April 5, 2021
Photo of the Week:
Deacon Fidel Carrillo has been working with youth in a detention facility. The youth asked for a way to receive forgiveness during Holy Week. Deacon Fidel figured the only way he could help them to receive the grace of God's mercy was bringing them before the Eucharist. Please pray for the youth in detention facilities.
Office of the Bishop:
Promoting Justice: Working for the California Catholic Conference
After more than two decades as executive director of the California Catholic Conference, I thank God for the privilege of allowing me to play a part in bringing Catholic values to the public square.
These values were summarized beautifully by Benedict XVI in Deus Caritas Est: “A just society must be the achievement of politics, not of the Church. Yet the promotion of justice through efforts to bring about openness of mind and will to the demands of the common good is something which concerns the church deeply.”
As John Paul II, Benedict and, now Francis have told us, Catholics are called to be a political voice for the common good and the infinite worth of every human being – especially those who are poor, struggling or marginalized.
That is the mission of the laity. Bishops offer moral guidance and prayerful support, but the laity take the lead.
Thus, the most important role of the Conference is to empower the Catholic laity to speak up for human life, human dignity and the common good. Catholics comprise nearly 30 percent of California’s population. When we raise our voices together, we make a difference.
The Catholic Conference facilitates this by working with elected officials and government entities on a set of priorities established by the bishops of the state. Those priorities are: respect for life, economic, environmental and social justice, education, family life, faith in the public square, immigration and restorative justice.
Anniversaries
Catholic Rural Life
It is not far-fetched to say that our health, our very lives, depend on the sprouting of seeds. In the planting of seeds and nurturing through harvest, we receive God’s choicest blessings when we break from our labors and enjoy a simple meal. Saving some of the new seeds allows us to continue this miraculous cycle of nature.
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.
Development:
Bishop Cotta's BMA Address #2
Life & Dignity:
No Taxpayer Abortion
From the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities: There’s a new push in Congress to force Americans to pay for abortion. The Hyde Amendment and other similar laws have protected taxpayers from funding elective abortion. Now, Congress wants to take away these laws, which have had broad public support for nearly 50 years. Without the Hyde Amendment, billions of dollars in healthcare funding could go to abortion.
Weekend(s) of April 11, 18 and/or 25, 2021: No Taxpayer Abortion
Stop your tax dollars from going to abortion! Join thousands of Catholics as we seek to transform our culture.
Suggested Bulletin Announcement & Images (available in Spanish):
www.NoTaxpayerAbortion.com -This website is in the process of being built and will be ready by April 9.
Prayer
