By Abraham Joven
On January 10th, the Diocese of San Bernardino will continue its tradition of celebrating and honoring the contribution of immigrants to the local Church by holding its annual Migrant Mass.
The 3 p.m. Mass will be celebrated by Coadjutor Bishop Alberto Rojas at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino. Per COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, the Mass will be celebrated in the courtyard area of the parish and will be livestreamed.
The focal point for this Mass will be to highlight the various ways people have made their homes here within San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The Diocese is rich with people hailing from across the globe and with families who’ve built deep ties within parish communities over generations.
The Migrant Mass will highlight these stories in an effort to show our common bond.
The theme of unity will be especially welcomed after a year of pandemic and divisive rhetoric in society on issues of race. This Mass serves as a bridge as well as a deep reminder that the Church transcends human division and that the God of love and mercy freely dispenses both to all who come to Him.
Bishop Rojas, who will be celebrating this Mass for the first time, has, himself, made journeys in service of God’s call on his way to the Church of San Bernarino. Bishop’s experience is but one that reflects the story of migration within the Diocese of Sam Bernardino.
Please join us via livestream as the Diocese celebrates the myriad ways people have come to call this Diocese home.
Abraham Joven is the Director of the Office of Advocacy for the Diocese of San Bernardino.