Bishop Jaime Soto will preside at a Mass for the the intention of Bishop Richard J. Garcia of Monterey on Monday, June 25 at 12:10 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, located at 1017 11th St. in Sacramento. All are welcome to attend. Bishop Garcia has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

In a memo to clergy June 21, Bishop Soto noted: "We join with the family of Bishop Richard Garcia as well as the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Monterey lifting up in prayer our brother ... We ask the Lord Jesus that his merciful hands hold Bishop Garcia in his tender care. May the accompaniment of our Masses and prayers bring him and his family comfort and strength."

Bishop Soto asked his brother priests to include petitions for the health of Bishop Garcia and his family in the general intercessions of Mass.

The U.S. Catholic bishops have joined a chorus of organizations, institutions and high-profile individuals urging the Trump administration to stop separating children from their parents as they seek respite in the United States from dire conditions in their home countries, largely in Central America.

In a recent television interview with Channel 19, Bishop Jaime Soto stated that “The family is where the human being comes closest to the image of God. Any offense against the family also attacks our Father and creator. It is morally incomprehensible the ‘deterrence’ justification proposed by the federal administration for the heartless  tactic of removing children from the arms of their mothers.