Angelus News | December 20, 2019 | Vol. 4 No. 43

A special
day for LA
Los Angeles was part of Pope Francis’ 50th
priestly ordination anniversary celebration
thanks to a surprise announcement
BY TOM HOFFARTH / ANGELUS
Occurrentes,” a global
education project promoting
“Scholas
a “culture of encounter”
among high school students launched
by Pope Francis, has been wanting to
expand its reach into the United States.
On the morning of Friday, Dec. 13,
it was the Holy Father himself who announced
from Rome that Los Angeles
would be the place to start that process.
And he couldn’t have picked a more
special day to do it.
“Holy Father, greetings from Los
Angeles,” Archbishop José H. Gomez
told his boss on the other side of the
world via live video conference. “We
are very happy to be with you on this
very special day for you as you celebrate
your 50th anniversary of priestly
ordination. In the name of the whole
United States family, we send you
our prayers and our greetings on this
important day. Congratulations! Ad
multos annos.”
“Gracias!” replied the pope.
Archbishop Gomez was joined by
Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell,
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, and nearly
three dozen high school students from
around the archdiocese as well as a
handful of other dignitaries inside the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels conference
room to officially welcome the
invitation for “Scholas Occurrentes”
(“Schools for Encounter”) to set up its
14th worldwide office, and its first in
the U.S.
Archbishop Gomez said “Scholas” is
the kind of initiative the country is ba-
sically “asking for” in today’s polarized
environment.
“It’s time for the Church to be a
leader,” said the archbishop. “It’s a
great opportunity for kids from different
religions to come together and share
what they feel and then listen and
really help us to understand what they
are all thinking. I think their ideas will
be a great blessing for the future of the
Church and society.”
Students from Bishop Conaty-Our
Lady of Loretto High School in LA,
Bishop Mora Salesian High School in
Boyle Heights, and the new St. John
Paul II STEM Academy in Burbank
were invited to help with LA’s acceptance
presentation, talking directly to
the pope live nine hours ahead from
the Vatican’s Palazzo San Callisto.
Pope Francis was accompanied by
some 20 “Scholas” students from
around the world in Rome for a
three-day visit. Participants from Japan
and Haiti also were part of the Friday
presentation that streamed on the
archdiocese’s Facebook and YouTube
platforms.
“Scholas Occurrentes” was first
launched in Argentina by then-Cardinal
Jorge Bergoglio in 2001 when
he was archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Its stated aim is to “encourage social
integration ‎and a culture of encounter
among high school students through
sports, arts, and technology.” It later
became a foundation in 2013, shortly
after Cardinal Bergoglio became Pope
Francis.
Martina Amengual, coordinator of
global expansion for “Scholas Occurrentes,”
said Los Angeles was picked
based on Pope Francis’ recommendation
of Archbishop Gomez’s leadership.
“Los Angeles is important because
of the cultural diversity and different
religions and social backgrounds that
‘Scholas’ promotes,” said Amengual,
who met with Archbishop Gomez to
discuss the U.S. headquarters proposal
just last June.
Amengual added that the language of
art, sports, and technology are “what
students use to express themselves and
connect, no matter what religion or
country they are from. That’s where
they can create things there with their
minds, hearts, and hands.”
As “Scholas” opened an office in
Japan in November just prior to LA,
there are national outposts now in
Argentina, Vatican City, Colombia,
Spain, Haiti, Italy, Mexico, Mozambique,
Panama, Paraguay, Portugal,
and Romania. “Scholas Occurrentes”
is active in 190 countries, integrating
500,000 schools and educational networks
of all denominations.
14 • ANGELUS • December 20, 2019