Congratulations to Father Leonard Trindade and members of the Our Lady of Miracles Parish as they celebrate that the church is now considered a “Diocesan Shrine” and will know be known as Our Lady of Miracles Shrine.

Father Leonard submitted an application to Bishop Steinbock to name the church a shrine since so many people from out of the area frequent the church during the celebration of Our Lady.

The application process was quite lengthy. Father Leonard implored the help of parish members to gather supporting documents, photos, news articles and other forms of witness to the number of people who come to Gustine to pay homage to Our Lady.

It is no small feat to be named a diocesan shrine and Father Leonard is to be commended for his efforts. Members of the parish can be proud to be a part of such a wonderful event.

It is perfect timing as preparations are currently underway for the upcoming celebration to be held September 5-15.

We will bring you more information about the naming of the shrine in the upcoming weeks.

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The first of the month is always a joyful day around my office as the employees celebrate getting paid – so this first of the month fell on a Tuesday, better known as production day and it also fell on the day that the new cell phone law took effect. It was a pretty busy day around here on Tuesday.

The new law has been talked about a lot the past few weeks and everyone should be pretty familiar with the fact that you cannot use your cell phone while driving a vehicle unless you have a “handsfree” device such as a Bluetooth headset. While I’m not crazy about seeing people walking around with this thing sticking out of their ear, I believe that it will beneficial for people like me who own a vehicle with a stick shift. Not a pretty sight to hold the wheel, change gears and hold a phone to carry on a conversation at the same time!

What this law can’t do though, is make people pay attention to the road while they are driving. That is something that no law can make happen and frankly that’s more important than anything else.

So while you may have a hand free now, don’t think you can fill it with something else that takes your concentration away from the road around you!

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Perseverance certainly paid of in a big way for the Yosemite Community College District as they recently accepted a gift of 10 acres of land in Patterson to building a satellite campus for Modesto Junior College.

Just a few years ago a Patterson land developer had proposed a donation 28 acres of land and the deal never seemed to come to fruition and certainly had a few strings attached to it. The district backed away from that proposal and certainly came out the winner with the this new piece of land.

The two families who donated the land: Jon and Tami Maring and Lee and Debbie Del Don need to be commended for their commitment to the education of our West Side youth. The Marings and Del Dons were also generous contributors to the Golden Valley Health Center in Newman and support many other clubs, organizations and projects throughout the West Side. It certainly is wonderful to see residents who give back so unselfishly.

Many graduates from Gustine and Newman attend Modesto Junior College to further their education – with this new satellite campus so close to home, it will make it much more convenient for them and others to attend classes. This was certainly a win-win situation!

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Fun and fireworks are on tap for Fourth of July in Gustine. Celebration chairmen, Mike and Judi Gandy, have been hard at work with their dozens of volunteers, to put together festivities that will be enjoyed by young and old alike. After working on the Newman Fall Festival for a number of years, I know just how many people it takes to put together an event like the Fourth of July – it’s a lot!! Gustine citizens are VERY proud of their Fourth of July and it is evident in everything that they do. Our hats are off to everyone who works so hard so that the rest of us can have a fun-filled day!

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