The January-February 2022 issue of Catholic Herald magazine has been published. The theme for this issue is "Hallmarks of a Welcoming Church: Evangelizing." The digital edition of the magazine is available at https://www.scd.org/catholicherald.
In the cover story of this issue, Yasmin Castellanos and Kerry Bray-Smith share how gifts are plentiful for St. Philomene School (Sacramento) students who are part of the Dual Language Immersion program, which is breaking down barriers and building up community. Kerry is principal of St. Philomene and Yasmin is Dual Language Immersion coordinator for the diocese's Catholic Schools Department.
Other stories in this issue include Bishop Jaime Soto's column on: "The more we contemplate and imitate the humanity of Jesus, so the more will we come to share in his divinity"; Christie's passion: As mom and principal of St. John the Evangelist School in Carmichael, she strives to make her school more inclusive; Ana explains how she combines her talents as a certified special education teacher, a national Catholic bilingual speaker and a catechetical leader to serve teens and children with special needs, as well as their parents and those involved in adaptive faith formation; Alana, a student at St. Francis High School in Sacramento, shares her journey to faith through the RCIA process; the Annual Catholic Appeal keeps families together in difficult times; Katie Perata, executive director of Catholic schools for the diocese, shares how Catholic schools remain unique because of every stakeholder's passionate belief in our mission; and Father Michael Hebda, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Sacramento, retires after 25 years of ministry in diocese.
In the Last Word column, Msgr. James Murphy shares with readers the ministry of Mercy Sister Libby Fernandez, who founded "Mercy Pedalers," and is on a bicycle mission to assist people living on the streets in Sacramento.
Bishop Jaime Soto is the publisher of Catholic Herald magazine, which is published six times each year and includes moving faith stories about Catholics in the diocese, as well as news and events of the local church. Individual faith stories are the cornerstone of the magazine and columns also explore the Catholic faith and education about church teachings. To donate $15 per year to receive Catholic Herald, call 916-733-0266 or visit https://www.scd.org/herald/donate. To view the archive of past issues of Catholic Herald magazine, visit https://www.scd.org/catholicherald.