4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER : JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND CHURCH VOCATIONS..........

On this 4th Sunday of Easter, as we near the midway mark in the 50 Days of the Paschal Season, we look to the Risen Christ, as Jesus, the Good Shepherd of Souls. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel Proclamation from John 10:27-30, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me". We the faithful and fervant followers of Jesus the Christ, are the sheep of His flock, in the sheep-fold that is the Body of Christ in the world, the Church. Through 2,000 years the Church has persevered and prospered in spite of the human maladies of persecution, wars, scandals, and because of evangelization, reform, and renewal, down through the centuries to this, its 3rd Millennium. Paul and Barnabas, in Acts 13:14, 43-52; today's First Reading at Mass, did what they and the other disciples were commissioned to do by the Risen Christ, they went forth and spread the Good News, evangelizing and initiating others into the Christian Faith. And they did not flag or turn back, but pushed forward in proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Messiah. The 4th Week of Easter that we enter today is also the annual observance of Vocations Awareness Week. As Catholic-Christians we are called upon to pray and work within our family homes and parish churches by focusing on the fostering of priestly and religious vocations from among the young people and adults, who are our children, relatives, friends, and fellow believers. The Sacramento Diocese like every diocese, needs more priests, sisters, brothers, deacons, to carry out the mission of the Church and those vocations need to come ever more abundantly from the vineyard of our own homes, parishes, and diocesan family. Parents must seriously sow the seed of potential Church vocations in the home; and parish communities also bear the responsibility for nurturing and encouraging those within their congregationns who may well have a calling to the priesthood, religious life, or diaconate. So as you listen for, hear, and answer, the voice of the Good Shepherd may the week ahead be a time of prayer, discussion, and discernment, as to how your families and parishes can and will promote the possibilty of Church vocations. Current findings as to the best way to discover the priestly and religious calling, besides authentically living our Faith, is being asked, "Have you thought of becoming a...priest...brother...sister...deacon... ???? Do you have enough commitment and courage as a follower of Christ Jesus, to ask your son, daughter, friend, or fellow believer, about their willingness to embrace a Church Vocation ?.......... Peace In The Risen Christ Who Is The Good Shepherd Of Our Souls, Fr. Troy

REMEMBERING MY OLDEST BROTHER.....1946-1986..........

My oldest brother, Harry George Feusi, was boorn on this day, April 24, 1986. After graduating from Luther Burbank High School in South Sacramento in 1964, he attended Sacramento City College for fifteen months, before entering the US Navy during the height of the Vietnam War, serving from late 1965 - to late 1969. He served on the USS Wright, and then on the USS Enterprise, which was the Presidential Emergency Command ship. My brother Harry was one of two sailors onboard chosen as stewards to the presidential quarters, should the President of the United States arrive to take up command from the ship. Returning to California at the end of his four years of active duty in the Navy, Harry settled in West Sacramento, married, fathered two children, worked, served in the naval reserve, and took up marathon running. On Labor Day Sunday 1986, when I was a transitional Deacon in St. Joseph's Parish Auburn, unbeknowst to me he was up in Foresthill, the mission of St. Joseph's Parish in Auburn, practice jogging in readiness for the Los Angeles Marathon. On his ride back down the foothill road, his van suddenly crashed into the side of the road and he was killed. I learned the news early the next morning when my sister Alice called to say there was news he had died in an accident somewhere near Auburn. I dashed from my bedroom to the rectory kitchen, to get the Auburn Journal newspaper. The top of the page headline was, "Man Killed On Foresthill Road". But the story did not identify him by name. I then called the Placer County Sheriff's Department, identified myself and explained the reason for my call. Placed on hold as they checked, when the call resumed I was told, "Yes, Deacon it is your brother, Harry Feusi".....Dead at age 40, having just become a grandfather, and only three and a half months earlier one of the pallbearers at our 95 year old, Grandfather Manuel Corey's funeral, his would be the next family funeral, only three years and nine months after our mother Josephine's death. Msgr. Kavanagh was away on vacation in Ireland and not due home for more than a week later. So we went forward with the funeral, with Father Jeremiah Boland celebrating the Mass at St. Rose's Church in South Sacramento, with me assisting as Deacon, and Father Colin MacDonald, (then Associate Pastor of St. Rose's) Father Tony Traynor, ( then Pastor of St. Joseph's, Auburn) Father Cornelius O'Donnell, (then Pastor of Holy Rosary, Woodland) and Father Toby Vereker, (then Pastor of St. Robert's) concelebrating. Father Boland did not want to preach however, so after consulting with him, my family, and Fr. Traynor, I agreed to deliver the funeral homily. It was not easy, but I got through it thanks to the fraternal support of the priests and the presence on a day's notice, of my San Francisco classmate, then Deacon, now Father Thomas Daly.....Today my brother Harry would be 64 years old. His widow, Rose has never remarried and continues working in West Sacramento public schools; his daughter and son, are in their 30's and 40's, and my nephew Harry George Feusi Jr., is like my youngest brother Thomas Doil, still single. He is now working as a business manager in San Francisco, and going by his middle name, George. George Feusi Sr., was the father of my two oldest brothers, Harry and Jerry, our mother's first husband. The Feusi Family who were staples on Franklin Blvd. just 5-6 blocks from St. Rose's / St. Patrick's, were like my mother's Corey Family, one of the original 7 Catholic familes in that area in the 1920's and 1930's. When my mother died in December 1982, and we went to St. Mary's Cemetery to make arrangements for her burial, we were asked by the Cemetery Director John Seymour, of any other family members buried there. The one grave available nearest any of them was just one row away from Harry and Jerry's father and the graves of his parents, Joseph and Aurelia Feusi. After a brief family discussion in the cemetery office, my father decided to bury our mother in that grave. Just over a month later, he awoke one morning in January 1983, and my dad decided to be buried in the same grave with her, which he was four years ago.....Memories. Of a brother who was an intelligent, thoughtful, and gentle, boy and man. Who served his country, family, friends, and community; and who departed far too soon.....>>> Let me share one funny aside. Because I was ten and a half years younger than my brother Harry, Msgr. Kavanagh knew him and my brother Jerry, from Sunday Mass, and catechism class quite well. In 1968, when I became an altar server and Harry had been in the Navy for well over two years, upon seeing me in the sacristy, on the altar, or at the door of the church, Msgr. would inevitably refer to me as Harry !! LOL !!!! I am happy to report he has called me Troy, since circa 1974 !!!!!!!!!!.....Speaking of Msgr. Kavanagh, he could not attend Senator Albert Rodda's Funeral Memorial Service Friday afternoon at Sacramento City College, given his current convalescence, but asked me to return afterwards to discuss it with him..........Peace, Prayers, Promise, + Preparation, For The Eternal Easter Of God's Kingdom. Fr. Troy

