Amid the devastating fire taking place at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento has issued the following statement:

“This destructive fire at the historic treasure and divine haven of mercy tears at our hearts. The iconic cathedral dedicated to Our Lady, Notre Dame, has stood as a stalwart citadel of faith for centuries. This tragic moment, coming as it does during Holy Week, is another test of that faith, but let us remember that it is the enduring grace of Jesus that has been and will be foundation and buttress of the Church.”

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement to the people of Paris:

Bishop Jaime Soto and Bishop Emeritus William K. Weigand will preside over a full schedule of Holy Week and Easter liturgies. All services will be held at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, located at 1017 11th St. in downtown Sacramento.

On Holy Thursday, April 18, Bishop Soto will preside at a communal penance service beginning at 12 p.m. in the cathedral. There will be no Mass celebrated and visiting clergy will be available for individual confessions. That evening at 7 p.m., Bishop Soto will preside, with Bishop Weigand concelebrating, at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (bilingual), followed by eucharistic adoration.

The team from St. Ignatius of Loyola School in Sacramento has won the 2019 Academic Decathlon state championship.

On April 6, the 10 California Catholic schools that had each prevailed at their Diocese Academic Decathlon competitions faced each other at St, Pius School in Redwood City. This was the 12th year in a row St. Ignatius Parish School has triumphed at the local competition earning the right to represent the Diocese of Sacramento at the state competition

“We are so proud of our students, coaches and parents,” said Patty Kochis, principal of St. Ignatius School. “Literally thousands of hours go into preparing for this competition. We are honored to have represented the Diocese of Sacramento at the statewide competition.”