including three of the Canossian Sisters were present at Mass. Fr. Tony and I, then went to breakfast and I returned to begin working with the Parish Secretary Patricia Obi, who has been here seven months, as her predecessor is now working in Bishop Soto's Office. Getting the lay of the land about the nearest Bank of America branch and Walgren's and two parishioner drop in visits about maintenance and landscaping and the Knights of Columbus, as well as returning phone messages already received and mail from the Serra Club and my dear friends Karin and Roger Geach, congratulating and wishing me well with my new pastorate, as well as e-mail responses to the Installation As Pastor Celebration received filled my time until the lunch hour.

For those of you blog readers not on my e-mail list my Installation As Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Del Paso Heights / Rio Linda will be on Saturday July 10, at the 5 PM Mass, here at OLOL, 1951 North Avenue Sacramento 95838. My classmate, Rev. Fr. Eduino Silveira, Pastor of St. Philomene's just down the road from here, who is the Dean of the American River Suburbs, and will be installing me. A Potluck will follow the Installation Mass in the Parish Hall. As my friends, fellow believers, readers, and supporters, I invite you to attend.

Enjoying being here and ready to serve and lead, I Am And Remain Very Truly Yours In Jesus The Christ, Fr. Troy