MAY THE SOUL OF MY BROTHER HARRY GEORGE FEUSI, REST IN PEACE AND LIGHT.....ALLELUIA !!!!! AMEN !!!!!

EARTH DAY 2010 : STEWARDSHIP OF OUR PLANET..........

On April 22, 1970, I was an 8th Grader at Charles M. Goethe Junior High School in South Sacramento. Shortly after the homeroom bell rang at 8:40 am, my teacher instructed us about the focus of the day, a newly coined international observance declared, "Earth Day". After the brief classroom introduction, all grades proceeded out to the entrance of the campus on Tamoshanter Avenue. Gathered on the lawn and sidewalk in silence. Our attention was requested eastward toward 24th Street, where we saw a black hearse turn onto Tamoshanter Avenue as it approached the school with a casket riding inside. As the coach stopped and parked in front of the school and the supposed funeral directors walked to the back of the hearse we could see a banner hanging atop the hearse's back door reading, "Nasty SMOG". We were assembled for the funeral of the deceased, the corrosive, Mr. Smog.....That was the creative way we were introduced to the themes and purposes of, EARTH DAY, which today marks its 40th Anniversary. As Catholic-Christians we are entrusted by the Divine with responsibility for the stewardship of Creation. Earth Day is our societal way of expressing and concretizing our commitment to preserving our environment and eliminating the elements of destruction that threaten to waste our heritage..........A WORK IN PROGRESS.....TO BE CONTINUED.....fr.tdp

THE ANNUAL PRIESTS' RETREAT.....APRIL 19-23, 2010..........

Monday night the priests of the Sacramento Diocese began our annual Priests' Retreat through this Friday afternoon at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights. The retired Bishop of Monterey, CA the Most Reverend Sylvester D. Ryan is leading the Retreat for us this week. Born in Avalon, Catalina Island, in Southern California, he was ordained a priest for the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1957. Ordained an Auxilary Bishop of Los Angeles in 1990, he was appointed and installed as the Bishop of Monterey in 1992, serving until his retirement in December 2006, upon the appointment of Sacramento Auxilary Bishop Richard J. Garcia, as his successor in the Diocese of Monterey. Bishop Ryan also served for a number of years as the President of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops. Having conducted priest retreats for the past twenty five years, his opening Conference topic last night was Priests as, "Shepherds - Human, Wounded, and Graced". He also gave each of us a copy of a booklet on Ten Steps To Priestly Holiness : Our Journey Into Joy", by Msgr. Stephen Rosetti. The solid reputation he is known for as a pastoral priest and dedicated bishop, was borne out by his interaction and presentation opening the Retreat. I, my brother priests, and Bishop Soto, look forward to a wonderful week with Bishop Ryan and the clarity, depth, and insight, with which he speaks and the collegial spirit he conveys..........With Prayers And Peace In Jesus The Risen Christ, Fr. Troy

THE 1ST ANNIVERSARY OF MY BLOG : "MAY THE LORD WHO HAS BEGUN THIS GOOD WORK IN YOU, BRING IT TO FULFILLMENT"..........

