THE MOST REVEREND +JAIME SOTO's FIRST YEAR AS THE 9TH BISHOP OF SACRAMENTO.........

The First Week of Advent 2009, has marked the completion of Bishop Jaime Soto's first year as the 9th Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento. He was twenty five years, a priest and then, Auxiliary Bishop, of his native Diocese of Orange, California, when he was appointed Coadjuator Bishop of Sacramento on October 11, 2007. Bishop Soto had a nearly fourteen month warm-up to come to know the people, parishes, and ministries, of the twenty counties and forty three thousand square miles, that comprise the Catholic Church of Sacramento. Since succeeding to the bishopric as our Ordinary, a year ago - Bishop Soto has had his hands full, doing everything that a bishop is responsible for doing. Ministering and administering, without the assistance of an auxiliary bishop, an appointment of, for whom he and the diocese await. In addition to presiding at Masses and other ceremonies in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Confirmations and other special events in parishes and schools of the Diocese, Bishop Soto has also presided at the dedication of two new churches, the Vietnamese Martyrs Church on Florin Road in South Sacramento, which I attended with Msgr. Ed Kavanagh in the spring and the Divine Mercy Parish, 'first church' in the Natomas area of North Sacramento, which he dedicated Labor Day weekend. Wanting to effectively change and transfer priests and pastors on a semi-annual schedule in July and January, Bishop Soto and the Priests' Personnel Board faced nine retirements of Pastors on July 1, and decided to set in motion a more comprehensive change involving sixty four priests and parishes. This activity was the hardest part of the year for me to accept, without feeling a profound sense of being left out. Not only were the opportunity to become Pastor of Presentation, St. Philomene's, or any other parishes denied me due to my kidney disease, but so was any other ministry assignment, until next year. With all the focus placed on the priestly changes made on July 1, and yet not being counted among them, I felt like an active participant at a parade, pushed aside and left to watch the parade pass me by. Now, five months later, with my kidney transplant successfully received, there is little, if any reason, for me not to be assigned in the January changes, when my doctors certify my readiness. So in the spirit of Advent, I wait and watch for that decision. Bishop Soto's responsibilities extend beyond the Sacramento Diocese, as his service within the US Conference of Catholic Bishops includes chairing the Bishops' Immigration Committee and being their liasion bishop to the National Youth and Young Adult ministries. Therefore, as you begin your second year as the 9th Bishop of Sacramento, Bishop Jaime Soto, may God continue to bless you and the People of God in the 103 parishes of our Diocese with, " Joy and Hope", in the Lord Jesus' Three-fold Coming.........
Very Truly Yours in the Advent of the Lord, Fr. Troy