Bishop Alberto Rojas to honor police, firefighters at Blue Mass

GRAND TERRACE, Calif. – The Diocese of San Bernardino will continue Wednesday its more than two-decade tradition of honoring police, firefighters, and other public safety professionals each year with a Blue Mass.

Bishop Alberto Rojas will celebrate the Blue Mass at Christ the Redeemer Church in Grand Terrace (12745 Oriole Avenue) on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 6 pm. All public safety personnel in San Bernardino and Riverside counties are invited to attend.

“I always look forward to this opportunity to say thank you to those who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” Bishop Rojas said of the Blue Mass.

Some hallmarks of the Blue Mass include the posting of the colors, the blessing of the badges and the ringing of the Last Alarm, a tribute to those public safety members killed in the line of duty during the past years. This year Riverside County Deputy David Calhoun, Riverside County Deputy Isaiah Cordero, Riverside County Lieutenant Steve M. Taylor, Rialto Fire Battalion Chief Michael J. Peel and Barstow Fire Department Engineer David Allen Spink.

Also at the Blue Mass, the Chief Patrick G. Crowe Public Safety Award is given each year to a public safety member who exhibits exceptional service to the community, department, or Church in some way. This year the awardee is Gloria Huerta, Public Information Officer for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Huerta has served the Department in several community relations roles over the past 24 years. She is also the English language Confirmation Coordinator at her parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Bernardino. Huerta, who prays the Rosary daily, is said to put her faith in God at the forefront of her work in public safety.

The Blue Mass first began in 1934, when Rev. Thomas Dade, a priest from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, initiated the Catholic Police and Fireman’s Society while assigned to St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington D.C. On September 29, 1934, about 1,100 police officers and firemen, dressed in blue uniforms, celebrated the first Blue Mass in St. Patrick Catholic Church.

Bishop Gerald Barnes brought the northeastern U.S. tradition to the Diocese in 2002. Each year the Mass alternates between the two counties that comprise the Diocese of San Bernardino.

The media is invited to attend.

Catholic Bishop and County Superintendents announce partnership

SAN BERNARDINO / RIVERSIDE – Bishop Alberto Rojas, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre and Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez discovered this year that they have several key areas of mutual concern, most notably the importance of early literacy to educational success.

The three leaders have committed to work together in providing a program to Catholic families to boost early literacy.

Bishop Rojas, who took leadership of the Diocese of San Bernardino in late 2020, met separately with Alejandre and Gomez this year to make acquaintances and discuss mutual priorities. What emerged was a shared desire to give families the tools they need to help their children get off to a good start in their educational journey. Both County Offices of Education offer the “Footsteps to Brilliance” early literacy program and the Diocese has agreed to help promote it across all its youth and educational ministries.

“We frequently hear from our Catholic families about their desire for resources at home to help their kids succeed in school,” Bishop Rojas said. “By collaborating with Dr. Gomez and Mr. Alejandre we can offer a great program that helps our little ones learn to read on time. What a blessing and a great new partnership in our communities.”

“We’re excited to partner with Bishop Alberto Rojas and Superintendent Ted Alejandre to promote reading across the Inland Empire and support literacy for our students and families,” commented Dr. Gomez. “As part of Riverside County Office of Education’s Literacy by Grade 5 Initiative, any child in Riverside County – including our private schools – has free access to Footsteps2Brilliance. We’re excited to work with the Diocese to ensure students in Riverside County Catholic schools can also take advantage of this powerful learning tool.”

Alejandre said the partnership with the Diocese and Riverside County Superintendent will strengthen an effort that his office began five years ago.

“Increasing early literacy opportunities for students across the Inland Empire is a primary goal of the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools,” he said. “To achieve this objective, we have provided Footsteps2Brilliance to the students of San Bernardino County for free since 2017, and an incredible 6 million books have been read to date. Together, with Bishop Alberto Rojas and Dr Gomez, we are thrilled to expand access to this reading platform to even more families through our collaboration with the Diocese.”

To formalize their shared commitment each Superintendent has co-signed a Letter of Agreement with Bishop Rojas pledging to work together on issues of mutual concern. Other issues mentioned in the letters include mental health, college enrollment and high school graduation rates.

“We…share the ongoing belief that parents are critical co-partners in the education and formation of children,” the Letters of Agreement read. “So, we commit ourselves to serving families and providing resources for their success in education and beyond. “

The new partnerships got off to a great start this Fall when San Bernardino County Office of Education representatives gave a presentation on “Footsteps to Brilliance” to the Catholic Pre-School Directors of the Diocese. As a result, more than half a dozen Catholic schools have already begun to use the program either at school or provided it to parents as an at-home resource.