Today is one year since I began blogging here on Google blogspot.com, this literary offering titled, "Insights Into Life And Faith By Father Troy David Powers". I am grateful to my loyal readers, who have followed and frequented the blog during its first year. As I write this 301st edition and begin the second year of blogging, I am confident it will be worthy of your time to read and reflect upon; and that you will also recommend it to your familes, friends, and fellow believers, that they too may experience and benefit from it.....Glory and Praise to God and Gratitude and Appreciation to All of You !!!!!!!!!! Alleluia ! Amen !!..........fr.tdp

.....On April 19, 1986, twenty fours years ago, my St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park, classmates and I were ordained Transitional Deacons, at St. Pius X Church, in Redwood City, California. The 25 of us were ordained by then San Francisco Archbishop John Raphael Quinn. Some of you reading this may well have been present on that Saturday morning, as I chose to charter a bus from Sacramento, to bring family and friends to the Diaconate ordination. It was an awesome day and Archbishop Quinn presided and preached with aplomb, as we were called and chosen to bring to fulfillment the good work of serving God's People, during the time we would finalize our preparation for ordination to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. We were a unique Deacon Class. Although, all 25 of us were ordained deacons together for our respective dioceses or orders, we were ordained priests on a flexible schedule spread over a 53 week period. My Santa Rosa, CA and Indianapolis, IN, classmates were ordained seven weeks after becoming transitional deacons; me and my three Sacramento, CA classmates one year and 13 days following our diaconate ordination, and our San Jose, CA classmates, five weeks after us.....I served my Deacon Year in St. Joseph's Parish, in Auburn with the Pastor, Reverend Father Anthony Traynor and Rev. Frs. Joseph Huong, and William Kelly, S.D.S. In addition to assisting at Sunday and daily Mass, preaching, baptizing, and officiating at marriages, I also worked during that year as the interim Parish Director of Religious Education..... So as my 24th Anniversary of being ordained to the Diaconate arrives with its thirteen day countdown to the 23rd anniversary of ordination to the Priesthood, I acclaim the Lord God for calling and blessing me and for the people of the Church of Sacramento and the parishioners of the ten diocesan parishes in which I have lived and served to date..........
May The Lord Bless You And Keep You In The Easter Faith Of The Risen Christ, Fr. Troy

3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER - THE LAMB OF GOD PROCLAIMS, "FEED MY LAMBS.....FEED MY SHEEP..........

THIS IS THE 300TH BLOG COLUMN I HAVE WRITTEN FOR, "INSIGHTS INTO LIFE AND FAITH BY FATHER TROY DAVID POWERS", DURING THE PAST YEAR.....THANK YOU FOR READING..........fr.tdp

On this 3rd Sunday of Easter the Sacred Scriptures proclaimed at Mass today recall that Salvation History and Christian Faith attest to Jesus the Risen Christ being the Lamb of God, the complete and perfect sacrifice in atonement for the sins of the world. The Co-Eternal Son of the Heavenly Father, the New and Risen Life of Jesus, is our assurance of sharing in the Resurrection. At the heart of John's Gospel Proclamation Chapter 21, Verses 1-19 today, is the third appearance of the Risen Christ to the Apostles after His Resurrection and his probing encounter with Peter the Apostle, as to whether he loves him. Peter responds yes, but the love he is responding with is, "philos", the love of friendship. Jesus persists in asking Peter, "Do you love me ?", for the love He is speaking of is, "agape", a deeper, more spiritual love. As disciples of the Risen Christ ourselves, what kind of love do we have for Jesus ? Is it a lesser or greater love ? Does our love for Jesus the Christ more than touch the surface and explore the debts of our being in an abiding, abundant, relationship with the Lamb of God, who is truly our Lord and Redeemer ? That is the aspiration of discipleship we celebrate through the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, during these 50 Glorious Days of the Easter Season. As you journey through this third week of Easter, what will you do to deepen the love you share with the Risen Christ, the Community of Believers, and the World ? Sharing the depths of Agape Love, will cause us to want to avail of the fullness of Faith, Fellowship, Friendship, and Fidelity, as we witness to the power and glory of the One, Who is Our Resurrection and Life..........Fr. Troy

A NATIONAL LEADER OF RESURGENCE AND ACTION : REVEREND BENJAMIN HOOKS, 1925-2010..........

