Since his appointment as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Olema last July, Father Erick Arauz has been working to motivate the community with faith and optimism to stand up and join him to put the parish back on its feet.
Some 18 parishioners, including children, attended the 7 p.m. vigil Mass on Jan. 4 and a similar number of parishioners were seen the next day at the other Spanish Mass, while some 30 parishioners usually go the English Mass each Sunday.
Despite low Mass attendance and without the necessary funding for the upkeep of the rural Marin County parish, Father Arauz is not giving up and is knocking on doors around the neighborhood.
“I’m visiting families to invite them to church, to make them feel like church and to let them know that I’m here, that I’m present,” he said.
Father Arauz faced his first challenge when payments were due and the coffers were empty. He managed to come up with a raffle to get started.
The second hurdle was that nobody really knew exactly how many people belong to Sacred Heart Parish. He has begun distributing enrollment forms for a census to get a sense of the parish tally.
Father Arauz also wants to reorganize the pastoral council, which “used to meet sporadically” but is now meeting more regularly, he said.
Father Arauz also hopes to build a Hispanic committee with representation on the parish council that will work together with both the English- and Spanish-speaking communities.
As for pastoral work, Father Arauz has opened the church doors in the evenings on the first Friday of the month for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament between 6 and 7, in addition to the regular celebration of Masses in English and Spanish and making the sacraments available.
Guadalupe Hernández, a Sacred Heart parishioner for 20 years, believes that there are still Hispanic Catholics living around Olema, noting that during the festivities for the Virgin of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 the church was full.
Full story at Catholic San Francsico.
Sure you know what do to Father: return to Catholic Tradition, to the Mass that supported and encouraged the Faith of Our Fathers, and of our Saints. The TLM will return people to the Church, over time. Yes, so many “Catholics” now are, in essence, more Protestant in belief and practice than Catholic. But, they will learn to embrace the Church that has existed since the time of the Apostles.
Or, you can simply close it up.
As someone who loves the TLM myself I have to say that “SC’s” comment is predictable. Just as an advice to Father though in case he is listening: there is a lot of our Catholic tradition in the Ordinary Form too, Father. You need not do the Extraordinary Form. Offer the ordinary Mass reverently, devoutly , and even ad orientem, and add Latin. In fact the Mass of Pope Paul VI restored some elements from the way the early Church celebrated Mass. No kidding. Keep up the good work.
Actually, “jon” is also predictable, and wrong, in his comments. No, Father, the Novus Ordo has nothing that comes from the time of the Apostles, as does the TLM. Nor does the NO have any of the glorious history of the orthodox Catholic Church, a Church that produced many, many saints and established Christ’s domain around the World.
But, let’s not kid ourselves. The VII crowd will not ever abandon the NO. The entire institutional Church could (and will) crumble, but pride will prevent these men from doing the right and proper thing. Christ, though, is busy changing the hearts of new priests and younger Catholics. The old, tired Catholic clergy will die, and things will be much better in the future.
So Fr Arauz, in case you’re listening, I am sure you’ve studied liturgy, history, and theology and can therefore detect the flaws and even heresies in “SC’s” commentary there. Disparaging Vatican II is sadly the routine here. Moreover the flaw in “SC’s” way of thinking is this blindspot concerning the role of the Magisterium vis-a-vis Scripture and Tradition. “SC’s” is a religion called “traditionalism”, which only has something marginally to do with the true and authentic Catholic Faith.
Just as a caution Fr. Arauz that if you do start offering the TLM to make sure the people who go there do not gradually try to separate themselves from the rest of the Parish. Watch out for divisiveness and the heretical notion that the TLM is holier and the only valid Mass.
Watch out for young earth creationists too. There are a lot of them among the TLM crowd, and they think their faith is better for being biblical fundamentalists.
I just watched a video about the Circus Clown entertainment at the Vatican being performed right in front of Pope Francis and Archbishop Ganswein, with women being swung around with their legs wide open, among other things. It was almost as debauched as the half time performance at the Super Bowl. Archbishop Ganswein and the Pope looked uncomfortable and avoided looking directly at some of the “sights”, but clapped afterward none the less.
The Seventh Day Adventist and others are having a field day with it, Can’t say I blame them. Along as this is allowed, along with the Pachama’s, in Catholic sacred places, Jon, no one is going to believe you.
By the way, I do not suggest people watch such videos, I only watched it long enough to see why some Catholics, Adventists and others were so upset. The circuses of my childhood were far more “tame”.
What do you propose Dormier.. more pant suited clipped hair nuns and their guitars…..
Bless you, St. Christopher! I have been daily praying for the full, universal return of the old Latin Mass, since its final day, in the exquisitely beautiful church of my childhood, built by devout Catholic immigrants, in the 19th century! Parents today raising children there, also pray for the return of the Catholic school, (closed in the early 1970s) and the teaching nuns! God-willing, perhaps all of this may someday come to pass! (Even if not in my lifetime!)
Many in today’s extremely modern, Godless, secularized society, lack the understanding of the tremendous importance of a Sacred Tradition, passed down through the ages, from the time of Christ and His Apostles–very holy!
“Saint” Christopher, do you really believe that “the Novus Ordo has nothing that comes from the time of the Apostles,” as you wrote?!
Nothing?!
If so, you are sadly mistaken. I have the Roman MIssal in front of me as I type this. The Scriptures quoted are from the time of the Apostles.
If you meant that seriously, you provide ammunition for those who want to portray those who love the TLM as (at best) ignorant and divisive.
