Inside this issue
• Catholic Bishops Will Continue to Follow the Common Good on Decisions Regarding Worship
• Meeting the Spiritual Needs of Unaccompanied Minors
• Earth Day is April 22
• National Healthcare Decisions Day
• Vaccines Now Available for All 16+
Catholic Bishops Will Continue to Follow the Common Good on Decisions Regarding Worship
The Executive Committee of the California Catholic Conference has released the following statement:
"In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent rulings striking down unreasonable restrictions on indoor public worship and the issuance of new guidelines by Governor Newsom removing legal mandates restricting worship, the Catholic Bishops of California remain committed to the complete resumption of indoor worship in a responsible and safe manner.
"Since last March of 2020 - before many jurisdictions even began offering any guidelines for indoor activities - the dioceses of California upheld the need to protect life and public health by voluntarily suspending indoor worship services. As the pandemic dragged on through surges and plateaus, dioceses continued to stress the common good by voluntarily holding outdoor worship services and, only when safe, move some services indoors, but always with safety and health foremost.
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Meeting the Spiritual Needs of Unaccompanied Minors
The San Diego Convention Center, fitted with cots and not much else, is the temporary home of nearly 1,500 unaccompanied minors. The surge at the border, the highest in 20 years, is stressing the neglected U.S. migrant and refugee systems that were designed to deal humanely with refugees seeking asylum.
Many of the children in San Diego are arriving from Texas, but all the border states are being impacted. Federal authorities are partnering with local non-profits such as Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services, and many others to provide basic services to the children, including administering to their spiritual needs.
San Diego's Bishop Robert McElroy and Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano visited the convention center over Easter to meet the children, most of whom are around ten years old, and provide them with the Eucharist. Many staff members also received Communion.
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Earth Day is April 22
April 22 will mark the 51st anniversary of Earth Day. On April 22, 1970 more than 20 million Americans - approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population at the time - took to the street in of cities around the country to protest environmental degradation and to call for a new way forward for our planet.
As Catholics, we are deeply committed to our environment and our home. The California Conference of Catholic Bishops released Care for the Common Home in 2019, calling for a spiritual conversion that respects our common home and cares for all.
Many parishes around the state are hosting programs. One such group, The Pathways for Justice Ministry, at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Sacramento, invites people for an evening discussion of the California bishops' pastoral letter that "invite[s] the people of California to reflect on ways we can more faithfully and effectively care for creation in thanksgiving to God for this great gift." The event is free and will be held on Monday, April 26th at 7 pm. Register for the meeting at
[email protected].
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National Healthcare Decisions Day
April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. When a serious or life-threatening health crisis arises, leaving devastated family and friends to make life-altering decisions in traumatic circumstances can be avoided by proactively planning. It's important that every person age 18 and up have a completed Advanced Directive so that their family knows what their health care wished are.
The Caring for the Whole Person Initiative, a joint project of the California Catholic Conference and the Alliance of Catholic Health Care (wholeperson.care), resources on how to start conversation about your wishes with loved ones, where to find spiritual, emotional, caregiver support and extensive information on Catholic moral teaching.
For instance, a model Catholic advance care directive is an available which includes instructions to health care providers on the importance of arranging for the Sacraments if you should find yourself an emergency life-or-death situation. Please give your loved ones the gift of peace by discussing your wishes and completing an advanced health directive.
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Vaccines Now Available for All 16+
California has now opened COVID-19 vaccinations to all ages 16 and over. The Bishops of California urge you to get vaccinated at your earliest opportunity.
In case you missed it, the California Catholic Conference and Santa Clara University held a webinar, Love Your Neighbor, discussing the vaccines' morality, safety, and efficacy. It is available in both English and Spanish and includes Fr. Luke Dysinger, a professor of Church History and Moral Theology at St. John Seminary, who is also a board-certified medical doctor, who speaks on the ethics of all the vaccines available.
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April 16, 2021
Vol. 14 No. 14
California Catholic Conference
En Español
"Even death trembles when a Christian prays, because it knows that everyone who prays has an ally who is stronger than it: the Risen Lord. #prayer
@Pontifex
BISHOPS' STATEMENT ON COVID-19 VACCINES
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