The 25th annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious will be taken up December 8-9, in the Diocese of San Bernardino. The parish-based appeal is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C., and offers financial support for the day-to-day care of over 34,000 senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests.
Native American Catholics rejoice at Kateri’s canonization
By Andres Rivera
Staff Writer
For years Kateri Tekakwitha’s story has been passed down from generation to generation in hopes that one day the “Lily of the Mohawks” would become Saint Kateri.
So Oct. 21 will be a dream come true for many and mark the beginning of a new period of rejoicing for a community with cultural ties to the new saint.
Canonization brings new name to Beaumont-Banning parish
By Andres Rivera
Staff Writer
BEAUMONT/BANNING—When news first surfaced from Rome that Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha would be elevated to a saint, parishioners at Blessed Kateri Parish in Beaumont and Banning were overjoyed to hear their parish’s namesake would be known worldwide as a saint. As the date for her canonization nears, the anticipation at the parish’s two locations continues to grow.
Diocesan pilgrims ecstatic about journey to witness canonization
By Andres Rivera
Staff Writer
Excitement over the elevation of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Blessed Marianne Cope and five others to sainthood has driven Catholic faithful throughout the diocese to join pilgrimages to Rome for the canonization ceremony on Oct. 21. Priests, lay Catholics and even a bishop agree, this is a once in a life time opportunity.
Seven new seminarians welcomed to Serra House
By Andres Rivera
Staff Writer
GRAND TERRACE—Joy and excitement filled the sanctuary as the newest class of seminarians for the Diocese of San Bernardino was presented during the annual Commitment Mass held Sept. 22 at Christ the Redeemer Parish in Grand Terrace. The intimate ceremony welcomed seven new and four returning seminarians to Blessed Junipero Serra House of Formation.
An executioner’s story
Ron McAndrew’s time as a Florida warden turned him into an outspoken opponent of the death penalty
More than a decade later, Ron McAndrew says he can still smell the odor of cruel death.
As the warden of Florida State Prison he was presiding over the execution of a man named Pedro Medina by electric chair. A malfunction in the chair led to a gruesome death for Medina and was one of several turning points that led McAndrew on a path away from the “eye for an eye” philosophy of his upbringing to a staunch opposition to the death penalty.