For the first time, the Diocese of San Bernardino celebrated its Patron Saint’s Feast Day, May 20, with its very own relic of Saint Bernardine of Siena.
The day began with morning Mass and Veneration of the relic at St. Bernardine Church in San Bernardino. Following the morning Mass, the relic was transported to Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino. The relic of St. Bernardine was available for public Veneration at the cathedral from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Then from 5:00 PM to 5:30, the faithful were invited to Vespers, an evening prayer that includes singing or recitation of Psalms and hymns. The evening concluded with the 2025 Diocesan Awards.
Bishop Alberto Rojas received a relic of Saint Bernardine, the namesake of the Diocese, while on a nearly two-week Jubilee pilgrimage to Italy in March. On March 16 in L’Aquila, Italy, Bishop Rojas celebrated a Mass at the Basilica of San Bernardino, the burial place of St. Bernardine. The Franciscans who staff the Basilica presented the diocese with a first-class relic of the saint, a small piece of his flesh.