More than a decade after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act in 1965, many Americans thought the work of the American civil rights movement had pretty much achieved its goals. The nation's oldest civil rights organization, the N.A.A.C.P., the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples, founded in 1909, was fading and sliding into the background. Yet our country and the world still had work to do in establishing the spirit and truth of civil rights for peoples of color, but needed a new and dynamic person to lead the way. That person was the Reverend Benjamin Hooks, a Baptist minister, lawyer, jurist, and government official, who was chosen as Executive Director of the NAACP from August 1, 1977 through 1992. Born and raised in segregated Tennessee, Benjamin Hooks attended LeMoyne College in Memphis from 1941-43; and graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor of Arts degree, in 1944. He attended DePaul University Law School in Chicago, obtaining his law degree in 1948, because no law school in Tennessee was admitting black studentts at that time. Practicing law in Memphis for sixteen years from 1949-1965, he was ordained a Baptist minister in the mid 1950's and soon joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s, Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Becoming an eloquent preacher in churches in Memphis and Detroit, he gained a mighty following for his public speaking. Serving as an Assistant Public Defender, from 1961, in 1965 he was the first black judge appointed to the Shelby County Tennessee Criminal Court, where he presided for three years. In 1972, President Richard Nixon appointed him as the first black member of the Federal Communications Commission, where for five years he advocated strongly about th underrepresentation of minority ownership of the media. That led to his selection in 1977, as the successor to Roy Wilkins, to lead the NAACP through the late 70's to the early 90's, during which he was a powerful voice for affirmative action and strengthening minority voter registration. His leadership and steadfast advocacy accomplished a reinvigoration of an organization thought to be at its nadir, when Reverend Hooks became the NAACP Executive Director. In 2007, he was awarded the Medal Of Freedom, by President George W. Bush. The Reverend Benjamin Hooks died on Thursday April 15, age 85, in the Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, where funeral services will be held next Wednesday April 21. May He Rest In Peace..........Fr. Troy

SACRED HEART PARISH, SACRAMENTO STATE UNIVERSITY, AND THE SACRAMENTO CHORALE HONOR DR. DONALD KENDRICK, ON HIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY IN SACRAMENTO.........

Dr. Donald Kendrick, the renowned Music Director of the Sacred Heart parish choirs, "Schola Cantorum", and "Vox Nova", who is a Professor of Music at Sacramento State University, and Director of the Sacramento Chorale musical society, has been doing this fine work for 25 years in Sacramento. He is being feted tonight at a Tribute Reception in the Sacramento Convention Center, at 1400 'J' Street, Room 203, at 7 pm. There will be a hosted wine bar and hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, and Music provided by the Sacramento Chorale. A $25.00 donation payable to KVIE Channel 6, will support the production of an upcoming documentary on the Sacramento Chorale Society and Orchestra. Tickets for the event are available at the door.....Dr. Kendrick's contribution to the betterment of the Arts Community in Sacramento is phenomenal. He has led adult, students, and children's choirs in Sacramento and has traveled with trhe Sacramento Chorale Society and Orchestra, to Europe and China. In 2007, they performed for Pope Benedict XVI, at the Vatican. During the past three and a half months I have been In Residence at Sacred Heart, it has been my pleasure to preside with Dr. Kendrick and his choirs. "Schola Cantorum", the 11 am Sunday Mass music ministry is arguably the best in the Diocese. And "Vox Nova", which provides music ministry at the 9:30 am Mass on Sundays, is a group of 23 men in the parish with different backgrounds and is a splendid sounding ensemble, equal, if not exceeding, all others. I invite you to experience the beauty of Dr. Kendrick's music at Sacred Heart, by joining us some Sunday soon. I wil be attending the Gala Silver Tribute tonight with Msgr. Walton and Bishop Quinn. Bishop Quinn will be one of the featured speakers. Thank You, Kudos, and Congratulations, Dr. Don, on 25 Years in Sacramento music circles that has enriched the cultural arts of this community in extraordinary ways..........With Gratitude And Appreciation In Easter Peace, Fr. Troy

A DAY WITH A CITY DEANERY MEETING, SACRED HEART CONFIRMATION AND A PRESIDENTIAL ANNIVERSARY..........

This ninth day of the 50 Glorious Days of Easter took me to St. Anthony's Parish, in Greenhaven for our latest City Deanery of Parishes Meeting, which retiring Pastor, Rev. Fr. John Boll, and his parishioners generously hosted, starting with a delicious and nutritious lunch followed by a ninety minute meeting. I returned to Sacred Heart in East Sacramento to have dinner with Bishop Joseph Madera and Msgr. Robert Walton, before concelebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation Mass.....Today April 12, is also the 65th anniversary of the passing of the 32nd President of the United States, in my American Presidency concentration opinion, the greatest US President of the twentieth century, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The longest serving US President in our history, elected to four terms and serving for 12 years, 1 month, 8 days, he shepherded our nation and the affairs of state of the Allied Powers through the the rigors of the Great Depression and much of World War II. In Warm Springs, Georgia on April 12, 1945, he suffered a cerebral hemorhage, while posing for a portrait. Presidential historians generally evaluate FDR more than seven decades since his Presidency, as in the pantheon of the greatest American Presidents, ranking near the top with President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln. Since 1933, subsequent Presidents have had their initial effectiveness judged by the extraordinary accomplishment of President Franklin Roosevelt's first 100 Days in The White House..........May The Spirit Of The Risen Christ Continue To Fill Yours Lives, Fr. Troy

2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER PRESENTS GOD'S MERCY.....AND A MONTH'S MIND MEMORIAL AT SACRAMENTO STATE FOR COACH BOB MATTOS..........

