The following is Bishop Jaime Soto's homily from the Mass offered at the Sacred Heart Church in Lourdes -where St. Bernadette was baptized- with all the pilgrims. 

When they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice and leap for joy on that day.” (Lk. 6.20-23)  Jesus was speaking of the Evangelii Gaudium, the joy of the gospel.  It is the joy of the gospel that persuasively and powerfully communicates Jesus to the world.  The Evangelii Gaudium announces Jesus, who is the wisdom of God, God’s righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

The Grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary`s apparitions to Bernadette is at the foot of a stone ridge, only a few yards from the Gave de Pau River.  The grotto itself is part of a cluster of recesses shaped by nature's eroding forces over time.  The largest of these rocky cavities was where the Virgin Mary revealed to Bernadette the spring of water.  Just above this recess was the small crevice where the "Beautiful Lady" appeared to the young village girl.

Today this humble alcove has become the honored niche where a replica of the Virgin Mary as she appeared to Bernadette reminds the world where the Mother of Mercy stood.  This spot is now adorned with flowering vines, providing a natural leafy halo around the white figure of the Immaculate Mary.

The May-June 2024 issue of Catholic Herald magazine has been published. The theme for this issue is the Eucharist in the lives of the faithful. The digital edition of the magazine is available at https://catholicmagazines.org/magazine-archive/catholic-herald/sac0524. 

In the cover story of this issue, the Diocesan Eucharistic Congress activities from March 9 are featured. With the theme of "Real Presence, Real Life," some 2,000 for the faithful form across the Diocese of Sacramento joined in the event, which was part of the Eucharistic Revival currently taking place in the diocese and across the United States. The congress featured music, food and inspiring speakers.