AS GARY MICALETTI figures it, it takes about 15 minutes by car to get to basically anywhere around his main stomping grounds of north Orange County.
He, his wife, Cynthia, and their only child, daughter Francesca, 16, usually spend that time wisely: reciting the Rosary or other Catholic devotions such as the Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel or the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Folks that know the Micalettis at their parish, St. Martin de Porres in Yorba Linda, wouldn’t be surprised to hear that.
GARY AND CYNTHIA MICALETTI POSE WITH THEIR DAUGHTER, FRANCESCA, AT THEIR BUSINESS, JMJ’S CATHOLIC STORE. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Francesca, a senior altar server, not only is a familiar face on Sundays but also at almost all daily Masses. Her parents have been operating the JMJ’s Catholic Store in neighboring Placentia for nearly eight years – providing a hub for the faithful to purchase a dizzying array of items for themselves or as gifts.
“The Micalettis are faithful people, loving the Lord and doing their best to serve Him,” said Msgr. Stephen Doktorczyk, local secretary at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., who got to know the family when he was pastor of St. Martin’s before he moved to the nation’s capital in 2024.
“For them to open a Catholic book and gift store required much trust in the Lord,” Msgr. Doktorczyk added. “They want their customers to encounter Christ, and they take time to speak with them.”
When Msgr. Doktorczyk was pastor at St. Martin’s, the Micalettis sometimes would refer returning Catholics to him for assistance with marriage nullity paperwork or healing and deliverance.
“Running the bookstore is a ministry for them,” Msgr. Doktorczyk said. “The personal touch and genuine interest they have in others is something that one will not find on Amazon or other online vendors.
“For her part,” he added, “Francesca generously serves at the altar, taking her duties seriously. As she gained experience, she would gently train younger servers, never in a bossy or threatening way, but with kindness and encouragement.”
FAITH RESTORED
Gary and Cynthia met in 2006. When they started dating, Gary, who was baptized a Catholic, had for years been inactive in his faith. Cynthia, who immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2002, had rediscovered her faith. The couple married a year after meeting and about a year after they wed Gary returned to the Catholic Church. For 20 years, Gary had been working at the Commerce Casino as a pit boss, overseeing dealers and floor supervisors at the gambling mecca.
“I prayed for him to leave his job,” Cynthia said with a laugh.
Her prayer was answered shortly after Cynthia took the lead in opening JMJ’s Catholic Store in 2018. Gary took a month off to help her open the store, but he never returned to his casino job.
“It was too toxic there,” he explained.
A DEVOTED SERVER
For Francesca, church always has been central to her life. Prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, she was an honors student at St. Paul of the Cross in La Mirada. Her parents started and continue to homeschool her through the Catholic-focused Seton Home Study School program. Being homeschooled has allowed Francesca, who is in the 11th grade, to become such a devoted and reliable altar server.
“It makes me appreciate the Mass more and I also appreciate the graces I receive for serving,” said Francesca, an altar server for five years, who also is a member of her church’s youth leadership group.
FRANCESCA MICALETTI HOLDS THE ROMAN MISSAL AS CLERGY CELEBRATE MASS.
Outside of church and school, Francesca, who has a black belt in taekwondo, loves reading mystery novels. Math, science and history are her favorite subjects, and she plans to study mechanical engineering in college.
Deacon Denis Zaun said having Francesca serve at daily morning Mass “adds an element of reverence and distinctiveness to each liturgy.”
Added the deacon: “She is very experienced and knowledgeable and manages variation in the liturgies well. She also is an excellent trainer and mentor for new altar servers.”
Fr. Bruce Patterson, pastor of St. Martin’s, calls Francesca “a great blessing to our community.”
He continued: “She faithfully serves at Mass with a cheerful and reverent disposition, so much so that several of our senior parishioners express their appreciation for her. More than once, I’ve heard them say that she gives them hope for the future of the Church.”
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Like most new businesses, JMJ’s Catholic Store — formerly a space occupied by a massage parlor and tucked between a Vietnamese dress shop and an outdoor fountain retailer in a small strip mall — struggled at first.
The local community and beyond has since embraced it, with Diocese of Orange leaders, including Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Freyer, stopping by to shop and bless the store. The store’s name, of course, is an acronym for “Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”
Asked if God provides him and his wife with a nice salary, Gary quipped:
“Yes, but it’s a deferred payment.”