On this Second Sunday of Easter, Catholic-Christians focus on the benevolence of God's Mercy for humankind, not only in the Divine Mercy devotion, but in the Gospel Proclamation from John 20:19-31; as the Risen Christ shows mercy for His Apostles. Jesus greets his assembled disciples in the locked room by bestowing Peace upon them, despite their falterings and fear. On the second occasion when Thomas the Apostle who was missing fro Jesus' first appearance after the Resurrection, is present the second time and is continuing to question the appearance of the Risen Christ, he is not condemned, but invited to see for himself that the resurrected Jesus is truly present. In turn Thomas proclaims one of the greatest personal professions of faith in the history of Christianity, "My Lord and My God". During Easter Week Sacred Heart's RCIA Director Rita Spillane has been discussing with several of us, a scriptural insight into the, "Doubting Thomas" designation of the missing Apostle, at the first post Resurrection appearance to the Apostles. Where was Thomas, if not locked away with the others ? Was Thomas out witnessing to Jesus, unafraid of the consequences ? If not, where was he, and why was he separated from the others ?.....Today April 11, Sacramento State University celebrates the life and legacy of Robert J. "Coach" Bob Mattos, at a Memorial Service in the Alumni Center on campus. Yours truly will lead the Opening and Closing Prayers, and deliver the last reflection about Coach Mattos.....Having presided at te 5:30 pm Mass last night, I celebrate the 9:30 am Mass this morning and then the 7:30 pm at St. Rose's in South Sacramento..........In The Easter Peace Of God's Mercy, Fr. Troy

100 DAYS AT SACRED HEART PARISH.....AND IT IS VICTOR HERRERA'S BIRTHDAY..........

On this Easter Saturday, as I complete 100 days In Residence at Sacred Heart Parish in East Sacramento, it is also my friend and living donor Victor Herrera's Birthday. A very Happy Birthday Victor !!!!!!!!!!.....During the past 100 days at Sacred Heart, I have presided at 80 Masses, heard 238 Confessions, celebrated 62 Anointings of the Sick, 2 Funerals, and participated in 19 Adult Faith Formation sessions. Anyone desiring to send Victor birthday greetings may do so, c/o : St. Rose's Church P.O. Box 5037 Oak Park Station, Sacramento, 95817.........Easter Peace, Fr. Troy

EASTER FRIDAY : CONTINUING OUR NEW AND RISEN LIFE WITH CHRIST IN BAPTISM..........

On this Easter Friday as we continue to immerse ourselves in the New and Risen Life of Jesus the Christ and renew our Bprtism in His Death and Resurrection, the Paschal Mystery of Humankind's Redemption, I am praying for and pondering our Neophytes, those who were newly initiated at the Easter Vigil last week. Sacred Heart's first Mystagogy session on Easter Tuesday evening was one of the best I have attended in several years. These 20 Neophytes are definitely fired up with the Spirit. Msgr. Walton and RCIA Director Rita Spillane led a very insightful session which seemed to cause responses from the newly initiated to flow out of them, in sharing what they experienced as they celebrated Baptism, Reception, Confirmation, and Eucharist. After a twenty minute gathering in the church with the Paschal Candle lighting and Sacred Incense wafting in the air, we recessed into the Parish Hall for Easter refreshments including cheesecake, fudge brownies, an array of fresh fruits, and coffee / tea. Aspirited series of conversations continued and Rita overviewed with us the Mystagogy sessions during coming weeks. She then gave each of one a copy of the, "Handbook For Neophytes" from, 'Foundations In Faith', published by RCL - Resources For Christian Living, in my estimation the best RCIA cathechetical process there is. It is a very well crafted 33 page booklet to guide and advise the Neophytes on their post intiation journey. My St. Thomas the Apostle Parish Director of Religious Education and RCIA Director, Mary Seegert and I, discovered the RCL RCIA series as it was being introduced at the Jubilee 2000 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress and the Oroville parish, now like SacHeart Parish, has used it productively ever since.....BREAKING NEWS.....This morning in the 'Sacramento Bee' , that the Diocese of Sacrammento has decided to close down the 102 year old diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Herald at the end of June., due to mounting costs. A new Catholic Herld magazine will replace it. More on this later..........May Your Baptism Into The Life, Death, And Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Bring You Joy And Redemption, Fr. Troy

A NEW COADJUATOR BISHOP FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES..........

