(For Spanish, click here.)

In response to the Camp Fire burning in Butte County, Bishop Jaime Soto has released the following statement and words of consolation:

“The tremendous loss from the Camp Fire ravaging parts of the diocese is devastating. The families in Paradise and the surrounding communities affected by the fire can rely on the support of our prayers. We also pray for the brave men and women responding to this disaster and battling the fires. May all those who have died in this catastrophic inferno be granted eternal repose in the merciful hands of the Lord Jesus.”

While serving as parochial vicar of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Sacramento from July 2015 to July 2017, Father Michael Ritter visited a grief-stricken mother who had just lost her second son to gang-related gun violence. One son had been killed in March, the second in June.

“I remember driving over to her house and thinking, what am I supposed to say? If a priest is going to be there, you have to have some words. When I got into the house, the whole family of 15 or so was standing in a circle. I said to her, I just drove over here to hold your hands and tell you I am so sorry about your son. That was so powerful. Experiences like this taught me a great deal about ministry and about the willingness to be present. If holy orders is a sacrament, it means Christ is present in that effort. It’s not about me, it’s about being willing.”