St. Hyacinth Pre-School in San Jacinto is utilizing Footsteps to Brilliance in the classroom setting. Students are invited to approach a smart board with images and touch the one that matches a word or letter that is being taught.

“It’s an early visual,” says Karla Cortez, Pre-School Director. “A lot of the students are really starting to see those words. And it’s a fun game for them. They really seem to enjoy it.”

The Diocese has partnered with the San Bernardino County Office of Education in the past, offering for several years a parenting class, “The 12 Powers of Family Business,” at parishes and the Diocesan Pastoral Center. This collaboration was done under the Diocesan Education Initiative (DEI), which included collaborative efforts with other educational and civic institutions in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, including Cal State, San Bernardino, the San Bernardino Community College District, the Consulate of Mexico and the Alliance for Education.

Bishop Rojas expressed his joy that the Riverside County Office of Education is now also part of the collaborative efforts and the renewal of the Diocesan Education Initiative. He said he would welcome participation from other Riverside County institutions, including the University of California, Riverside and Riverside City College.

Bishop Rojas to consecrate St. Theresa Columbarium Gardens

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Bishop Alberto Rojas will consecrate only the second piece of land in the Diocese of San Bernardino for Catholic burial on Nov. 20 when he performs the rite at St. Theresa Columbarium Gardens.

The Columbarium, a structure to place funerary urns containing cremated remains, is located at St. Theresa Catholic Parish in Palm Springs, 2800 E. Ramon Rd. It is among the first in Southern California and reflects a growing trend in California, where 60 percent of burials are now cremated remains, said Al Martini, Director of the Diocesan Office of Catholic Cemeteries.

The Catholic Church accepts cremation, as long as the remains are kept in a sacred place such as a columbarium at a church. The cremated remains should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they came. “This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, and the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium,” according to the Order of Christian Funerals’ Appendix on Cremation.

St. Theresa Columbarium Gardens is situated adjacent to the Adoration Chapel and Church entrance at St. Theresa’s. It.contains 830 total niches; including premium niches made of Volakis marble from Greece as well as Brazillian Imperial Coffee Granite niches. There are single, double and family estate niches available for sale. A focal point of the Columbarium is a Veteran’s Wall containing niches reserved for military veterans and their families. About 40 niches have already been sold.

The decision to build the Columbarium was a response to a need expressed by many of the Catholic faithful, Martini said.

“Some Catholic families in the Diocese have been holding on to urns with cremated remains and had asked the Diocese for an appropriate place to inter them,” he said.

The consecration of land for Catholic burial can only be done by the Ordinary Bishop of the Diocese where it is located. Bishop Rojas will anoint the Columbarium grounds with holy water and recite special prayers of consecration. The only other consecration of land for Catholic burial that has taken place in the Diocese of San Bernardino was Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery in Colton, done by Bishop Gerald Barnes on May 5, 2005.

St. Theresa Columbarium Gardens is part of the Columbarium Network that is owned and operated by the Diocese of San Bernardino Cemetery Corporation. There are plans to add to this network at other locations in the Diocese including Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lake Arrowhead and St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish in Temecula.

The Consecration of St. Theresa Columbarium Gardens will take place immediately following the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Theresa Catholic Church on Sunday, November 20. The media is invited to attend

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.”

Bishop Alberto Rojas takes leadership of Diocese after Vatican
announces Bishop Gerald Barnes’ retirement

Pope Francis has accepted Bishop Gerald Barnes’ letter of resignation, signaling the start of Bishop Alberto Rojas’ ministry as the third Ordinary Bishop of San Bernardino. SAN BERNARDINO– Exactly 25 years to the day after Bishop Gerald Barnes was appointed to be the second Bishop of San Bernardino, the Vatican announced that his retirement has been accepted by Pope Francis and his successor, Bishop Alberto Rojas, now assumes leadership of the nation’s fifth largest diocese.

A statement released by the Vatican Press Office early Monday morning declared that “the Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Diocese of San Bernardino, United States of America, presented by Bishop Gerald Richard Barnes. He is succeeded by Bishop Alberto Rojas, until now coadjutor of the same diocese.”

The announcement automatically triggered the installation of Bishop Rojas as the Ordinary Bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino. An Ordinary Bishop assumes full responsibility for the teaching, sanctifying, and governing of a diocese, and reports only to the Holy Father. Bishop Rojas was announced as the Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese on December 2, 2019. A Coadjutor Bishop works alongside the Ordinary Bishop for a period of time before succeeding him upon his retirement.