Archbishop + Roger Cardinal Mahony, of Los Angeles, will be 75 years old on February 27, 2011, the canonically required age of resignation for prelates and pastors of the Catholic Church. Therefore, he will retire from active ministry then, after nearly twenty six years as Archbishop of Los Angeles, which is now the largest diocese in the United States with more tha 4 million Catholics, 70% Latino. On Tuesday April 6, Pope Benedict XVI, appointed Archbishop + Jose Horacio Gomez, the past six years Chief Shepherd of San Antonio, Texas as Cardinal Mahony's successor in Los Angeles, naming him Coadjuator Bishop of Los Angeles, giving him the right to succession to the Archbishopric of Los Angeles, upon Cardinal Mahony's retirement next February. Born in Monterrey, Mexico, he is 58 years old. Educated in his native Mexico at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and the National University of Mexico, where he completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy in 1975, he joined the Catholic organization, Opus Dei, as a student. Leaving Mexico for Rome, and the University of Navarre, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology in 1978. Ordained a priest of the Opus Dei prelature on August 15, 1978, going on to complete his Doctorate in Sacred Theology in Pamplona Spain in 1980. After doing campus pastoral ministry with college students in Spain and Mexico, he arrived in San Antonio, Texas where he did parish work for a number of years. Becoming an American citizen in 1995, from 1991 onwards he was extensively involved in American Hispanic Ministry affairs, t the national level and in January 2001, was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Denver Colorado, and in December 2004, was appointed Archbishop of San Antonio, Texas. Now on April 6, 2010, he has been appointed Coadjuator Archbishop of Los Angeles, California. As the Cardinal Mahony era in the Church of Los Angeles draws to a close and the Archbishop Gomez era dawns, the months and years ahead will surely define the efffectiveness and legacy of their pastoral episcopal leadership in California of our nation's largest diocese..........Easter Blessings In The Joy And Peace Of The Risen Christ, Fr. Troy

IT IS EASTER WEDNESDAY - OTHERWISE TODAY WOULD BE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST DESALLE DAY; FOUNDER OF THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS..........

This Easter Wednesday, a Solemnity in the Octave of Easter, supplants the ordinary saint's feast day for April 7th, St. John the Baptist DeLaSalle, founders of the Christian Brothers. The Christian Brothers have had a Catholic High School in Sacramento city since 1876, thus now in its 135th year of educating teens in our Capital City, and a decade longer than Sacramento has been the See City of our Diocese. The gentleman whose Funeral I presided at today at Sacred Heart Church and St. Mary's Cemetery, retired Sacramento Police Department Inspector John Bibica, was an alumnus of Christian Brothers. My personal attorney, Mr. J. Patrick McCarthy, is also a CBHS. Two Sacramento familes I know very well, the McNamaras and the Clarks, have attended Christian Brothers, and remain loyally active in campus events. Christian Brothers High School began in downtown Sacramento in 1876, at 12th and K Streets, one block from where the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was constructed in 1889. That location was sold to the Lubin-Hale's Department Store. Msgr. Walton informs me for 1 year CBS was here on 39th & J Streets, on what became Sacred Heart Parish Church in 1931. It was located at 21st & Broadway, where Bishop Manogue High School, would be built and the Diocesan Pastoral has been since 1994. In the late 1960's Christian Brothers High School moved to Sacramento Boulevard, now Martin Luther King Boulevard to the site of the former Bishop Robert Armstrong High School, where it has remained since. So thank you St. John the Baptist DeLaSalle and to Christian Brothers High Sacramento.....Long may you continue to educate the young in Sacramento, and I proudly say in South Sacramento..........Easter Rejoicing, Fr. Troy

SENATOR ALBERT S. RODDA JULY 23, 1912 - APRIL 3, 2010..........

Former State Senator Albert Rodda, 97 years old, died on last Saturday as quoted by his son, Steven, "of complications of old age". Senator Rodda, a native Sacramento was a teacher by profession first at Grant Union High School, then at Sacramento Senior Senior High School. Then he became a Professor of History at Sacramento Junior, now City College, where he was highly esteemed as an educator. The current Administrative Halls of Sacramento City College were named in his honor, Rodda Hall. Elected to represent the Sacramento area in the California State Senate in 1958, he served there for 22 years and rose to the leadership of the Senate Education Committee, Senate Finance Committee, and was Dean of the Senate, when he was defeated for re-election in 1980. A political leader of integrity, called by his colleagues and others, "Mr. Clean", and "Mr. Humility", Senator Rodda fathered educational legislation for the good of the students and teachers in California, authoring bills for the state university system, collective bargaining, and a fairer distribution of state educational funding to poor as well as affluent school districts. His leadership over the state budget he also excelled at enacting with fairness and fiscal responsibility. Following his twenty two year legistative career, he returned to teaching part-time, and served until he was 80 years old, for nine years 1983-1992, on the Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees. My personal connection to Senator Rodda, is linked to my own candidacy as a 20 year college student for the Los Rios Board in 1977. Al Rodda, was succeeded at Sacramento High School and Sacramento City College, by my most stellar professor, Dr. Gerald G. Smith. He and his fellow professors encouraged me to be a candidate for the Los Rios Board and Dr. Smith persuaded to meet with Senator Rodda to discuss my candidacy. Senator Rodda was congenial, constructive, and very affirming of my candidacy as a college student for the Los Rios Board of Trustees, stating the need for fresh insight into the issues facing the district and its three community colleges at that time : Sacramento City College, American River College and Cosumnes River College, (and now including Folsom Lake College.) As one of five candidates for the seat in Area 2, that included the incumbent Tom DuHain, of Channel 3; and Harold Wrenn, a sixteen year member of the San Juan School Board, I held my own. It was a district-wide vote and DuHain, garnered two thirds of the total vote, leaving the other four of us just one third of all votes cast. I won 8.25%, 4,638 votes, but doing something no one else had accomplished in DuHain's two Los Rios elections, defeating him in two precincts of the district in Yolo County near UC Davis !! The onset of term limits and the election of legislators less dedicated to the common good and more to their own ends, make Senator Albert Rodda an even greater and upstanding political leader, as well as an outstanding educator. Thank You Senator Rodda, as you are now reunited with your beloved wife, Clarice, and your brother, Richard, and our mutual friend Jerry Smith.....Your contribution to the governance of California and the betterment of education in the Golden State, will continue to shine.....Farewell Until Forever..........Fr. Troy David Powers

