When Shawn and Annie Narayan’s twins, Johnny and Gemma, were accepted into transitional kindergarten at St. John the Evangelist School in Carmichael, it was a dream come true.

Both Narayan children were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

“We live less than one mile from St. John the Evangelist and we had always hoped that our children would attend the school as many of the kids in our neighborhood do,” says Annie. “We had a challenge finding the right preschool for our son, feeling hopeless about what educational opportunities would be available to them. We knew we wanted them in a Catholic school. When you get an autism diagnosis, you just never know what the future holds.

With faith in the Risen Lord, we share the sad news of the passing of Deacon Richard Driggs, who entered eternal life on December 14, 2025, at the age of 91.

Richard Lowe Driggs was born November 11, 1934 to Afton and Vaughn Driggs. He had a sister, Afton Louise (Dede) Driggs, who has since preceded him in death.

He had degrees from the University of Utah, the University of Missouri, the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. With his PhD in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dr. Driggs created and operated a successful surgical practice in Sacramento for thirty years.  After retiring from that role, Richard obtained a Master of Divinity degree from the Franciscan School of Theology, Graduate Theological Union, UC Berkeley, and was ordained as a Catholic deacon in 1992. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Baptizing one's children is as essential as providing them with food and clothing, Pope Leo XIV told parents.

"Just as they received life from you, their parents, now they receive the meaning to live it: faith," he said, referring to the 20 infants about to receive the sacrament of baptism in the Sistine Chapel Jan. 11, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

"When we know that something is essential, we immediately seek it for those we love," he said in his brief homily. "Who among us, in fact, would leave newborns without clothes or food, waiting for them to choose how to dress, and what to eat when they grow up?"

"If food and clothing are necessary for life, faith is more than necessary, because with God, life finds salvation," he said in Italian.