“In God’s name and forever grateful, I begin my ministry in the Diocese of San Bernardino as Ordinary Bishop,” Bishop Rojas said in a recorded message to the faithful released Monday. “While continuing to listen and learn more about our large and diverse Diocese, I would like to build on the momentum that is clearly present here.”

Per Church law, Bishop Barnes submitted his letter of resignation to Pope Francis last June 22, his 75th birthday. He had been informed by the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, that his time as Ordinary Bishop of San Bernardino would be extended up to a year beyond his retirement age.

Bishop Barnes released a statement Monday on his retirement, expressing gratitude for his years leading and working with the local Catholic community. He now holds the title Bishop Emeritus of San Bernardino.

“Thank you for all you have shared with me,” he said. “Thank you for your prayers, your support, the sharing of your gifts and for your constructive criticism.

Diocese ordains 10 permanent deacons

CHINO HILLS – Even a global pandemic couldn’t stop another large class of permanent deacons ordained in the Diocese of San Bernardino.

On consecutive weekends, Aug. 22 and 29, ten men became permanent deacons during four different Ordination Masses held at three different parishes. The new deacons are Mario Aguiar, Baltazar Aguirre, Leonardo Bautista, Raul Michel, Juan Lombera, Enrique Vazquez, Jorge Briones, John Duffy, Jose Trinidad Porras, and Martin Sullivan.

Current health and safety guidelines required by the Diocese meant that there were multiple Masses with fewer in attendance. The Ordinations were held outdoors at Our Lady of Soledad Parish in Coachella, St. Christopher Parish in Moreno Valley and St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Chino Hills. Six- foot social distancing was maintained, masks were worn by attendees. Bishop Gerald Barnes wore a face shield throughout the Ordination Masses he celebrated.

“It’s a difficult year,” he acknowledged during his homily at St. Paul the Apostle on Aug. 29. “There are people living with such anxiety and such uncertainty that they’re lost.

“And then we have this beautiful day. The Lord is saying, ‘I haven’t forgotten you. I’m calling forth from your families two to receive the diaconate.”

Deacon John Duffy said his participation in adult faith formation programs offered by the Diocese, including the Catholic Bible Institute and Continuing Ministry Formation Program (CMFP) sparked his interest in becoming a deacon.

I was looking to serve the Church in a greater way,” said Duffy, who, along with his wife, Teresita, heads St. Paul’s ministry to the sick and homebound, which has taken on greater meaning during the pandemic. “Not only are we bringing God’s presence in the Holy Eucharist, but being that face of Jesus to them, I find that very rewarding.”

As clergy, deacons’ duties include proclaiming the Gospel, giving homilies at Mass, administering some Sacraments (baptisms, weddings), and performing acts of charity.

Following their Ordination, the deacons’ assignments were announced.

Deacon Duffy (St. Paul the Apostle), Deacon Briones (Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chino), Deacon Aguiar (St. Louis, Cathedral City), Deacon Aguirre (Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella), Deacon Bautista (St. Christopher, Moreno Valley), Deacon Lombera (Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella), Deacon Vazquez (Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, Riverside), Deacon Michel (St. Thomas the Apostle, Riverside), Deacon Sullivan (Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella), and Deacon Porras (Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella).

Diocese announces new restrictions in response to state order
Public Masses will be held outdoors, only; churches are again closed

Bishop Gerald Barnes announced July 13 the immediate suspension of public, indoor Masses in the Diocese of San Bernardino, along with a series of other directives, in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s order further restricting indoor public gatherings including church services.

On July 15, the Diocese provided guidelines for celebrating public Masses outdoors on parish property. As with recent indoor Mass guidelines, no more than 100 people may attend an outdoor Mass, they must wear a mask and maintain six-foot social distancing.

Governor Newsom’s order applies to 30 California counties that are experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases, including San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The new directives are to be in place until further notice.

“The data is clear that community spread of infection is of increasing concern across the state, and continues to grow in those counties on the County Monitoring List,” reads the order from the California Department of Public Health, which states that the number of hospitalized patients with COVID has increased between 50-100% in all regions in California, with a state average increase of 77% since June 12.

This week’s announcement marks the second time Bishop Barnes has closed churches to the public since the COVID-19 outbreak. Masses had resumed in parishes June 14 with a maximum number of 100 participants. The Sacraments of Confession, Baptism, First Communion and Matrimony, along with Catholic burial rites, had also resumed. Under Bishop Barnes new directive, these sacramental activities can only occur outdoors. Parish offices are to be closed to the public and the Diocesan Pastoral Center will again operate with a small crew of essential workers only while remaining closed to the public.

