05/01/2026
It was only fitting in that in the Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi, his namesake parish in La Quinta would host this year’s Diocesan Earth Day Mass.
It was the fourth consecutive year that Bishop Alberto Rojas celebrated a special liturgy focused on the Catholic calling to care for the earth. Last year’s Mass was celebrated in June to mark the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on the Care for Our Common Home, Laudato Si.
On April 25, nearly 1,000 people attended the Earth Day Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church, also the Vigil Mass for the fourth Sunday of Easter. Marilyn Kott, co-chair of the Diocesan Laudato Si Committee, welcomed attendees, noting that creation care has remained a priority of the Universal Church, even with the passing of Pope Francis a year ago.
“Since his election last year Pope Leo XIV has echoed and reinforced Laudato Si, emphasizing that it’s message is even more urgent now than when it was issued in 2015,” she said.
The Earth Day theme was reflected in the opening procession as parish Creation Care ministers Marc Candeleria (The Holy Name of Jesus, Redlands) and Mireya Cuevas (Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella) brought forth two desert willow trees that will be planted on parish grounds later this year. Bishop Rojas blessed the trees and also a display of locally grown produce before beginning the Mass.
Deacon Fernando Herredia, also a member of the Diocesan Laudato Si Committee, echoed the Holy Father’s sense of urgency in his homily at the Earth Day Mass, connecting the Mass readings with the ecological crisis facing the planet.
“The psalm reminds us of those verdant pastures and the restful waters that the Lord, our shepherd, takes us to,” Dcn. Herredia began. “However, today as we celebrate Earth Day, we know that many of those green pastures have become barren deserts, the rivers have become polluted, the fish don’t multiply as much, the oceans are full of plastics, our own Salton Sea is riddled with ecological challenges and not too far from here live 300 farmworker families in a mobile home park community whose water wells are contaminated with arsenic.”
Later, he sounded a hopeful note, listing examples of local habitat restoration projects, tree planting and bicycle paths.
“We can become the force of change!” he preached.
If you would like to get involved in the Diocesan Laudato Si Committee please reach out by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..