Bishop William K. Weigand recently announced a reorganization of the diocesan curia.

The reorganization, which became effective Feb. 13, is “intended to ensure closer collaboration between various offices and departments and to enhance their ability to support the parishes and all those they serve,” he said in a letter to pastors.

The curia is now organized into five secretariats, headed by vicars. The five secretariats are:

• Pastoral ministry, headed by Mercy Sister Eileen Enright, who previously served as chancellor of the diocese for the past eight years;

• Social service, headed by Father Michael Kiernan;

• Clergy and religious, headed by co-vicars Father Thomas Bland and Dominican Sister Paulina Hurtado;

• Temporalities and administration, headed by Msgr. Robert Walton, who continues as diocesan vicar general and is pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Sacramento;

• Canonical affairs, headed by Father David Deibel, who is also judicial vicar of the diocese.

Bishop Weigand noted that the vicars will report to Auxiliary Bishop Richard J. Garcia, who will serve as moderator of the curia, and that the six vicars will become his senior staff.

He added that the vicars will coordinate the activities, programs and services of the offices and departments, in collaboration with the department directors of their particular secretariat.

The bishop also announced the appointment of Father Mark Richards as chancellor of the diocese, in addition to his duties as co-director of the Office of Vocations. He also named Father Blaise Berg as vice chancellor and priest-secretary to the bishop. Thomas McNamara, current director of the diocesan finance office, was named chief financial officer of the diocese.

The five secretariats include the following diocesan departments:

• Pastoral ministry: Catholic schools, evangelization, family life, Catholic faith formation, campus ministry, worship, and research and planning.

• Social service: Catholic Charities of Sacramento, social concerns, detention ministry, and liaison to parish social services, social service organizations not within Catholic Charities, social service programs not affiliated with the diocese, Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

• Clergy and religious: priests’ personnel, clergy education, permanent diaconate and vocations and the delegate for religious.

• Temporalities and administration: lay personnel, stewardship and development, legal counsel, Pastoral Center building and serviIt was a day of celebration, a day of exploration, a day for faith building.

But most of all, it was a beginning.

The first black Catholic youth rally, co-sponsored by the diocesan department of Catholic Faith Formation and the Sacramento Black Catholic Council, was held Feb. 9 at Immaculate Conception Parish in Sacramento.

“We want our young people to know more about the beauty of their culture and its values,” said Sister Rose Ereba, a member of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus, who coordinated the event for the SBCC. “We want them to know more about their faith.”

A historical perspective of what it means to be an African American Catholic was presented by Richard Cheri, associate director for parish youth catechesis in the office of religious education for the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Regina Williams, 14, a member of St. Anne Parish in Sacramento, was among those attending the event. Williams said that the history lesson made her want to find out more about the roots of her own faith.

“I didn’t know where we fit in as Catholics,” she said. “I would like to get deeper into it.”

Participants also had an opportunity for an informal group discussion with Auxiliary Bishop Richard J. Garcia, shared in a series of interactive activities and attended Mass together.

“We’re not trying to start some sort of separatist thing. That’s not it at all,” said Brenda Elazier, chairwoman of the SBCC. “It’s just that each of us in our ethnic groups, in our heritage, have a uniqueness we bring to the church. We want our young people to know who they are so they can share in that uniqueness.”

Elazier said that a primary goal of the youth rally was to focus on making young people feel more included in church “so they’ll know the value of their faith and want to stay.”

“Here we’re so dispersed, a mobile society, and we don’t have an extended family around,” said Elazier, who grew up in Detroit in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood and attended Catholic schools with broad ethnic representation. “We want to become that extended family.”

Michael Green, 24, a catechumen at St. Philomene Parish in Sacramento, was among those attending the gathering. Making connections with both adults and youth in the Catholic community was just what he was seeking.

“It was good to see the Catholic community trying to get knowledge out there, helping me with my faith,” he said. “It is important to see who the church leaders are.”

Green added that he would like to see youth organizers also plan some informal, “more secular” events in the future, such as dances and retreats.

During a discussion with the young people, Bishop Garcia addressed the fact that less than a dozen young people had turned out for the youth day.

“We have to do more,” he said. “Right now we are creating a task force to look at all of our youth ministries in the diocese to make sure we’re covering all the bases in parishes.”

Bishop Garcia told the young people that one of the most effective approaches to evangelization would be ministry to their peers.

“I hope you feel you have something to give right now, even if you are small in number,” he said. “Remember Jesus started small, but his disciples brought others in. If you could help us do that, it would be a great blessing for the church.”

Sister Ereba is already making plans for future black Catholic youth events in the coming months.

“If we have even a few people to spread the good news, good things will come,” she said.

ces and the diocesan finance office.

• Canonical affairs: Tribunal and administrative procedures including due process.

Bishop Garcia will continue to serve as Vicar for Hispanics and Other Ethnic Groups and will also oversee diocesan communications, including the diocesan newspapers and radio ministries.

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