Name of Church St. Patrick
Address 235 Chapel Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945
Website www.stpatrickgrassvalley.org
Phone (530) 273-2347
Mass times Sundays, 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. (Spanish). Saturday vigil, 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m., First Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Confessions Tuesdays, 7:30 – 8:15 a.m. Friday, 5 – 6 p.m. Saturday, 3 – 4:30 p.m. Also by appointment.
Names of priests Fr. Alexander Estrella, pastor. Fr. Jossy Vattothu, parochial vicar. Fr. Estrella is an intellectual and orthodox young priest, ordained for the Diocese of Sacramento in 2016. Among his interests, he has an interest in the formation and education of youth (he teaches religion at Mt. Saint Mary’s Academy).
Special parish groups/activities Bible studies, Families of Nazareth, adoration, various prayer groups, Secular Franciscans, Catholic Ladies Relief Society, Culture of Life, Prison Ministry, Sierra Roots (homeless ministry), Knights of Columbus, Mt. Saint Mary’s Academy, Widow’s Wisdom Circle.
School Mt. Saint Mary’s Academy, established 1859, serving pre-K to 8th grade. Chesterton Academy, a new Catholic high school launching in fall 2022.
Music Adult choirs sing at the Sunday Masses; a children’s choir sings once a month at the Sunday 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses.
Parking Parking lots by the church as well as street parking.
Additional observations St. Patrick Parish was established in 1855 to serve the miners who worked the region in the mid-19th century. It was originally part of the Diocese of Grass Valley, which included parts of Nevada, Utah and Colorado; the diocese was later suppressed and the parish is today located in the Diocese of Sacramento.
I have been there and it is a beautiful church. The old convent across the street is worth walking around. If you make the trip here, you may want to consider St. Canice Church up the road in Nevada City as well. They don’t make churches like these any more.
Wait for it…
Wait for it…
(Who’ll fire the first shot?
I have some suspicions, but I’ll wait and see.)
Fr. Estrella has been such a blessing to the area.
There were noticable changes almost immediately after his arrival. The wonderful aroma of incense infused the Sunday “high Mass”. Then a small army of altar boys appeared, reverently serving in cassock and surplice. The traditional Roman Canon (EP1) could be heard more often than not. The music selections improved immensely. There were more public processions.
A beautiful monthly First-Friday TLM was instituted in 2019, which lasted until March 2020.
During the plandemic, he valiantly fought to keep every sacrament available, including marriages. Saturday confession with adoration became the norm at St. Pat’s during the tumult.
Fr. Estrella has spearheaded a major renovation of the church interior that’s currently underway, which will restore the traditional sanctuary, with the tabernacle moving back to the center. (Many parishioners are hoping the communion rail will return, too.)
May God grant Fr. Estrella many more blessed years as pastor of St. Pat’s!
You are blessed to have such a pastor. They are few are far between.
Where is the TLM???
Okay, it took three days, a little longer than I thought, but I knew it was coming. So, the first shot across the bow is right to left. I wonder how long until we get someone to say the TLM shouldn’t be allowed?
Can we do an online pool where we guess when (if?) the first Cal Catholic Daily story appears which is not turned into something about the Novus Ordo or Extraordinary Form?
Obsession: an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind. Not every story is about the liturgy wars of words that we see here. Really.
Reverent Novus Ordo is the future of the Roman Catholic Church. This parish seems to be doing just that.