By Andres Rivera
Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO—Three diocesan offices welcomed new leaders in July. Michael Shawver joined the Pastoral Center in the Social Concerns Office, Paulina Espinoza moved from the Office of Worship to lead the Office of Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation and Dr. José Antonio Medina began as director of the Office of Continuing Formation of Priests. 

 Few topics are as sensitive, important, or controversial as sex and how to plan the spacing and number of children in a family. Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a system for modern, healthy, scientifically accurate, natural, and reliable methods of family planning. When practiced correctly, NFP is as successful as the most effective artificial contraceptive or infertility treatment, while being much more respectful of women’s health and the relationship of husband and wife. 

 Natural Family Planning is also one of the best kept secrets of our time. The following are commonly held Myths about NFP and their Reality Check.

 Myth #1: NFP is just another name for Rhythm.

By David Okonkwo

 Celebration of Juneteenth is always a remembrance of an ugly past, and a new beginning at the same time. Juneteenth creates opportunities to tell, show and grow into our individual dream. At the same time it is a moment when we recall that it is also the dream of those who died without realizing their dream and that we who live today can realize not just their dreams but our own, as well. There was fun, jubilation and recognitions. There was something for all ages.

By Maria G. Covarrubias

SAN BERNARDINO—The diocesan Office of Catechetical Ministry (OCM) will be contributing regular articles pertaining to catechesis in the Inland Catholic Byte, called: This is our Faith; This is The Faith of The Church. “The content of faith is the heritage of the whole Church. It is our privilege and our responsibility to preserve the memory of Christ’s words and the words themselves and to teach future generations of believers to carry out all that Christ commanded his apostles.” (National Directory for Catechesis, USCCB, p.87).

By Sister Jennifer Nguyen, L.H.C.

 Kevin Tran was also known as Phi Dac Tran while he was growing up in Vietnam before the fall of Saigon in 1975. He was born in Da Nang, Vietnam on October 1, 1964, and he lived in Vietnam with his mother Day Thi Tran and his older sister, Hanh Ngoc Tran, until April 1975. 

 Like many other Vietnamese who, regardless of their social class or economic situation in 1975, fled their homes to find safety when the fall of Saigon was almost upon them, Kevin’s family was no different. Due to the gun fire, chaos in the streets, and uncertainties for thousands of Vietnamese including Kevin, he was somehow separated from his mother and older sister and found himself on a military helicopter. 

By Sister Sue Reif, O.S.F.

SAN BERNARDINO—During the past two years, the diocesan Office of Restorative Justice has been trying to find ways of reaching out and assisting people who have lost a loved one to murder.  The following testimonial narrates one of those cases: 

 “On a Saturday morning I was driving from Temecula to meet a friend of mine for lunch and a movie. I had just gotten on the freeway when my sister called to tell me that my brother, a police officer for Federal Way Police Department, Washington, had been shot. My brother would die a few hours later.