At 3 in the morning on Sunday, Aug. 24, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook Napa Valley, Calif. — its reverberations were felt all the way to Marin County and Sacramento. It was the strongest quake in 25 years.

The Gospel reading on that calamitous day was Matthew 16: Jesus tells St. Peter that he is the rock on which the Church is built. Though the earthquake has devastated property and caused injuries, local Catholics’ faith remains as stable as that rock, as local clergy and Catholics alike attest.

Msgr. Gerard Brady’s parish, St. Thomas Aquinas, is in southwest Napa, not far from the earthquake’s epicenter on Milton Road.  

He said that his church only suffered broken dishes and glasses in the social hall. Msgr. Brady commented, “There was very little damage. We’re very fortunate.” He is accustomed to earthquakes because he was born in the Bay Area. 

Msgr. Brady is grateful that the church wasn’t damaged. “There’s always Providence,” he observed. He said that he doesn’t know of parishioners who need help, but that the parish is offering help to parishioners who are hurt or homeless.

Father Robert Castro is a chaplain at Napa State Hospital, which didn’t have much damage, despite its closeness to the epicenter. However, at his north Napa home, the Christ Child’s head from his St. Anthony of Padua statue is missing, and there is lots of broken glass. 

“I’m going over to the hospital [Queen of the Valley, another hospital he ministers at], visiting patients, listening to confessions and giving Communion,” Father Castro said. “The earthquake hit pretty hard.” 

However, he is relieved there was no loss of life, saying, “The Lord is good, isn’t he?”

In north Napa, St. Joseph’s Religious Gifts didn’t fare well either. 

“The earthquake was horrible,” said owner Joseph Sciambra. “I lost about half my inventory. I lost a lot of expensive, breakable stuff. I did lose some books, because of the holy water [nearby],” which spilled on the reading material. 

He doesn’t know when he’ll be finished with repairs. In the meantime, he has also been helping the Carmelites in Oakville, because they were hit hard as well. 

Sciambra observed, “People have been very good. Other Catholic stores have been helping me out with a cash register and displays.”

 

A Scene of Devastation

Elsewhere in Napa, staff arrived at a scene of devastation at Kolbe Academy, Home School and Online Academy. Bookshelves were collapsed, and books were everywhere.

Everett Buyarski, academic adviser department director, said, “There was a lot of cleaning. It would’ve been worse if people had been there. A few light fixtures broke.”

On Wednesday after the quake, Kolbe was fully in business. However, orientation for online classes has been moved to next week. Buyarski said that it was miraculous that the school’s larger-than-life crucifix survived; the gigantic statue stayed firm, despite the earth-rattling ordeal.

“All damage was superficial,” Buyarski said. “We feel grateful we were preserved. We’re thankful for God’s protection."

In downtown Napa, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church was hit, too — the rectory collapsed — but the pastor, Father Ismael Mora, is thankful no one died. “Thank God there was no loss of human life.” He said that some of his parishioners were hurt, unfortunately.

Father Mora is relieved and grateful. He will be staying at the St. Thomas Aquinas rectory, which has given him perspective: “Now I know how it feels like to be homeless.” 

On Sunday morning, due to safety concerns, he canceled all Masses, as an avalanche of tiles fell within the sanctuary. 

There have been outdoor daily Masses in the evenings, held at the playground for Puertos Abiertas, a Hispanic community resource center. The church school is currently being cleaned, and engineers are inspecting it for safety. Damage is estimated at $2 million.

Amid the devastation, Father Mora has seen the earthquake bring out solidarity within the Napa community: “When humankind goes through this, we show what we are. We are not Protestant and Catholic. There is love shining through our brothers and sisters. We have the heart and the will to get out of this.” 

He feels inspired by the parishioners who come to pray outside of the church — and those who have a cup of coffee to give. “When someone offers you coffee, it’s the best cup of coffee in the world.”

 

‘The Solid Rock of Faith’

St. Apollinaris Parish also celebrated outdoor Masses last Sunday — among the roses of Cleary Park, which is on the campus of St. Apollinaris, behind the church and parish social hall — due to safety concerns about the sanctuary. (St. Apollinaris is a Roman martyr who was a companion of St. Peter.)

Father William Donahue said that the park was full at the 5:30 pm Mass. “It’s a lovely setting, a beautiful space. It had a calming effect on the parish community.” 

Daily Masses in the sanctuary resumed after Monday’s inspection, which found the damage to be solely cosmetic. 

St. Apollinaris School was back in session on Wednesday. The only major damage was to the gym complex, which has been “red-tagged” and placed off limits.

Father Donahue reported that most people whose homes were hit were on the west side of town and that families are helping each other in the aftermath of the quake.

Father Donahue found the Matthew 16 reading fitting for the Sunday quake: “It’s a wonderful reading. The Gospels always have a way of being appropriate. It’s powerful and symbolic about the universal Church. It’s about the solid rock of faith on which we build our lives.”

The earthquake also made the priest aware of his dependence on materials goods, as he experienced an 18-hour power outage. “We’re dependent on ephemeral things,” he observed. “Once all of that [technology] is cut, you can feel alone. It can disappear in a puff of smoke.”

But that disconnect from things makes one aware of one’s relationship to people, he added. “On the other hand, you can feel connected with your parish community.”

Father Donahue grew up in Petaluma, so he understands tremors. As he observed, “Pastors in California respect earthquakes; there’s a great deal of belief in Providence,” and then he repeated his earlier insight: “It’s all about the rock of faith on which we build our lives.”

Anna Abbott writes from Napa, California.