By Sheila St. John

ONTARIO—The 50th Anniversary of the Papal Encyclical Humanae Vitae will be commemorated at a national conference held in the Diocese of San Bernardino on July 27-28.

 Written by Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae emerged from discussions that began in 1960 after the invention of the new birth control pill. It prompted an articulation of the Church’s teaching on the regulation of birth and responsible parenthood. By 1963 St. Pope John XXIII established the Pontifical Commission on Population, family and birth rate, known as the birth control commission.

By Malie Hudson

 Since April, over 5,600 youth in the Diocese of San Bernardino received the Sacrament of Confirmation, a major milestone in their journey of faith. 

 The two-year process involved attending weekly classes and regular Masses, studying scriptures, fellowship with other youth on the same path and attending faith-filled weekend retreats designed to encourage young teens to mature in their faith as they enter adulthood and face the “real world.”

Regional V Encuentro gathering draws 250 local clergy, religious and lay leaders to Visalia

By Petra Alexander and Lynne De La Torre

VISALIA—You couldn’t miss those green shirts.

 Father Javier Gonzalez has long heard the call to bring the love of God to the wayward, the marginalized and the young.  His ministry has taken him to barrios, city parks, schools and seminaries.

 Now it will take him half way around the world, to Rome, where he will spend three years in study, with the hope of taking his local missionary work to the next level.

SAN BERNARDINO—Father Howard Lincoln and Father Tom Burdick, two longtime pastors who have also been active in diocesan leadership, were conferred by Pope Francis with the Pontifical Honor of Chaplain to His Holiness, earning them the title of “Monsignor.”

By Ken F. Sawa
Executive Director, Catholic Charities 

 In the California Bishops’ recently released pastoral letter, “Hope and Healing,” on the care of those who struggle with mental illness, they state: “For them, our communities and parishes should be places of refuge and healing, not places of rejection or judgement.”