The Trinity Alps echoed with alleluias recently as parishioners of St. Patrick Church marked the 150th anniversary of the Catholic community in Weaverville.

People crowded into the small white church in the heart of town as Bishop William K. Weigand joined with Father Keith Cantebury, pastor, in concelebrating the vigil Mass on June 28.

The bishop asked God’s continued blessing on the determined people who have kept their faith alive in this rugged mountain community since the time when immigrants flooded Northern California in search of gold.

Priests in those early years trekked over rutted dirt trails to bring the sacraments to miners in remote areas. The roads are paved now, but St. Patrick’s pastor still goes over the mountains to serve Catholics at outlying missions: Holy Trinity Mission in Hayfork, St. Gilbert Mission in Lewiston, St. Thomas More Station in Mad River and Trinity Center Station.

Although there is no parochial vicar serving at St. Patrick, permanent deacon Everett Layne helps with Communion services, especially in Mad River.

On the morning following the celebration in Weaverville, Bishop Weigand made pastoral visits and celebrated Mass at the mission churches in both Hayfork and Lewiston.

Father Canterbury isn’t bothered by the great distances he routinely travels within Trinity County.

“I love being here,” he said. “This isn’t isolation, this is paradise.”

But paradise went up in flames several times during the parish’s history as parishioners watched four churches burn before the present one was built in 1924.

“We were big with candles back then,” parishioner Glynda Hronesh said, adding that the current insurance policy prohibits votive candles in the wooden structure.

When Father Canterbury discovered that there was virtually no information about the parish in the diocesan archives, Hronesh shared his dismay. Five years ago she began compiling a history. At the dinner in the parish hall after the vigil liturgy, she presented the bishop with a copy of the recently completed “St. Patrick’s Parish Story” to be placed in the diocese’s permanent records.

“It helped that our local newspaper has been in print since 1856. If I had a question about the veracity of something I would check with the paper,” said the retired legal secretary who turned into an ecclesiastical history sleuth.

She also consulted with Jesuit Father William Breault, archivist for the diocese. “If I reached a dead end, I’d call him for help,” she said.

She delighted in talking about Father Martin Schwenninger, a Benedictine priest from Austria who became known as Father Florian shortly after being appointed in 1853 as the first priest to minister to the Catholics of Trinity County.

He walked over the mountains tugging a pack mule along behind him because he didn’t like to ride. Famous for his love of art, he once made the trip carrying a 17th century painting of the crucifixion on his back.

“He wrote about it in letters to the monastery in Austria and I’ve got copies of them,” Hronesh said, noting that they were written in German so she had them translated.

The Sisters of Mercy of Grass Valley, who once served in Weaverville, took numerous pictures of previous pastors that were reproduced and displayed during the anniversary celebration.

Among the other resources she used in her research were: “Between the Lines,” a history of the Catholic Church in Shasta County and Redding, compiled by Veronica Satorius; “Hallowed Were the Gold Dust Trails: The Story of the Pioneer Priests of Northern California,” by Jesuit Father Henry L. Walsh; and “Condemned to the Mines, the Life of Eugene O’Connell, 1815-1891, Pioneer Bishop of Northern California and Nevada,” by John T. Dwyer.

Vitally important as sources were the parishioners who recounted their memories of the parish to Hronesh, a recent arrival to Weaverville. They brought pictures along with their stories, providing a wealth of information as the parish tried to determine who was buried in the cemetery by the church.

The wooden grave markers and the church records were destroyed in the fires, Hronesh said.

She especially relied on the excellent memories of the three Rourke sisters: Dorothy Rourke Goodyear, Agnes Rourke Marshall, and Margaret Rourke Miller. The lifelong Trinity County residents were able to identify numerous persons interred in the cemetery as the parish secretary, Deanna de Antoni, compiled names to replace the records destroyed by fire.

Dorothy Goodyear felt a sense of satisfaction that she and her sisters could help the parish identify persons whose names disappeared when flames swept through the burial site.

But there still are many lost graves, she said during a recent interview.

She spent her childhood in Hayfork before moving to Weaverville. The priest only made the difficult journey across the mountain to Hayfork about once a month for Mass and instructions. But her parents taught the children their prayers and catechism lessons.

“I guess I always knew that we are the church, and we’re responsible for nurturing our own faith,” she said.

Her grandmother grew up in Ireland where she received a solid education in a convent school before she emigrated to California and eventually died here.

“I just figured she was up in heaven praying for us, and that’s one reason why we kept our faith,” she said.

Tenderly recalling that long stretch of history, she rolled off in a soft, steady cadence the names of her many relatives buried in the cemetery. Then the emotion of those memories caught up with her, and she paused.

“It means a great deal to us, just thinking of it,” she said, trying to explain the significance of St. Patrick’s 150th anniversary for those whose parish and family roots run deep.

Hronesh concurred, saying that these occasions are a good time for individual families and for parishes as a whole to remember and record their past.

“There’s a lot of history being lost,” she said.

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