STOCKTON (CA)
Catholic San Francisco
September 18th, 2013
By Carol Zimmermann
WASHINGTON – In his role with U.S. bishops’ committees over the years, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton has frequently urged members of Congress not to cut programs that help the poor.
Now, the bishop, who has led the Diocese of Stockton since 1999, is speaking closer to home about how his diocese – while facing financial burdens – must continue its ministries and its outreach to the local poor.
Bishop Blaire, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, detailed the financial situation of the diocese in two recent letters to Catholics in the diocese that were read during weekend Masses at 35 parishes and 14 mission churches.
The most recent letter, read during the Sept. 7-8 weekend Masses, announced the diocese’s plans to consider filing for bankruptcy. The diocese has been paying for multiple clergy sexual abuse lawsuit payments and is running out of funds for future settlements.
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