EASTER MONDAY AND THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EASTER OCTAVE..........

In our customary American way, we have celebrated Easter Sunday and moved back into the work a day world, although the Paschal Season of 50 Glorious Days has just begun. In many other countries Easter Monday is a national holiday, allowing families and fellow believers in the Resurrection the opportunity to relax and extend their Easter weekend. During my two Easter Mondays in Ireland in 1983 & 1984, this was a quiet, restful, day after all the activity of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. As a priest I have tried to honor that custom, as the body can use the rest and relaxation of re-grouping, after the beautiful and extensive Liturgies of last week. The first week of the Easter Season is celebrated as 8 days of Solemnity, thus the Octave of Easter is highest Solemnity of prayer and worship in the entire year. So as we commemorate and celebrate the Resurrection from the Dead of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, let us not rush away from Easter, but embrace it and make the most of the New and Risen Life of Christ in our own lives. My personal resurrection this Easter is in the continuing sucess of my kidney transplant last August 25. And in thanksfulness to all whose support made it possible, Almighty God; Victor my living Donor; the Mayo Clinic Arizona Transplant Team, and my family, friends, fellow believers, and many parishioners, who prayed and have seen me through this process. Ponder the small resurrections taking place in your life these 50 Days of the Paschal Season and faithfully witness to the God of Eternal Life..........ALLELUIA ! ALLELUIA !!, Fr. Troy

EASTER SUNDAY : CHRIST IS RISEN ! ALLELUIA ! HE IS TRULY RISEN !! ALLELUIA ALLELUIA !!..........

12 Baptisms, 8 Receptions into the Catholic Church, 20 Confirmations, 8 Confessions, and 20 First Eucharists, were celelebrated on Holy Saturday at Sacred Heart Church in East Sacramento as we kept the nightwatch of the Resurrection at the Mother of all vigils, the Easter Vigil Service last night. Msgr. Walton, presiding as Pastor, and me concelebrating, we were joined by Bishop Emeritus Francis Anthony Quinn, who conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation upon the twenty Catechumens and Candidates, after Msgr. Walton baptized twelve of them and received eight others into the Church. The Service of Light, Litrurgy of the Word, and Sacraments of Initiation, culminated in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in the two hour Easter Vigil Mass.....This morning I presided at the 8 am and 9:30 am Easter Sunday Masses and then shared Easter Brunch with Teres and Mike Mugnaini, along with their children Chris, Lauren, Alex, and Teres' mother, Ramona Bugatto, and Chris' girlfriend, Claire. At 7:30 pm I am celebrating the Easter Sunday Mass in my native parish of St. Rose on Franklin Blvd. To all my faithful friends and loyal blog readers, my best wishes for a Happy and Blessed Easter. May this Paschal Season of the New and Risen Life of Jesus the Christ bring you the joy and the glory of the promise and hope of the Resurrection. CHRIST IS RISEN ! ALLELUIA ! HE IS TRULY RISEN !! ALLELUIA !! ALLELUIA !!..........Easter Peace, Fr. Troy

EASTER TRIDUUM : HOLY SATURDAY... KEEPING VIGIL WITH JESUS BURIED IN THE TOMB AS WE AWAIT THE NIGHTWATCH OF THE RESURRECTION..........

