(Attended 10/09/24 WE @ 10:00am): Sorry St. Patrick, on this day we wore black to pay our final…read morerespects and laid to rest a strong Catholic woman in your church!
On this date, I helped put to rest a loving strong grandmother of a dear friend at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Ripon. This house of worship was her parish, so it only seemed fitting that her funeral service and eventual burial would take place here. For a time, "Noni" was a grandmother-in-law to me as I was married to one of her grandchildren. She, like most of my relatives, was always about feeding people, and she made wonderful authentic Italian food with a ton of butter, so I had no problem consuming whatever she put in front of me! I understood she was a very giving and loving woman to anyone who ever got caught in her orbit. Were we able to equally give back to her all that she gave in life as we gathered at St. Patrick's Church!?
EXPERIENCE
I was a pallbearer for my friend's grandmother's funeral, so once all of us arrived at the church, we were briefed by the mortuary staffers what our responsibilities were before the service and ceremony started. Once everything started, it was a straightforward Catholic service. The priest was respectful and showed patience as there were several elderly guests. About 1.5 hours later, the church service wrapped up, at which time the priest then led us to the onsite cemetery where my friend's grandmother was to be laid to her final resting spot. Once we arrived at the burial site, a few kind words were said, my pallbearer duties concluded, and everyone gave their last goodbyes and well-wishes. There wasn't much pomp and circumstance for this funeral service which was fine by me. It was simple while the weather was warm and inviting. "May you rest in peace, Noni; you treated me with respect and fed me well while we knew each other."
SERVICE
Aside from the mortuary staff, the priest, and altar boy, there really wasn't much else. Things appeared to run smoothly with the one exception of missing pallbearer gloves - amen!
PARKING (FREE)
They had their own medium lot - 'nuff said!
ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE
A medium-sized church with two sections filled with wooden pews and bibles, the altar was the focal point, and your usual assortment of Catholic decorations and effigies such as statues (e.g. The Virgin Mary, Jesus), the Stations Of The Cross, and definitely a more modern feel versus the more traditional feel of my own parish. Outside, there were also some statues https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=di_NBvR46q9mx7hW6CJtEQ that welcomed you in. The quaint onsite cemetery https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=GAAfjmqBpW2qcr3t-Vd5mw was very convenient on this occasion. Plenty of muted natural lighting came through the many stained-glass windows and doors while electric ceiling lights filled in the rest. There weren't any TVs or monitors like some modern churches I've experienced while hymnal music was sung and played in the background. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=QvFZ9W96CovKb4mAqelWoQ
ATTIRE
Out of respect for the occasion, I was in all-black long-sleeve buttoned-up collar shirt, dress slacks, and dress shoes.
OVERALL
Generally speaking, St. Patrick's Catholic Church https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=lEYSP2t5D2bVdGm1-60nYA was fine and it truly satisfied the needs of the occasion. From an aesthetics standpoint, it was a bit too modern for me; I guess I'm just so used to my parish which still held onto most of the traditional aspects of decor, prayer, etc. Again this was more of a personal thing and nothing else. I found very good value based on the service and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $0.00 BEFORE any discounts and/or tip). And, it was highly irrelevant whether or not they accepted my credit card of choice... AMEX! 4.0 STARS
