The warmth and friendly spirit found at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, located at 8400 Old Redwood Highway, extends far beyond the town’s boundaries.
“Whoever has love in their hearts and for one another is welcome to come and enjoy our fellowship and experience God’s love,” says Pastor Michaelraj Philominsamy.
He said there is a strong sense of community engagement and involvement among Our Lady’s 3,000 members — including many that attend here from areas outside of the Windsor parish.
Pastor Philominsamy came to the U.S. from India and served initially as pastor of the Philo and Ft. Bragg Catholic churches before coming to Windsor in 1991. The California region, from Santa Rosa to Crescent City, is part of the Diocese of Santa Rosa. Named in honor of St. Rose of Lima, this diocese comprises the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma.
“As fellow human beings, we recognize and respect the beliefs of others and have a prayer garden open for everyone to use. Regardless of your choice among many denominations, we all have things in common that unite us, especially in times of trouble.”
Pastor Philominsamy referred to the tragedy of 9/11, earthquakes and the October 2017 firestorm as examples of events where everyone needed help.
“As Americans, many of us think we can do anything and can’t fail. During a major disaster or crisis, we learn that we just can’t just rely on ourselves. We have to accommodate each other, come together to share resources, offer comfort, support and a helping hand.”
He said, “A few of our parishioners lost homes and jobs in the fires and we were here to support them. In fact, people brought us so much food we had to take it to the Finley Community Center shelter for distribution.”
“We are growing rapidly and have a space problem — especially for our kids. On feast days there are no seats left in the church, so we open the adjacent Agatha Furth Center and provide a video link so everyone can watch the mass and share the experience.”
To serve a wide range of needs, some 72 ministries focus on four key areas: teaching, feeding, healing and praying. There are related development and self-improvement programs ranging from providing food for the hungry to clothing distributions, assistance with immigration issues, tax preparation aid, and most recently, a special emergency program that helped to pay for rent and electricity for those who lost homes in the fires.
Other projects include providing backpacks for school children plus a variety of activities for youth of all ages. In addition, there are weight reduction classes, and sessions for those striving to cope with drug and alcohol abuse and other addiction issues.
“There’s something happening virtually every day. In addition to religious services, we have a food pantry, operated by Barbara Stevens, providing 100 or more families with bags of fresh produce and other nutritional items every Saturday morning starting at 8 a.m. at the building in back of the church. Members also take food to seniors’ homes or volunteer at Catholic Charities, with the Knights of Columbus and with St. Vincent de Paul to help take care of the homeless and those less fortunate,” he said.
Separate bilingual (Spanish and English) Sunday morning services are held for members and guests. Masses are scheduled at 9 a.m. on Sunday (English) and at 12:30 p.m. (Spanish) with a Sunday morning coffee gathering at 10 a.m. between these services.
A communion service is held at 9 a.m. on Mondays, and a bilingual mass takes place at 9 a.m. from Tuesday through Friday. On Saturday, an English mass is held at 5 p.m. and a Spanish mass at 7 p.m. Confessions are heard at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.
Religious education is a top priority. The curriculum includes catechism classes, adult education scripture studies and religious education confirmation classes held at various times throughout the week, along with marriage and family life classes.
For more information, contact the parish office Monday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from Tuesday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 837-8962. Send emails to [email protected] or visit the parish website: www.olgwindsor.org.
Gary Quackenbush is a Windsor resident and writer with his own public relations consultancy. He is the founder of the Windsor Care Network and a former CEO of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at [email protected].
