“To be with people from all over the world celebrating our faith as a church, that is what Jesus intended,” Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego said. “These saints are not only a gift to the Church, but a gift to their respective countries as well.”
Bishop Gerald Barnes appointed Bishop del Riego the representative from the diocese for the canonization ceremony. While this is not the first time Bishop del Riego has attended a ceremony such as this, he looks forward to joining thousands of other Catholic faithful in celebrating the new saints to the Church.
Bishop del Riego will join a group of pilgrims from St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish, Riverside following the canonization to celebrate a Mass with them at the Basilica of St. Peter near the tomb of St. Peter.
A group of parishioners will be going from Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Beaumont and Banning, headed by Father Joseph Nguyen, pastor of the parish. The group will embark on a 10-day pilgrimage beginning Oct. 14. Aside from the canonization ceremony in Rome, the group will be able to tour other sights of historic significance.
“We will be able to see religious sites that we hear about so many times in our lives,” Father Nguyen said. “We will need to open our minds and hearts to the opportunity and see what comes to us.”
In preparation for the pilgrimage, many have been reviewing the soon-to-be saints’ histories, reflecting on how the saints can inspire themselves and their community.
“Blessed Kateri is a good example of having deep faith in difficult circumstances, especially for the youth,” Bishop del Riego said. “They have to deal with many difficulties but that cannot prevent them from having a deep faith and being called to be a saint, if that is what God chooses.”
Some Rome-bound pilgrims believe they were called to be a part of the historic event.
“In the way that all the things have come together I feel like I’ve been invited by Kateri herself,” said Enrique Gonzales, a parishioner at St. Joseph Mission, San Jacinto.
Gonzales was making plans to attend the National Kateri Conference this year with Father Earl Henley, M.S.C. in August but was having difficulty finding a way to make the trip east.
On a whim, he decided to check on transportation to Rome for the canonization and was surprised to find it as a viable possibility. Together Fr. Henley and Gonzales secured lodging and will be able to meet with other groups and individuals from the diocese who will be present.
“My wish is that the elders that introduced Blessed Kateri to us when we were little would be alive to be able to see this,” said Roselee Palacios, a parishioner at St. Mary Chapel in Banning. “I know in their hearts they knew it would happen one day.”
Palacios will be attending the canonization with her granddaughter who will be turning 17 while in Rome.
“I am over excited about going to the canonization with my granddaughter,” Palacios said.