In accordance with the liturgical practice of the early Church the most solemn of vigils, the mother of all vigils is kept on Holy Saturday in commemoration of Christ's laying in the tomb, bringing us tonight to the nightwatch of the dead and the Easter Vigil culminating in the glory of the Resurrection. Following our Sacred Tradition this is the night the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults,(RCIA) is celebrated. Acordingly, preparatory rites were held this morning with the Catechumens, Candidates, and their Sponsors, to finalize their readiness for initiation at the Easter Vigil. All is quiet in Catholic-Christian churches today, as we make ready to celebrate the Easter Vigil after dark tonight, sometime after 8 pm. The Easter Vigil Service has four parts, the Service Of Light - the Blessing of the Fire and the Lighting of the Easter Candle; which includes the lighting of individual candles from the newly blessed and lit Paschal Candle, and the singing of the Easter Proclamation, the 'Exsultet'; the Liturgy Of The Word - which is an expanded Proclamation of as many as 7 Readings and Responsorial Psalms, and Prayers, detailing the sweep of Savation History, on this most sacred night; culminating in the Gloria, Opening Prayer, Epistle, Psalm Response, Alleluia Verse, Gospel, and Homily; followed by the Celebration Of The Sacraments of Initiation - with the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and the Rite of Reception into the Catholic Church; and finally the Liturgy Of The Eucharist - through which Christian Initiation is completed and the Easter Vigil Mass, the Paschal Mystery of Jesus the Christ is fully celebrated by the neophytes and all the faithful who are present and participating. It is a lengthy liturgy but well worth attending, as perhaps the most beautiful and meaningful Liturgy of the entire Church Year. If you can, I ask you to take part in it and experience the richness of our spiritual and sacramental history and heritage, in the vigil of all vigils, that takes us to the Gloriousness of Easter Sunday and, The Resurrection Of Christ Jesus Our Lord And Savior..........EASTER PEACE, Fr. Troy

THE EASTER TRIDUUM : GOOD FRIDAY AND THE LITURGY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD, THE VENERATION OF THE CROSS, AND HOLY COMMUNION..........

As we enter and commemorate the second day of the Easter Triduum, Good Friday - the Paschal Mystery focused on Jesus the Christ's Passion and Death, at first look today would seem to be a sad and somber, a day of defeat. But the suffering and crucifixion Jesus endured was in God the Father's Plan for the salvation of Humankind. What more perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins than God's Co-Eternal Son, who supplanted the sacrificial lambs of Paasover, to become the Lamb of God, our new Paasover and Pasch. At 12 noon today Sacred Heart Parish celebrated the Solemn Liturgical Service of Good Friday : The Liturgy of the Word and Passion Proclamation of the Lord; the Veneration of the Cross; Holy Communion. In the First Reading we hear the fourth of Isaiah's Suffering Servant Songs. It denotes the prophetic fulfillment of the sacrifice rendered on Good Friday. We believe as Catholic-Christians Jesus Christ is the Suffering Servant sent for us as Atonement for our sins and the One who reconciles our otherwise mortal flesh with the eternal God. The Letter to the Hebrews underscores the priestliness of Christ, indeed His High Priesthood over all Creation, totally superior of that of Caiphas, Herod, or Pilate. The Passion Narrative of John portrays Jesus as completely in control and victorious, even as he endures the ignominy of being crucified to the wood of a Cross. As on Good Friday Mass is not celebrated, reserved Eucharist consecrated at the Lord's Supper last night is brought not from the empty tabernacle, but a repository elsewhere in the church and in a very simple Communion Rite is distributed to the faithful. Therefore, we commemorate this second day of the Easter Triduum, not in abject sadness and sorrow, but in solemn remembrance of the greatest sacrifice ever offered in the history of salvation. Here in East Sacramento, Stations of the Cross were celebrated in the midafternoon, and tonight the Seven Last Words of Christ, will be prayed..........May Your Triduum Continue To Be Blessed As You Behold The Wood Of The Cross On Which Hung Our Savior, Fr. Troy

HOLY WEEK AND PASSOVER TAKE US TO THE EASTER TRIDUUM : HOLY THURSDAY..........

Since sunset Monday evening during this Christian Holy Week, the Jewish Passover has been underway. This is the fourth night of Passover and Jews throughout the world are continuing to celebrate Seder meals, commemorating the Lord's deliverance of them from bondage and captivity nearly 3,000 years ago. Tonight, Holy Thursday, is the beginning of our annual commemoration of the Lord's Supper, and our Catholic- Christian Passover. These next three days from sunset Holy Thursday to sunset Easter Sunday, are what we call, the Easter Triduum. The liturgical gatherings of the Triduum are one, great, continuous, Liturgy of the central events in the salvation history of the world. We commemorate and remember the Paschal Mystery of Christ, His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The Last Supper, at which Jesus transformed a Jewish Passover Seder into the memorial of His Body and Blood, the Christian Eucharist; and instituted the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the Christian Priesthood. Good Friday, commemorating the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ culminating in His Death on the Cross on Mount Calvary; Holy Saturday, the day He laid buried in the tomb, until the night watch of the Lord, led to Jesus' Glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The Mass of the Lord's Supper and the Washing of the Feet, is being celebrated in churches universally as I write this blog column. Happy Easter Triduum, as the most sacred, solemn, and significant, days in our Catholic-Christian heritage are commemorated please God, in your parish church and in the home of your hearts..........Easter Peace in Jesus the Christ, Who Instituted The Eucharist And The Priesthood For Our Salvation, Fr. Troy