Corpus Christi Procession to Kick Off Eucharistic Revival
SAN DIEGO — The Diocese of San Diego is planning a Corpus Christi procession on Sunday, June 26, led by Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano.
The procession with a consecrated host will begin at 4 p.m. at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Little Italy and end at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
Corpus Christi, also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is a feast held to celebrate the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
The upcoming procession represents the local launch of the U.S. bishops’ nationwide Eucharistic Revival. The revival was inspired by a shocking Pew survey that revealed widespread ignorance among Catholics about the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist. The results showed that 69 percent of self-identified Catholics believed that the bread and wine at Mass are not transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus, but are merely symbols.
The three-year revival, which will include a variety of local and national events, will conclude with the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024, which is expected to bring together tens of thousands of U.S. Catholics.
Last fall, the San Diego Diocese launched its own initiative to promote the Eucharist at all of its parishes. It included special homilies and a detailed explanation of the rituals of the Mass, all delivered in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
More information about the National Eucharistic Revival can be found at eucharisticrevival.org.
‘Summer Sips Social’ to Support Trafficking Survivors
EL CAJON — Children of the Immaculate Heart, a San Diego-based nonprofit that serves survivors of sex trafficking, will host its “Summer Sips Social” fundraiser on Saturday, June 11.
It will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the courtyard at St. Ephrem’s Maronite Catholic Church, located at 750 Medford St. in El Cajon.
Deacon Marvin Threatt of Christ the King Parish will deliver a talk on the theme “A New Awakening in the Holy Spirit,” and a special guest speaker will talk about trauma recovery.
The evening also will include live music, heavy appetizers, desserts, and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Children of the Immaculate Heart’s plan to hire a therapist, psychiatrist and mental health staff onsite at The Refuge, its group home for underage sex-trafficking survivors.
Tickets are $75 per person. RSVP required at childrenoftheimmaculateheart.org/events or (619) 431-5537.
Students Reflect on Vocations in Essay Contest
SAN DIEGO — For the last 25 years, Serra International–San Diego, in conjunction with the Diocese of San Diego, has sponsored an eighth-grade essay contest on vocations.
The 2022 contest asked students to reflect on their vocations – married, single or religious – in light of the following Scripture passage: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16).
This year’s 10 winners were: Lilly Awad, St. John the Evangelist; Giovanna Barroso, The Nativity School; Faith Beltran, St. Gregory the Great; Jameson Brown, School of the Madeleine; Kisha Encarnacion, St. Kieran; Aidan Guerrero, St. Rose of Lima; Larisa Arce Negrete, Our Lady of Mount Carmel; Samantha Sabaot, St. Rita; Charlie Sawaya, St. Columba; and Anna Williamson, Good Shepherd.
Along with their relatives, teachers, principals, pastors and friends, the winners were invited to an awards presentation May 5 at the diocesan Pastoral Center. Each winner received a certificate and an engraved Bible.
Serra USA was formed in 1935 when a small group of lay people in Seattle decided to form an organization to promote and foster vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life. Today, there are over 500 Serra Clubs in the United States, and the organization is present in over 40 countries.
For more information about Serra International–San Diego, email Dianna Pacheco at Diannapach@hotmail.com and visit Serraus.org or SerraInternational.org.
Do Prison Ministry from Home with Correspondence Course
SAN DIEGO — If you feel called to prison ministry, it’s possible to answer that call from the comfort of your own home.
Volunteers are needed for a ministry that involves sharing their life experience anonymously with men and women in California prisons who are seeking to restart their lives. Volunteers guide incarcerated men and women as they are enrolled in correspondence courses on parenting, anger management, and 12-step addiction recovery.
For more information, email eereichert@gmail.com or call (619) 203-8973.
Anti-Death Penalty Poetry Contest Open to Young Catholics
SAN DIEGO — Young Catholics are invited to enter the Catholic Mobilizing Network’s Justice & Mercy Poetry Contest.
Catholics ages 18 to 30 are invited to submit an original poem about the injustice of the death penalty. Winners may receive up to $1,000 in cash, and the first-place winner will be invited to read his or her award-winning poem at the Catholic Mobilizing Network’s 13th anniversary celebration on Oct. 10, 2022, at the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Washington, DC.
Submissions will be accepted until Tuesday, May 31, and are limited to one poem per person. Formal, rhyming or free verse poems are welcome.
For more information, visit catholicsmobilizing.org/poetry-contest or email emmat@catholicsmobilizing.org.
Notre Dame Club Hosts Events Yearlong
SAN DIEGO — The Notre Dame Club of San Diego’s history goes back to 1948.
Since then, the alumni club has expanded to include alumni, their family, friends, and fans of the University of Notre Dame – all 4,715 of them from San Diego.
Like the other 266 Notre Dame Clubs around the world overseen by their Alumni Association, the San Diego Club’s mission revolves around the “6 C’s”: camaraderie, community service, Catholic mission, current students, continuing education, and career connections.
Every year, the club hosts a slew of events in the local community with the goal of being a “Force for Good.” Its whole fall season revolves around its “Season of Service,” with community partners such as Nativity Prep Academy, Casa de los Pobres, Father Joe’s Villages, Operation Dress Code, and the Camp Pendleton Warrior Warehouse.
More information about the Notre Dame Club and its year-round programming can be found on its website, sandiego.undclub.org, and Facebook page, facebook.com/ndsandiego.
Catholics Can ‘Encounter’ Jesus Throughout 2022
RANCHO PENASQUITOS — “Encounter,” a Spirit-filled evening of inspiring music, prayer and Eucharistic adoration, is held on the second Friday of each month at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Rancho Penasquitos.
Sponsored by the parish’s Hearts of Fire Ministry, the event runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Upcoming dates in 2022 include: June 10, July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9.
For more information, email olmcheartsoffire@gmail.com.
Street Evangelization Brings Gospel to Public Square
SAN DIEGO — St. Paul Street Evangelization is a grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated to taking the Gospel message to the streets.
Participants in the ministry do this in a non-confrontational way, allowing the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of those who witness their public Catholic presence.
For more information or to get involved, visit streetevangelization.com, call (619) 515-3267 or email scb@procopio.com.
