DIOCESE HOLDS 4TH ANNUAL CARE FOR CREATION DAY
The Diocese’s Laudato Si Committee, in collaboration with the Office of Catholic Schools, held the 4th Annual Care for Creation Day on Oct. 2 at Notre Dame High School in Riverside. The purpose of the Care for Creation Day is to offer participants an opportunity to take action to care for the Earth and to reflect on how we can continue to implement the message of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. This year, the event’s primary participants were Catholic school students. During the event, students prayed, reflected, learned and participated in environmentally friendly actions.
FIVE AWARDED IN ANNUAL WHITE MASS
The Diocese honored five healthcare workers during the annual White Mass, held at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral on Oct. 17. Bishop Alberto Rojas celebrated the Mass and gave out the awards to five exceptional members of the medical community. Below are the winners.
St. Teresa of Calcutta Award: Lyda Beluso, RN
Bishop Award: Chioma Peace Okonkwo
St. Luke Award: Dr. Joseph Yi, MD
Florence Nightingale Award: Sharon Crowder, RN
St. Damien of Molokai Award: Sister Terry Maher, C.P.P.S.
FOUR HONORED AT RED MASS
On Oct. 7, the Diocese held its 30th Annual Red Mass in honor of individuals in the legal community. Each year the St. Thomas More Award and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Award are given to exemplary members of this community. This year, Sophia Choi (center) and the Honorable Ronald Gilbert (right) were presented with the St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Award. The Honorable Michael Sachs (left) and the Honorable John Vineyard (not pictured) were presented with the St. Thomas More Award.
FR. TRAN, FR. OSPINA OSPINA RECEIVE NEW APPOINTMENTS
Father Duy John Tran, SVD (left), has been appointed as Administrator of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Rialto for a term of 3 years, effective Oct. 11. The Society of Divine Word made this appointment, which was confirmed by Bishop Alberto Rojas, in light of the recent and sudden resignation of Father Anthaiah “Anthony” Madanu, SVD. Fr. Madanu has suffered recent health issues and, in consultation with his doctor and religious community, he will return to his native India for a health sabbatical. Father Alexander Alonso Ospina Ospina (right) has been appointed as Parochial Vicar of Corpus Christi Parish in Corona for a term of 3 years, effective Oct. 11. Fr. Ospina Ospina comes to the Diocese of San Bernardino from his home Archdiocese of Medellin in Colombia.
PARISHES BLESS PETS ON FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Last month, parishes around the Diocese celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi by blessing parishioners’ dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and more. “Our animals are here because we love them,” said Deacon John De Gano, who presided over the ceremony at St. Catherine of Alexandria in Riverside (center). “We go in peace glorifying the Lord with our pets,” he said at the conclusion of the blessing. Also pictured are Father Gregory Elder, Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Palm Desert (left) and Father Carlos Martinez, Administrator of St. Martha in Murrieta (right).
ST. MARGARET MARY GETS NEW PASTOR, SHRINE
Bishop Alberto Rojas installed Father Restituto “Resti” Galang, M.S.P. (left of Bishop Rojas, in a green chasuble), as Pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Chino during a Mass on Oct. 17. Bishop Rojas also blessed a new shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at the parish. The church’s original statue of Our Lady of Fatima was vandalized in 2019, when the statue was beheaded. (Photo on the left courtesy of the Chino Champion)
ST. CHARLES BORROMEO BREAKS GROUND ON NEW ADDITION
On Sept. 29, the parish community of St. Charles Borromeo in Bloomington broke ground on a new kitchen and hall. The 2,600 square foot addition will take about seven months to complete. Pictured is Father Oscar Muñoz-Martinez, M.S.P., Parochial Vicar at St. Charles, surrounded by members of the parish community.
FR. LICZNERSKI INSTALLED AS PASTOR OF NEEDLES PARISH
Father Henry Licznerski, C.R. (right), was installed as Pastor at St. Ann in Needles on Oct. 24 during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Alberto Rojas (left). Formerly, Fr. Licznerski was the Pastor of St. Joan of Arc in Blythe.
DIOCESAN EMPLOYEES VENERATE ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI RELIC
Diocesan employees working at the Diocesan Pastoral Center (DPC) were given a chance to venerate a first-class relic of St. Francis Assisi on Oct. 4, the Saint’s Feast Day. Due to COVID-19 precautions, employees did not physically venerate the relic, but were able to view the relic displayed on the altar of the DPC chapel and use it for prayer. A first-class relic is a physical part of a saint, such as a bone or hair, approved by the Church for prayer and veneration. The relic of St. Francis of Assisi was donated to the DPC by Father Robert J. Erikson, KCHS, a priest of the Diocese who passed away in 2017.
BISHOPS JOIN EQUESTRIAN ORDER OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE OF JERUSALEM IN ANNUAL GATHERING
Bishop Alberto Rojas and Bishop Emeritus Gerald Bishop Barnes joined the Western Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (EOHSJ) for their Annual Meeting on Oct. 1-4, held this year in Las Vegas. The EOHSJ is a worldwide organization whose members devote themselves to personal sanctification and providing support for Christians in the Holy Land, and the Western Lieutenancy includes the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the dioceses of Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Tucson, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Honolulu.
Bishop Emeritus Barnes has been a member of the order since 1993 and last received the Gold Palm award, the highest honor for members. A reception area at the newly constructed Cardinal Foley Hall at Bethlehem University has been named in Bishop Barnes’ honor. Bishop Rojas will be invested to the Order at the next gathering in September 2022. (Photo courtesy of Tony Amat Photography)
BISHOP ROJAS CELEBRATES MASS WITH MAYAN COMMUNITIES ON FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
On the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Oct. 4, Bishop Alberto Rojas celebrated Mass with the Mayan communities of the Diocese at Corpus Christi Parish in Corona. The members of the community wore their native attire and welcomed Bishop Rojas joyfully. Bishop Rojas emphasized that St. Francis knew how to find God in all of creation and encouraged the Mayan families to see their own dignity as human persons, as part of God’s creation.
Once the Mass had ended, the Quiché families spent some time in fellowship thanking Bishop Rojas and expressing to him their desire to continue to serve. For his part, Bishop Rojas made a commitment to support the ministerial development of the indigenous communities in the Diocese.