“I know this feels very discouraging for many of the faithful and I share in that pain,” said Bishop Barnes of again having to close churches in the Diocese. “Please be assured of my prayers and my solidarity with the people at this moment.

“Let us continue to turn to God to console us in this time of uncertainty and testing. He is always with us and our faith in Him will guide us through this pandemic.”

Father Guzman joins priesthood in ‘Ordination like no other’

SAN BERNARDINO– In a year that Bishop Gerald Barnes described as being “like no other,” Antonio Guzman still completed his journey to become a priest of the Diocese of San Bernardino. Father Guzman was Ordained at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino on June 29. The Ordination Mass was celebrated under the current social distancing and public health directives of the Diocese, limiting attendance to 100 people. It was also livestreamed on Diocesan social media, where more than 3,500 people had watched by the next day.

As he spoke to the crowd at the conclusion of the liturgy, Fr. Guzman offered a message of gratitude.

“I want to thank God for calling me to this ministry of the priesthood. I thank all the people who have walked with me during this journey of discernment,” he said. “I ask for your prayers in the same way that I keep you in my prayers.”

Coadjutor Bishop Alberto Rojas and Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Rutilio del Riego joined Bishop Barnes in concelebrating the Mass. During his homily, Bishop Barnes alluded to his impending retirement – expected in June of 2021 – when he turned and addressed Fr. Guzman directly.

“You are the last of my sons that I will ordain as diocesan bishop. So, I get a little emotional,” Bishop Barnes said in Spanish, “but look who the Lord has sent me to ordain, one of his best children.”

Earlier Bishop Barnes made reference to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on milestone public events like graduations, weddings, baptisms and holiday gatherings.

“A lot of people had plans this year,” he said. “All of it had to be done in different ways.”

Father Guzman’s Ordination was no exception. A native of Colima, Mexico he was unable to have his parents present for the Ordination because of challenges related to the pandemic. He did have several members of his extended family there to share the moment, however. An Ordination Mass is typically attended by hundreds of priests, but in this case the number had to be limited and most sat spread out in a section of pews in the Cathedral. A small group of seminarians, several who were classmates of Fr. Guzman in seminary, occupied another section of the church. A number of local laypersons who came to know Father Guzman during his parish internship were also at the Ordination.

All were required to wear a face mask. The book of Ordination prayers sat on a stand for the Bishop to read rather than being held by an altar server. All of the participants applied hand sanitizer throughout the liturgy, including all of the priests who processed to the altar for the laying on of the hands ritual. At the close, Fr. Guzman offered a blessing to all of his family members from the ambo, departing from the custom of blessing each person individually with a touch of their forehead.

“The world has changed with this virus and I am with the people,” Father Guzman said in an interview the week prior to his Ordination. “Who am I to not be part of this, too?”

When COVID-19 directives began to take effect he returned early from Assumption Seminary in San Antonio to complete his studies at St. Junipero Serra House of Formation in Grand Terrace. Local

Catholics got to know him in a unique way as he served Mass and read the Gospel at most of the Diocesan Masses that were livestreamed from Serra House and viewed by thousands of people every Sunday.

Fr. Guzman’s Ordination took place on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Bishop Barnes called on the faithful to turn to these two “roots” of the Church in the difficult present days of the pandemic.

“We’ve been given the strength to live through difficult times,” he said. “We know our God is waiting for us. It gives us inner peace.”

In his final remarks, Bishop Barnes announced the Fr. Guzman’s first assignment as a priest will be at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Riverside, effective July 1.

Diocese organizes Peace Walk against racism

SAN BERNARDINO – As he spoke of his decades long experience of racism, and the current national climate following the police killing of George Floyd, the voice of Deacon Don Norris, the only African American deacon in the Diocese, began to rise.

“We do not know what is going to happen next and when it is going to happen,” he said. “All we are asking for is equality, justice and hope. We ask our Church to remain local and proactive in denouncing the sin of racism.”

The Diocese, indeed, made a public denunciation of racism with a Peace Walk on June 20, a day after the annual Juneteenth observance that marks the day that slaves in Texas received the news of their liberation. More than 75 people took to the streets of San Bernardino, praying the Rosary and carrying signs as they walked from the Diocesan Pastoral Center down Highland Avenue to Perris Hill Park. The walk was organized by the Diocesan Ministry to Catholics of African Descent.

