This morning, in the wake of these recent reports of clergy abuse, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, published a statement. In it he said, “I apologize and humbly ask your forgiveness for what my brother bishops and I have done and failed to do. Whatever the details may turn out to be regarding Archbishop (Theodore) McCarrick or the many abuses in Pennsylvania (or anywhere else), we already know that one root cause is the failure of episcopal leadership.”

In light of the fires burning in Shasta, Trinity, Lassen, Sutter, Colusa and other counties, Bishop Jaime Soto has asked the faithful of the Diocese of Sacramento to remember in their prayers all those affected, especially the firefighters and emergency personnel, as well as residents who have been displaced, lost their residences or evacuated. Please keep all those communities affected by fires in your prayers and pray for those suffering loss during this catastrophic event.

On Aug. 13, Bishop Soto announced a special collection for Northern California relief and recovery efforts. "We turn now in solidarity to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Redding and Shasta/Trinity counties as they struggle to heal and rebuild their lives and their community in the wake of the recent wildfires," he said.

John Gisla, a family medicine physician with Mercy Medical Group in Folsom for the past 20 years, calls his specialty work with women patients using Natural Procreative Technology (NaPro) to treat the underlying causes of infertility a “labor of love.”

“It brings me great satisfaction to help women and couples who are grappling with infertility as well as those who wish to plan their family in a way that is consistent with their moral values,” says John, who is also chair of Mercy Medical Group’s Department of Family Medicine.