On Dec. 8, the diocese will take up a special collection to support our retired religious. The attached bilingual flyer provides facts regarding the needs of our retired religious. Resources to promote the appeal are available at retiredreligious.org. Details through the link.

Building on the deep faith of black Catholics, under the leadership of the African American Pastoral Council (AAPC), local Catholics, young and not so young, are part of the movement to pray for and celebrate Father Augustus Tolton and other black Catholics from the United States who have open causes for canonization. Read about the extraordinary journey of the Saintly Six.

Announcements of clergy appointments and retirement. Read through the link.

National Vocation Awareness Week will be celebrated in the United States from Nov. 3-9, 2024. Please pray to our Lord for more dedicated, holy priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, and lay leaders in service to the Church. As people of God, we are called to promote vocations in our communities. Read through the link to explore ways to cultivate religious and priestly vocations.

Chautauqua made a joyful return to the Diocese of Oakland for the first time in six years. The celebration took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland on Aug. 31. Chautauqua, or “the gathering of peoples,” was born of the desire to celebrate the rich diversity of cultures among the ethnic groups who call the Diocese of Oakland home. Learn more about the history of this Mass and details from this year's event through the link.

We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and of victims of natural disasters and climactic change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in which we live.

The Diocese of Oakland has a rich cacophony of voices and expressions of our faith. You can join in this “living hymn” at any of our parishes, as well as online in our Facebook channels or by checking out our website, and of course by reading The Catholic Voice. Coming soon, we’ll be offering the opportunity to receive communications from us into your email inbox! Sign-up through the link.

From the September 2024 Issue of The Catholic Voice: "In July, I had one of the most moving spiritual experiences of my life." Read more of Bishop Barber's reflections on his experience at the National Eucharistic Congress held this past July in Indianapolis, IN.

Fr. Lawrence D'Anjou, Vicar General of the Diocese of Oakland and Pastor of the St. Bonaventure Catholic Community shares highlights from the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. "The first night 40,000 plus gathered in the stadium as pilgrims who carried Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament from 4 corners of the U.S. entered the stadium. Then the lights went down, and Jesus was brought into our midst in a beautiful, large monstrance blessed by Pope Francis. Read the entire piece through the link.