“I want to be visible and show my support that we as Catholics stand up against racism, that we stand up for those who are marginalized,” said Amy Christensen, who drove all the way from 29 Palms to participate in the Walk.

Many other local Catholic laypersons came to support the event. They were joined by five priests, three deacons and two religious sisters. Diocesan Seminarian Michael Ezeoke led the group in praying the Rosary. When they reached Perris Hill Park, Father Manny Cardoza gave an impassioned reflection. He offered that the tide of racism can only be turned if every person is willing to look at their own role in it – through their actions, inactions or cultural assumptions.

“We have to look at ourselves and be honest and say, ‘I was part of the problem,’ “ said Fr. Cardoza, who is the Pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in San Bernardino. “We have to ask ourselves, where is the racism in my own culture that I haven’t recognized and asked forgiveness for?”

Philomina Nwarueze, a parishioner of Sacred Heart Parish, Rancho Cucamonga, came to the United States from Africa 35 years ago. She spoke briefly at the Peace Walk. While not American born, she said she has come to recognize and experience the kind of racism that is perpetrated against African Americans.

“I’m actually one of them. We share the same blood,” Nwarueze said. “So, I decided to come out today and fight for my children and fight for my grandchildren. I want them to feel free in this land.”

Some signs and words of reflection at the Walk characterized the Catholic fight against racism as a Pro Life issue. Both Deacon Norris and Fr. Cardoza affirmed this idea, saying whenever the dignity of any human person is threatened, it becomes a “Life” issue for the Church.

“You can’t be a follower of Christ if you are going to pick and choose which of his teachings you like best,” Deacon Norris said.

Sam Kolendowicz, Director of Pro Life Ministries at Our Lady of Hope, who is European-American, joined the Peace Walk.

“I’m here to pray for an end to this [racism],” she said. “It pains me that I can count the number of white people here on one hand.”

Ezeoke, who is African, said he has been troubled that some of those who he has participated in Pro- Life marches and events with in the past have been silent on the issue of racism in recent weeks.

“If you know a black person ask them what it is like to be a black person in America—then you’ll know.”

Diocese reopens churches for Mass

SAN BERNARDINO – “Let us come back to the Feast now.” The words of Father Duong Nguyen, SVD, to the faithful at Holy Rosary Cathedral during Morning Mass on June 14 captured the feeling at churches throughout the Diocese as public Masses resumed.

In all, 68 of the 93 parishes in the Diocese opened their churches for Mass. To do so they had to sign off on a series of stringent diocesan requirements reflecting ongoing social distancing and public health directives related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the most notable, no more than 100 people or 25 percent of church capacity (whichever is less) was allowed at each Mass. Parishioners were required to wear a face mask, and most churches required that every other pew was left empty. Each church was to receive a thorough cleaning between each Mass.

Because of attendance restrictions, many parishes, including Holy Rosary, offered online registration for those wishing to have a guaranteed seat. Some Masses still had room for “walk in” parishioners who had not registered.

While the Masses had a different look, most who attended were overjoyed and emotional to return to church after three months away. It was a special occasion, indeed, occurring on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.

“It was kind of like Christmas Day. I even put on heels,” said Holy Rosary parishioner Olivia Guerrero. “It was a beautiful experience. No one could see me smiling because of my mask.”

Said parishioner Chris Doubet, “I’m glad to be able to come in and pray and listen to the sermon.”

The highpoint for many was receiving the Eucharist after a painful period of spiritual hunger. Parishioners were asked to apply hand sanitizer before receiving the host and to keep on their face mask until consuming it.

“It was emotional for me to receive the body of Christ,” said Roseann Segura. “Being on my knees here and praying for everyone.”

In his homily, Fr. Nguyen, the Rector of Our Lady of the Rosary, encouraged the faithful to view the recent period of absence as an invitation to gratitude.

“We’ve been living in a difficult time. We’ve been deprived of some of the things that are essential to us,” he said. “We may ask ourselves what the Eucharist means to us. We may appreciate being able to receive the Eucharist now more than before.”

Guerrero said she understood Fr. Nguyen’s point. “You don’t know what you’ve missed until you don’t have it anymore.”

Fr. Nguyen encouraged parishioners to add a prayer of thanksgiving to God in the coming week for being able to return to Mass and receive the Eucharist.

Those who are over 65, have an underlying health condition, or are not yet comfortable being in public were encouraged to remain at home and watch their parish livestream of Mass. Bishop Gerald Barnes has kept in place the dispensation from attending Mass weekly for the people of the Diocese.