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February 8, 2021

Photo of the Week:

All Saints University Parish in Turlock has gotten creative in how they plan to reach their parish goal for BMA this year. On February 14th at 3:00 p.m. they are hosting a BMA Drive Thru Drop Off. The first 200 cars to drop off their BMA donation, get a mug and they get entered into a raffle for some great prizes! Keep up the good work All Saints!

Office of the Bishop:

Bishop Cotta's February Reflection

English

Spanish

California Catholic Conference of Bishops Celebrates 50 Years

This year the CCC celebrates its 50^th anniversary. For a half-century, it has sought to apply the principles of Catholic Social Teaching – the common good, protection of the vulnerable, respect for human life and dignity – to legislation. California’s 11 million Catholics are nearly a third of the state’s population, and the bishops learn directly about critical needs from a network of more than 1,100 parishes, 41 Catholic hospitals, 36 healthcare centers, and 181 social service centers.

Office of Vicar for Priests:

Remembering

Fr. Francisco Javier Campechano Mendez

Fr. Francisco passed onto the Lord on on January 29, 2021.

Fr. Campechano was ordained for our diocese on January 14, 1995 and served as parochial vicar in Our Lady of Fatima, Modesto; St. Frances of Rome, Riverbank; St. Joachim, Newman; St. Gertrude, Stockton; St. Bernard, Tracy; St. Anne, Lodi; and as pastor in St. George, Stockton.

Because of ill health Fr. Campechano returned to his family in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara in 2011. In spite of the ravages of diabetes, he has offered his ministry in a number of parishes in the archdiocese.

In your charity, please commend Fr. Campechano to the Lord and remember his sister, Teresa, and his family in your prayer.

Catholic Schools:

Catholic Schools Are Beating COVID-19

Last week the Diocese of Stockton is celebrated Catholic Schools Week, a National, week long event celebrating the values that Catholic Schools offer families which are Faith, Excellence and Service. The celebration takes on even more meaning this year for Catholic Schools in the Central Valley as they continue to serve families in more ways than one due to the pandemic.

Catholic kindergarten through sixth grade classes in the Central Valley were able to resume school last Fall due to waivers granted by County Public Health officials and higher grades opened while the counties were in the red tier and have been allowed to stay open since. “The waivers have allowed us to keep our doors open to families while other public schools are still conducting online learning,” says Marian Graham, Director for Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Stockton. The diocesan school system, which encompasses 11 elementary schools and 2 high schools, is welcoming new families who prefer in person learning. “It’s hard to imagine that long-term, online learning won’t have effects on this generation of learners. We are making every effort to ensure that we provide an environment that nurtures spiritual, academic and emotional growth. We are happy to offer an alternative to the community no matter their faith,” says Graham.

The diocesan school system takes safety protocols very seriously which makes classrooms and facilities look different. All schools also offer an online alternative for families.

In the Central Valley the diocese offers Catholic education to the communities of Stockton, Lodi, Modesto, Turlock, Tracy, Patterson and Manteca. Schools in each community will continue open enrollment to make sure that in person learning is an option to every family who desires it. To learn more about school admissions, please click here.

Celebrating Years of Service

Each year the Diocese of Stockton celebrates milestones in Catholic education. This year we acknowledge the following for celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 or 35 years of service.

Click here to view

Development & Stewardship Office:

BMA 2021 – Moving Forward In Gratitude and Hope: Together As One

In gratitude and hope, our diocese continues to serve our parish and school communities throughout our region. From providing virtual religious formation courses, coordinating live streamed Masses and online giving, and assisting to secure Paycheck Protection Program loans (PPP), we remain committed in providing specialized services and programs to strengthen the ministries of our entire Diocese.

The support of God’s people is needed to ensure that these critical ministries continue to serve our parish communities throughout our great Diocese of Stockton.

Give online! It is safe, secure, and convenient. Below is a link to the BMA online giving page.

Give now

Office of Liturgy & Worship:

Mass for World Day of the Sick

Join Bishop Cotta for a live streamed Mass commemorating the World Day of the Sick, on Thursday, February 11^th at 11:30am. The World Day of the Sick was instituted by St. John Paul II and is observed annually on the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. View the Mass at annunciationstockton.org. Please also see the message of Pope Francis for the World Day of the Sick 2021 -http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/sick/documents/papa-francesco_20201220_giornata-malato.html

Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday, you may encounter an unfamiliar way of distributing ashes. While in the US and some other countries we are accustomed to receiving the ashes in a cross on our foreheads, in many places the faithful receive ashes by having them sprinkled over the crown of the head. This has been suggested by the Vatican as a particularly appropriate way to distribute ashes during the pandemic, since it involves no physical contact. Pastors might also choose to impose ashes on the forehead using cotton swabs as an additional option. Whatever way ashes are given, the idea is that we are ‘putting on ashes’ as a sign of penance and sorrow for our sins as we enter into the season of Lent. Learn more at stocktondiocese.org/ash-wednesday

Year of St. Joseph

On December 8^th, 2020, Pope Francis declared a Year of St. Joseph, commemorating 150 years since Bl. Pope Pius IX declared the saint the patron of the universal Church. As part of our commemoration of this year, Bishop Cotta will make a special consecration of our diocese to St. Joseph on March 19^th, St. Joseph’s feast day. To prepare for this event, we are beginning a 33-day period of preparation, beginning Monday, February 15^th. Please visit https://stocktondiocese.org/year-of-st-joseph for prayer, readings, and resources. In Spanish, https://stocktondiocese.org/san-jose-2021

Marriage & Family Life:

National Marriage Week

(Feb. 7th - 14th)

The annual observance National Marriage Week is a time to reflect on the gift marriage to our Church and our country.

It is also an encouragement for married couples to reflect on their own marriages.

Here are some suggested activities:

Listen to Marriage Unique for a Reason’s Made for Love Podcast, which tells the stories of real people living out the call to love.
Spend a little dedicated time in prayer and reflection by participating in a Seven-day At-Home Retreat focused on marriage (available in pdf in English and Spanish).
Pray a Rosary for Married Couples and Families led by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Head of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth. It will be live-streamed on Wednesday, February 10, at 11:00 am PT on the For Your Marriage Facebook Page.
Listen to Conversation on Fatherhood and Spousal Love – live-streamed discussion between the associate director for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, Fr. Daniel Hanley, and the director of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, Mr. Dominic Lombardi. It will be live-streamed on Friday, February 12, at 11:00 am PT on the For Your Marriage Facebook Page.

Life & Dignity:

Parish Action Guide for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Continue highlighting the sanctity of human life through the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord! This solemnity helps us to recognize the gift of new life from its very beginning. It calls us to reflect on how we are to care for, protect, and welcome new life, as the Blessed Mother did for the Christ child.

To help celebrate this solemnity, sample timelines, homily helps, announcements, activities, and more are provided by going to our web site on Life & Dignity under Pro Life Resources or directly to Respect Life Action Guide. You can adapt these resources as needed to fit your specific parish, school, or ministry. It is also a great occasion to discover more deeply what it means to live the Gospel of Life through the study guide and compendium of Evangelium Vitae found on our Life & Dignity page.

The upcoming anniversary of Evangelium vitae on March 25 is a great occasion to invite parishioners to discover more deeply what it means to live the Gospel of life.