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March 15, 2021

Photo of the Week:

March is a special month for Bishop Cotta. Today he celebrates 3 years as the Bishop of the Diocese of Stockton. On the 22nd he celebrates his birthday and on the 25th he celebrates 10 years ordained a Bishop! Please keep Bishop Cotta in your prayers as he leads our diocese.

Office of the Bishop:

Anniversaries

Catholic Rural Life

Wind: our heavenly companion, sister, conspirito and inspiration. She breezes into woodlands, soars past mountaintops, sweeps over plains and deserts, and skims the oceans. She can come from any direction, sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh, and wanders to the ends of the earth fulfilling her sacred mission. In this blessing, find a breezy area and use a wind chime to draw attention to the wind. Face the wind and revel in its caress, using it to help you pray.

Click here for Blessing of the Wind.

Catholic Rural Life

Change is natural if not always smooth as we move from one phase of life to another. The month of September brings us a change of seasons: The warmth of summer gives way to mornings with a touch of chill in the air; the evenings come earlier as the days shorten in the rhythm of the season. See the blessings of Change and letting Go by clicking here.

Liturgy & Worship:

Solemnity of St. Joseph

Please join Bishop Cotta from St. Joseph's Parish in Modesto for an outdoor (and live streamed) Mass on March 19th at 5:45pm, to consecrate the Diocese to St. Joseph in observance of the Year of St. Joseph proclaimed by Pope Francis! The celebration begins with an international rosary at 5:00pm.

When a Solemnity is celebrated on a Friday in Lent, there is no requirement to abstain from meat (Canon 1251). Feel free to celebrate on St. Joseph's day!

Chrism Mass

The Chrism Mass, where the holy oils to be used throughout the next year are blessed by the Bishop, will be celebrated on March 23rd, at 6pm. Due to limited space, people are invited to join the livestream through the Cathedral of the Annunciation's website.

Hispanic Ministry:

The Effects of the Pandemic in the Latino Community,

The Mexican Consulate in partnership with UC Davis presents a webinar series in Spanish, March 24, April 21 and May 19, at 4:15 p.m. You can choose to attend one or more of the seminars. The seminars are presented by Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Reducing Health Disparities, UC Davis Health. Register here.

Fratelli Tutti – Sobre la Fraternidad y la Amistad Social.

The USCCB Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development has released a study guide in Spanish, on Fratelli Tutti for groups or individuals that includes six sessions with prayers, chapter summaries, discussion questions, and suggestions for action and further study. You are invited to a webinar in Spanish on March 25 at 4:00 pm PT (7:00 pm Easter Time). The study guides in English and Spanish is available for download. Regístrese aquí para el seminario web/Register here for the webinar. Sponsored by NFCYM in collaboration with USCCB:
https://nfcym-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bVocYMJAR86nKTALInwUPA

Life & Dignity:

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

March 25^th

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, homily helps, announcements, activities, and more are provided on our website. Go to 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. This 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 under specific resources on our Life & Dignity page.

The Equality Act

While everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, the Equality Act, in many ways does the opposite and needs to be opposed. Instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith. The Act would: punish faith-based organizations, such as charities and schools who serve everyone in their communities, simply because of their beliefs; force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women; risk mandating taxpayers to fund abortions; force people in everyday life, and especially health care workers, to support gender transition; and expand what the government considers a “public” place, forcing even some parish halls to host functions that conflict with Catholic beliefs.

The USCCB has put out the following letter opposing the Act and has provided resources to support it.

USCCB Letter

Resources

Bishop Cotta and the Diocese of Stockton's Life & Dignity Office is encouraging you to take action today by contacting your local Representative. The USCCB has made this easy through a short electronic form. You can access the form by clicking the button below.

Take Action