He ends the reflection thusly: “In New Orleans, masking takes on a meaning all its own during Carnival. We hide our faces behind masks to become someone else for a day. No one seems to complain that breathing through a mask on Mardi Gras is a bit odd and cumbersome. How much more important is it now to mask – when we’re talking not about a pair of beads but about a life.”

On Wednesday July 1st, the local church celebrated the memorial of St. Serra. Archbishop Gomez writes a wonderful reflection on his life and times in light of some disturbances with some of his statues. We actually have a statue of him in front of our rectory and we are protected by his intercession!

The Bishops of California have invited us to a special Stations of the Cross reflecting  "on the persistent sin of racism as a rejection of the full humanity of the children of God," as Archbishop Gomez said and who led the fourteen Stations. Please see the video of the Stations by clicking on the link above.