BRAWLEY — Catholics from across the Imperial Valley filled the churches of Brawley to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope.
The day began on April 22 in the town of about 30,000 with the faithful packing Sacred Heart Church for opening prayers. Afterward, they processed to St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, across town to the south side, where Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano celebrated a Mass.
The Mass launched the “Jubilee of Hope” in the Catholic Communities of Brawley and Westmorland. And it celebrated the designation of St. Margaret Mary Church by Cardinal Robert W. McElroy – the former bishop of the Diocese of San Diego – as the pilgrimage church in the Imperial Valley during the Jubilee Year.
In the San Diego area, he designated St. Joseph Cathedral as the pilgrimage church.
“Pope Francis reminded us that we are pilgrims of hope,” the auxiliary bishop said in his homily. “We are a Church of hope, not sadness or doom. We see many times in the world (there is) loss and darkness, confusion and uncertainty, so it is always important that we know that in Christ we have our hope — that only Christ can help and save us.
“Hope is not about thinking that tomorrow is going to be better; it’s about knowing that no matter what, God is always going to be with us. It’s really important that people in the Imperial Valley know that they don’t have anything to fear because Jesus is with them.”
