The following is from a statement by Bishop Robert Vasa of Santa Rosa, regarding steps the Diocese of Santa Rosa is taking to release names of priests accused of sexual abuse: I have been reviewing files [related to child sexual abuse] for the past month and have established what I believe to be a complete list of all of the accused. Now I must determine if there is some … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa Bishop Robert Vasa: “I have no desire to cover up anything”
Adds retired superior court judge and retired appeals court justice to Diocesan Review Board to provide advice on releasing names of priests accused of sexual abuseNovember 26, 2018 12 Comments
Specific instructions
Santa Rosa Bishop Robert Vasa issues Pastoral Guide for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy CommunionAugust 30, 2018 7 Comments
The following is excerpted from a July 2018 pastoral guide for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion from Bishop Vasa of Santa Rosa: The goal of this booklet and other liturgical directives is to assure that we always approach Sacred things with a clear and considered respect. The terms I like to use are: Reverence, Attention and Devotion. The General Instruction of the … [Read more...]
‘Bishop Vasa should be applauded’
Catholic newspaper in Britain praises Santa Rosa bishop for banning "lay-led services that invite a parody of the Mass"August 21, 2018 6 Comments
A friend of mine texted me last week to say that she’d found a nice church round the corner from her office and had just “popped in for a lunchtime Communion service”. Which puzzled me, because this lady is a Catholic and the word we use is “Mass”. Was this my friend’s way of letting me know that she’d swum the Tiber in the wrong direction? As it turned out, the church was … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa bishop orders halt to Communion services without a priest
Bishop Robert Vasa: "The practice, while popular, is not consistent with the Instructions from the Holy See"August 6, 2018 17 Comments
The following is a message from Bishop Vasa of Santa Rosa: I use my space in the North Coast Catholic this month to communicate to all the people of God a Directive already shared with the priests of the Diocese regarding “Communion Services”. In the Instruction on the Eucharist issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments on March 25, 2004, … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa bishop reflects on the meaning of “active participation” in the liturgy
Bishop Robert Vasa: “I can be fully actualizing my ability to be acted upon at Mass by the chants, prayers, and ceremonies, without my doing much of anything that would be styled ‘active’ in contemporary English”February 6, 2018 12 Comments
The Second Vatican Council called for all of us, laity and clergy alike, to a full, active and conscious participation in the sacred liturgy. There has been and continues to be a strong emphasis on ‘active’ participation but this is only one part of what the Council called for. It is also necessary to understand properly the meaning of “active” participation. If this level of … [Read more...]
Fire-damaged Catholic schools re-open in Santa Rosa
Students return to Cardinal Newman High and St. Rose Elementary more than three months after Tubbs fireJanuary 23, 2018 1 Comment
It was a homecoming for Cardinal Newman High students, who finally returned to campus Monday more than three months after the Tubbs fire heavily damaged the school north of Santa Rosa. Faculty, staff and diocese officials welcomed back hundreds of students with a ceremony in the gym, followed by a pasta lunch. Bishop Robert Vasa offered a special blessing at the ceremony after … [Read more...]
‘Our diocese has been hit hard’
As fires devastate Northern California, Santa Rosa Bishop Robert Vasa sends updates and messages of support from his car in between visits to evacuation centersOctober 12, 2017 21 Comments
While firefighters in northern California are currently battling 17 wildfires in five counties, Bishop Robert Vasa of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, one of the hardest hit areas, is typing updates and messages of support from his car, in between visits to evacuation centers. “Our diocese has been hit hard, as you know well, and is in an ongoing state of uncertainty,” he said in … [Read more...]
Bishop Vasa joins pro-lifers outside Santa Rosa abortion clinic
Bishop Soto and five other bishops scheduled to participate later in "Jericho March" around state capitol in SacramentoApril 17, 2017 3 Comments
The Missionary Image is an actual (4′ x 6′}, authentic replica of the original Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe enshrined in the Basilica in Mexico City. In 1991, in response to a special request of St. John Paul II, the Bishops of Mexico blessed and commissioned the Missionary Images to bring conversions, reverence for life, sanctity of the family, and solidarity to … [Read more...]
Bishop Vasa moved out of house to make way for nuns
And now his house is too smallJune 2, 2016 6 Comments
The following comes from a recent post on the website of the Santa Rosa diocese. The Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa had their beginnings in Spokane, Washington. Their religious community was in the midst of a reorganization and the sisters found themselves in need of new diocesan sponsorship. more Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa news Bishop Robert Vasa of the … [Read more...]
Don’t panic. I will not insist on a door-to-door campaign this year.
June 4, 2014 Leave a Comment
The following was posted on the blog of Bishop Robert Vasa in late May. Since becoming the ordinary for the Diocese of Santa Rosa, I have done a fair bit of driving along our roads, and I am continually amazed at the rugged beauty of the countryside. Additionally, everywhere I go in the diocese, I typically find a warm group of people, eager to serve the Lord, eager and … [Read more...]
