Parishioners of St. Monica in Willows bring 'joy and comfort' during the pandemic
Father Michael Estaris, parochial administrator of St. Monica Parish in Willows and St. Mary of the Mountain Mission in Stonyford since September 2020, says his main goal as a priest during the pandemic is “to bring the love of Christ and a message of joy and comfort to everyone.”
To that end, what many parishioners may never forget as a highlight in the past several months is his spontaneous decision to perform a “Christmas serenade” on the evening of Dec. 23 that went viral in the community. He received an overwhelming response for his Facebook live performance of prayer, reflection and music, where he played the piano in the church and sang Christmas carols and other meaningful songs, concluding the concert with “Ave Maria.”
“I meant for it to be inspirational and festive for parishioners to view, but so many people shared the video on Facebook,” he laughs. “About 3,000 people saw the video in 24 hours. I hadn’t played the piano in ages, so it was a bit nerve-racking. I said to myself this is prayer, and I wanted people to be drawn to the Lord.
“I was so surprised when from beginning to end I had played and reflected for an hour. My words were spontaneous, so it was providential. It was my offering to the Lord and God was wonderful. I was very overwhelmed and humbled by people’s response. People left me voicemails telling me how they were touched, found comfort and hope, and were connected to Christ, which brought tears to my eyes.”
To keep in communication with parishioners, Father Michael uses Facebook, a new website (with videos of weekday and Sunday Masses), myParish App, and livestream Masses. On Facebook, the parish also launched a new page called “Prayer Wall” where parishioners and their families can share their personal, special and specific prayer intentions. Some 90 followers are already participating.
During Advent, he also offered a two-day outdoor retreat at Stonyford on Facebook Live.
Father Michael is a graduate of St. Patrick’s Seminary, was ordained in 2010, and holds a licentiate of canon law from The Catholic University of America. He previously served in the Tribunal and as parochial vicar of St. John Vianney Parish in Rancho Cordova, St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Vallejo and St. Rose Parish in Roseville.
He credits his parish staff and some 600 parishioners at St. Monica for being “a source of great faith for me during this difficult time. My transition here couldn’t have been more easy, joyful and faith-filled because of these people who surround me with their faith. They’ve shown me how we can work together for our flock during a time of crisis. It’s their faith through this pandemic that’s helped me to keep moving forward. People are struggling in a lot of ways, but to see how they are enduring and being so dedicated to their ministries is inspiring.”
Elvira Lara, parish secretary, has been on the staff for the past five years. She is married to Deacon Joaquin Lara, who was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 2017, and they have seven children ranging in age from three to 20. Deacon Joaquin is in Jalisco, Mexico presently ministering in a parish after going to Mexico in 2018 to address immigration issues. He has remained there during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We learned in the diaconate program to be open to where the Holy Spirit leads us. So I reflect on that message and my own faith in God during this pandemic,” Elvira says. “My work is a ministry to serve our parish community and their needs, so we make the changes and adjustments we must. I’ve concentrated a lot of my efforts on communicating to the Spanish-speaking community, especially the elderly, by making phone calls and giving information to them in person if needed. Not having our ministries in person or the church being open affected people spiritually – it was so heartbreaking for many.”
Parishioners were joyful when churches opened up at 25 percent of capacity. “People wanted to come back with that joy of being present as the body of Christ,” she notes. “They long to keep growing spiritually, preparing their minds and hearts to continue serving our community. It’s in our darkest moments that we are tested, and if we aren’t prepared spiritually then the journey will be more difficult.”
Maribel Palomino, a member of the parish since age 8, has served in Hispanic ministry, and is director of religious education for the past seven years. As a single parent, she credits her mother, Teresa, and her daughter, Alexis, 11, for supporting her during the pandemic. “I am so grateful to God for my family and daughter,” she says, “and all those amazing persons who have helped me through the years, especially this year.”
When in person faith formation classes were cancelled she met with many students by phone and one-on-one (with safety precautions) to finish the year so they could receive their sacraments. She was nervous with all the changes and having to coordinate Mass outside. “But it was a great experience and I learned so many new things about myself and how many people I can rely on when in need,” she reflects. “I’m not a person who does well with changes and I tend to withdraw, but I focused on God and asked for his blessing to help me finish this process for the betterment of our children and our parish.”
Maribel’s faith kept her going by helping her focus on the importance of prayer and trusting in God’s will. “Having my church family and friends helped me immensely, but most of all my faith and love for God helped me pull through to continue my mission and continue to serve God. Relying on God’s word and knowing he has something better for me gives me hope to persevere in life and grow in my faith.”
She prays that “people follow regulations and trust in God and be kind to one another, especially since we don’t know what anyone is going through in their personal life. Lending a helping hand or smiling can change someone’s life or way of seeing the world. We are called to love one another and to treat others with kindness as God has treated us.”
Conway and Marianne Couto, lifelong parishioners of St. Monica who have been married for 13 years, say the pandemic “changed so many things so quickly.” They have four children: Carter, 10, Lane, 9, Emma, 7 and Luke, 2.
They especially missed not being able to attend Mass as a family on Sundays. “Our children missed out on activities such as faith formation classes and volunteering as altar servers,” Marianne notes. “It was a big change in routine for our family having to adjust not being able to do these things anymore.”
While living through a pandemic is stressful, they find many joys as well. They watched livestream Mass at home and received Communion afterward from Father Michael from their car. They helped organize a drive-through Vacation Bible School and Lane received his first Communion in an outdoor Mass after it was postponed. They found new home activities such as Catholic Family Crate and “The Bible in a Year” with Father Mike Schmitz. “We had extra family time and conversations we would not have had otherwise,” Marianne says. “One of our favorite memories was celebrating Holy Week in 2020 at home and making new family traditions.”
Their faith “brought us comfort to remember that despite this being a difficult year, that God is good and always will be,” Conway says. “It helped us to look for the good things that come from hard situations and to try and teach that idea to our kids as well.”
The Couto family looks forward to “getting back to some normalcy.” “We don’t know exactly what that will look like,” Marianne says. “We appreciate Father Michael and know that despite the limitations, he will continue to work hard to keep our parish community active and connected as he has done so far. Whether virtual or in person, we look forward to more of his musical performances!”
LEARN MORE
About St. Monica Parish in Willows at www.stmonicawillows.com.