Month: March 2021

Bishop Rojas message of support to the Asian Pacific Communities

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Peace and wellbeing to all of you.

We give thanks to God for the great gift of diversity that is present in our Diocese. We
cherish the varied expressions of our Catholic faith that come from our many cultures… View PDF: Trilingual
even as we know that we are all one in Christ Jesus.

The Asian Pacific communities of the Diocese are an important part of our cultural family
here in the Diocese. Today, we acknowledge the pain that these communities are
experiencing throughout our nation resulting from discrimination and violence brought
against them during the current pandemic. Let us as a Diocese express our solidarity and
prayer with our Asian Pacific brothers and sisters as they confront these unjust actions
and words against them. We join them in denouncing these sinful behaviors that do not
respect the dignity given by God to every human person.

Let us also pray for the conversion of those who hold these feelings of violence and
hostility toward the Asian Pacific community. We know that God’s justice and His mercy
will prevail, and we continue to work for the building of His Kingdom in our families,
communities, and society.

In Christ’s Love,

Most Reverend Alberto Rojas

 

Hermanos y Hermanas en Cristo,

Paz y bienestar esté con todos ustedes.

Le damos gracias a Dios por el gran don de la diversidad que está presente en nuestra
Diócesis. Valoramos las expresiones variadas de nuestra fe católica que vienen de
nuestras muchas culturas, al mismo tiempo sabemos que todos somos uno en Cristo
Jesús.

Las comunidades Asiáticas e Isleñas del Pacífico de la Diócesis son una parte importante
de nuestra familia cultural aquí en la Diócesis. Hoy, reconocemos el dolor que estas
comunidades experimentan a través de nuestra nación como resultado de la
discriminación y la violencia cometida contra ella durante la pandemia actual.
Expresemos como una Diócesis nuestra solidaridad y nuestra oración con nuestros
hermanos y hermanas Asiáticos e Isleños del Pacífico mientras enfrentan estas acciones
y palabras injustas contra ellos. Nos unimos a ellos en denunciar estos actos
pecaminosos que no respetan la dignidad dada por Dios a cada ser humano.

Oremos también por la conversión de aquellos que tienen estos sentimientos de violencia
y hostilidad hacia la comunidad Asiática e Isleña del Pacífico. Sabemos que la justicia
de Dios y Su misericordia prevalecerá, y seguimos trabajando por construir Su Reino en
nuestras familias, comunidades y sociedad.

En el Amor de Cristo,

Obispo Alberto Rojas

 

Anh chị em thân mến trong Đức Kitô,

Nguyện chúc quý vị và gia đình bình an và sức khỏe.

Chúng ta cảm tạ ơn Chúa về món quà tốt lành là sự đa dạng trong Giáo phận của chúng ta. Chúng
ta trân quý những cách diễn đạt khác nhau về niềm tin Công giáo của chúng ta đến từ nhiều văn
hóa, mặc dầu chúng ta biết rằng tất cả chúng ta là một trong Chúa Giêsu Kitô.

Các cộng đồng Châu Á-Thái Bình Dương của Giáo phận là một phần tử quan trọng trong gia đình
văn hóa trong Giáo phận chúng ta. Hôm nay, chúng ta ghi nhận nỗi đau mà những cộng đồng này
đang phải chịu trên khắp đất nước của chúng ta mà hậu quà là sự kỳ thị và bạo lực gây ra cho họ
trong thời gian đại dịch hiện nay. Giáo phận chúng ta hãy bày tỏ tình đoàn kết và lời cầu nguyện
với các anh chị em Châu Á-Thái Bình Dương khi họ đối diện với những hành động và ngôn từ bất
công chống lại họ. Chúng ta hãy cùng họ lên án những hành động tội lỗi này vì nó không tôn trọng
phẩm giá mà Chúa đã ban cho mỗi người.

Chúng ta cũng cầu nguyện cho sự hoán cải của những ai đang có những tâm tình bạo lực và hận
thù đối với cộng đồng Châu Á-Thái Bình Dương. Chúng ta biết rằng công lý và lòng thương xót
của Chúa sẽ toàn thắng, và chúng ta tiếp tục xây dựng Vương quốc của Ngài trong gia đình, cộng
đồng và xã hội của chúng ta.

Trong tình yêu của Đức Kitô,

Đức Cha Alberto Rojas

Riverside County’s Catholic schools reopening (03.05.21)

Riverside County’s Catholic schools reopening

RIVERSIDE – One-by-one, Catholic schools in Riverside County are receiving approval from public health officials to reopen their campuses for in-person instruction.

The COVID-19 infection rate in Riverside County has fallen below the threshold of 25 per 100,000, allowing elementary schools there to begin reopening. A Feb. 25 letter from Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. Sam Torres to Riverside County school families made the announcement.

“The principals, faculty and staff are anxiously awaiting the reunion of students to a well-prepared safe campus,” Dr. Torres wrote.

Sacred Heart School in Palm Desert was the first to open, beginning on Monday of this week. St. Catherine of Alexandria School in Riverside will welcome back its transitional kindergarten through sixth grade students on Monday, March 8. The school plans a festive welcoming environment with the members of its Student Council, while maintaining social distancing, will welcome each student as they return to campus. Music, balloon arches and banners will contribute to the celebratory atmosphere.

“It has been almost one year to date from the school’s original closure in March 2020, so the students and families have expressed such an outpouring of heartfelt joy to finally be back together again,” said St. Catherine of Alexandria School Principal Theresa Heron.

Two other Riverside Catholic schools – Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and St. Francis de Sales School, will also open March 8; St. Edward School in Corona will open March 10.

St. Francis del Sales School will begin with a tribute to the students for their hard work over the past year.

“No one asked the students if the schools should shut down, or how to teach them at home, but our kids rose to the challenge and kept right up with all their work on-line,” said Kathy Piquet, Interim Principal. “The students at St. Francis de Sales have been heroic in our eyes, so we are going to honor them with a ‘Heroes Day’ at school.”

Each school is required to individually submit its reopening plans to the Riverside County Department of Public Heath to receive clearance to open. San Bernardino County’s Catholic schools had received blanket approval to open in mid-February after infection rates fallen below the benchmark.

Per state regulations, the reopening applies to students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.

The Diocese of San Bernardino has 10 elementary schools in Riverside County. Each has had reopening plans with specific health and safety protocols in place for months in anticipation of the opportunity reopen their campuses when statistical benchmarks were reached.

Measures taken at all reopened schools will include,

▪ Morning temperature checks for all students, faculty and staff
▪ Mandatory hand sanitizing throughout the school day for all
▪ Mandatory wearing of face coverings for all students, faculty and staff
▪ Students and teachers will remain in the same cohort throughout the day (no movement of
classes)

Other measures taken by some of the Catholic schools include installation of three-sided plastic shields around each desk, and spacing desks four to six feet apart. Each school’s reopening health and safety guidelines are detailed on its website.

The Riverside County Catholic schools will continue to offer instruction through Catholic Online Synchronous Learning (COSL).

“We also understand that some families may not feel comfortable sending their children back into the school environment,” Dr. Torres states in his Feb. 25 letter. “Each school is uniquely prepared to continue offering a version of Catholic Online Synchronous Learning (COSL) in addition to the on campus learning environment.”