Do you believe any of the Novus Ordo Masses over the past half-century have been valid, since you wrongly claim “the Novus Ordo has nothing that comes from the time of the Apostles?!”
I intend these as serious, not rhetorical, questions for you.
Bless you, St. Christopher! I am afraid Marin County is lost to a very weak, post-Conciliar Church, too much money, immorality, and the likes of misfit, liberal-leftist, immoral,
raging feminists, like Nancy Pelosi– and the Devil! I am afraid, for now– Catholicism is a lost cause, for places like Marin County! Tragic! Oh– and is this church a “modern” one, in architecture– where are the kneelers?? God help us! Maybe it will get sold to some silly “New Age” group, in Olema!
The short answer: celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass.
Exactly right! People will drive from all over and the pews will be filled. OK Father, now you know what to do!
I wish it were that simple. Of course, offering the TLM would likely help. But, the situation and state of the Church is more complex than simply blaming the Novus Ordo Mass. God bless that priest and parish.
Amen to that. Adoration was a great idea. Loved Father was going around visiting homes. I think he may want to follow St John Vianney formula. His faith is such an inspiration. He completely changed Ars.
The adherents to “tradition” continually want to “freeze” tradition (and I am a traditionalist, btw, just not blindly so) at a point in history when the Church was European and Latin (nothing wrong with either) but conveniently forget that the Roman Church used to celebrate in Greek (why don’t these same people clamor for the elimination of the Kyrie, it’s not Latin).
I don’t dislike Latin, nor the TLM, but the vernacular is the NORM in every Catholic and Orthodox Rite besides the Vatican I Latin Rite. Several countries WERE allowed the vernacular, locally, during those same (supposedly “Latin only”) times, (Croatia, for one, Macau I believe, was another). This idea that it is NOT tradition if Latin is not enshrined is just not logical. Same with married priests, as much as I esteem the celibate clergy, that is not the sine qua non of tradition.
The problem with the newer Mass, Jay, is that some of the priests and people did not keep to the GIRM (General Instruction for the Roman Missal), but kept bringing in things that had nothing to do with the Mass, such as forced hand holding during the Our Father. There seems to be continual change just for the sake of change, now even with the moral issues.
Anne, you make a good point that the problem is some priests not following the GIRM, so, it is not really the (ordinary form of the) Mass itself. We clergy should pray the prayers in the Church’s official liturgical books and follow the rubrics, the “instructions,” so to speak. What is needed is reverence. Whether the Mass is OF or EF (or Eastern Catholic), in the vernacular or Latin, ad orientem or versus populum, people receiving Holy Communion on the tongue or in the hand, standing or kneeling; most importantly, it should be reverent. We’re worshipping God after all. We need to be properly catechized. I’ve attended a reverent and beautifully celebrated Novus Ordo Mass. And, amen to what Fr. Richard and Fr. JHK said. Pray for Sacred Heart parish and its pastor. Send them a contribution. Let’s do something positive, even if small. Like St. Francis, let’s contribute in our own small ways, one building block at a time, to the rebuilding of our beloved Church.
I agree with you; nevertheless, from what I have heard the GIRM states in some places that the priest “turns toward the people”, which means that he was facing liturgically east previously. I have not read the GIRM for some time, but it is on line. I do not understand why it was not enforced with the priest facing Christ over the altar when talking to him and facing the people while talking to them.
In one Eastern Divine Liturgy I attended, the priests went behind the iconotasis, and were not even seen during the consecration — like the Israelite and Jewish temple worship. I find the old traditions more Christ centered and more connected to our Jewish roots..
These people who say the TLM will solve everything are laughable. Like it’s magic or something. Is Peter Kwasniewski posting here under different names? LOL
I sent Fr. Arauz a note thanking him for agreeing to take on a struggling parish, for his outreach door to door as the early apostles and disciples did, and I put my money where my mouth is, with a generous monetary donation to help in the short run.
Many in today’s Church sadly know little about their Catholic Faith! Many may not know the meaning and importance of Sacred Tradition! Sacred Tradition– also called “Living Tradition”– was handed down and carefully preserved, in a time of oral transmission, from Christ and/or His Apostles. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are two theologically equal sources of revelation– and together with the Church’s holy Magisterium, her Teaching Authority– comprise our Deposit of Faith.
May God Bless Fr. Erick in all of his efforts to revitalize the Sacred Heart parish. Hopefully the parishioners will support him as he moves forward. With regards to offering the Extraordinary Form of the Mass – ask your parishioners if they want this to be added to the parish. My personal experience with the devotees of the EF is that though small in number they want to take over the entire parish. They make demands without considering the needs of the other parishioners who do not share in their devotion to the EF. At times they were quite rude to the other parishioners and myself.
“Fr. JHK:” Do they teach you such attitudes in the seminary? The destruction of the Mass announced the destruction of the institutional Church. Just look around you. Very recent polls, for example, teach that “catholics” by and large do not believe in the Real Presence. And, why should they? Happy “Eucharistic Ministers” handing out hosts to everyone like potato chips; pablum homilies; failure to stand up to homosexual demands, so many failures.
“The destruction of the Mass announced the destruction of the institutional Church!” YES!! And I saw it, with my own two eyes!
These posts are excellent examples of the uncharitable attitudes of some of those promoting the TLM. It is disturbing that some of these people have turned the EF of the Mass into an idol – worshipping it instead of God. Some Rad Trads – as they call themselves – are woefully ignorant of the historical development of the Mass and have asserted ridiculous ideas about the Holy Mass and our Catholic faith. I pray for them as I celebrate my daily Mass for many of them are lost souls- CINOs.