Angelus News | January 24, 2020 | Vol. 5 No. 3

ANGELUS 

PRO-LIFE WITH 

A PURPOSE 

Thousands take a 

stand for the future 

at OneLife LA 

January 24, 2020 Vol. 5 No. 3

A Very Special 2020 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land 

October 26 – November 5 

Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus with 

Archbishop José H. Gomez & Spiritual Leaders 

Bishop David O’Connell, Msgr. Antonio Cacciapuoti, 

Rev. Jim Anguiano and Rev. Parker Sandoval 

Under the Direction of Judy Brooks, Archbishop’s Office of Special Services 

Please join us for an important 

Pilgrimage Information Meeting 

Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. 

The Cathedral Conference Center 

555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 

All are Welcome! 

Garden of Gethsemane 

For Information Call Mary Kay: (213) 637-7520 

Travel Arrangements through Catholic Travel Centre 

Church of the Holy Sepulchree 

Church of the Beatitudes

ON THE COVER/IMAGE 

Several thousand pro-lifers from all over California made their 

voices heard and their signs seen in downtown LA Jan. 18 for 

the sixth annual OneLife LA Walk for Life. On Page 10, Tom 

Hoffarth reports on how the crowd, many of them in strollers 

and wheelchairs, found more than one way to proclaim the 

dignity of life “from the womb to the tomb.” On Page 16, Kathryn 

Jean Lopez reflects on the pro-life mission of the Sisters of 

Life on the other side of the country. 

VICTOR ALEMÁN/JOHNMICHAEL FILIPPONE 

ne 

Contents 

Archbishop Gomez 3 

World, Nation, and Local News 4-6 

LA Catholic Events 7 

Scott Hahn on Scripture 8 

Father Rolheiser 9 

John Allen: Understanding this month’s ‘co-authoring conundrum’ 18 

A Jesuit guide to helping the homeless, from LA to Rome 20 

Greg Erlandson is still thinking about Christmas cards in January 22 

A last look back at the Vatican’s 1995 favorite films list 24 

Heather King ponders oblateship at a hidden SoCal abbey 28 

es 

January 24, 2020 • ANGELUS • 1

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January 24, 2020 

Vol. 5 • No. 3 

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POPE WATCH 

A word unchained 

The following is adapted from the 

Holy Father’s catechesis on the Acts of 

the Apostles, given during his weekly 

General Audience in the Paul VI Hall, 

Wednesday, Jan. 15. 

Paul’s journey is proof that man’s 

journeys, if lived in faith, can become 

a space of transit for God’s salvation 

through the word of faith, which is 

an active leaven in history, capable of 

transforming situations and opening 

up ever new paths. 

The arrival of Paul in the heart of the 

empire concludes the account of the 

Acts of the Apostles, which does not 

end with the martyrdom of Paul, but 

with the abundant sowing of the word. 

In Rome, Paul first of all meets his 

brothers and sisters in Christ, who 

welcome him and give him courage 

and whose warm hospitality leads 

one to think how much his arrival 

was awaited and desired. He was then 

permitted to live on his own under 

house arrest. 

Despite his condition as a prisoner, 

Paul could meet with notable Jews to 

explain why he was forced to appeal 

to Caesar and to speak to them about 

the kingdom of God. 

He tries to convince them regarding 

Jesus, starting out from the Scriptures 

and showing the continuity between 

the newness of Christ and the “hope 

of Israel” (Acts 28:20). Paul recognizes 

himself as profoundly Jewish and 

sees in the gospel he preaches, that 

is, in the proclamation of the dead 

and risen Christ, the fulfilment of the 

promises made to the chosen people. 

For an entire day, Paul announces 

the kingdom of God and tries to open 

his interlocutors to faith in Jesus, starting 

“from the law of Moses and from 

the Prophets” (Acts 28:23). 

Since not all are convinced, he 

denounces the hardening of the heart 

of God’s people, the cause of their 

condemnation (cf. Is 6:9-10), and 

celebrates with passion the salvation 

of nations that show themselves to 

be sensitive to God and capable of 

listening to the word of the gospel of 

life (cf. Acts 28:28). 

At this point in the narrative, Luke 

concludes his work by showing us not 

the death of Paul but the dynamism 

of his sermon, of a word that “is not 

bound” (2 Tim 2:9). Paul does not 

have the freedom to move but is 

free to speak because the word is not 

enchained — it is a word ready to be 

sown with full hands by the apostle. 

Paul does this “with all frankness and 

without impediment” (Acts 28:31) 

in a house where he welcomes those 

who want to receive the proclamation 

of the kingdom of God and to know 

Christ. This house is open to all 

hearts in search of the image of the 

Church which, though persecuted, 

misunderstood and chained, never 

tires of welcoming with a motherly 

heart every man and woman to proclaim 

to them the love of the Father 

who made himself visible in Jesus. 

May the Spirit revive in each one 

of us the call to be courageous and 

joyful evangelizers. May he also 

enable us, like Paul, to imbue our 

homes with the gospel and to make 

them cenacles of fraternity, where we 

can welcome the living Christ, who 

“comes to meet us in every man and 

in every age.” 

Papal Prayer Intention for January: That Christians, followers of other religions, 

and all people of goodwill may promote peace and justice in the world. 

2 • ANGELUS • January 24, 2020

NEW WORLD 

OF FAITH 

BY ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ 

To reverence human life 

The following is adapted from 

Archbishop Gomez’s homily for the 

annual Requiem Mass for the Unborn, 

held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of 

the Angels Jan. 18. 

Once again this year, we gather to 

remember and to mourn the lives that 

have been lost. We offer this Eucharist 

tonight for all those tiny souls who 

were killed before they could be born. 

We pray tonight for their mothers 

and fathers, for all those who know 

the pain of abortion and are caught 

up in this tragedy. 

Every time a child dies in the womb, 

something of our humanity dies as 

well. And over these long decades of 

legalized abortion, we all know we 

have fallen short of what is expected 

of us. 

Abortion is certainly an atrocity and 

it should be abolished; it has no place 

in a civilized society. But we need 

to admit, all of us, that we have not 

done enough to build the just society, 

the beloved community, where abortion 

would never be thought of. 

So, we pray tonight in sorrow and 

repentance. We ask for the grace and 

the courage to confront this injustice 

and to commit ourselves to the hard 

work of building a society that is worthy 

of the human person. 

Tonight, in these readings we have 

just heard, God speaks to us of the 

great mystery, the sanctity and dignity, 

the beauty of the human person. 

The prophet Isaiah says, “Now the 

Lord has spoken who formed me as 

his servant from the womb. … I will 

make you a light to the nations that 

my salvation may reach to the ends of 

the earth.” 

These words direct our gaze to Jesus 

Christ, to the word of God who humbles 

himself to become our servant, 

taking human flesh in the womb of 

the Virgin Mary. We serve a God who 

reveals himself to us as a little baby, a 

God who wanted to come to us from 

a human mother, to be born into a 

human family. 

This reveals to us something deep, 

something profound about the nature 

of God. But it also tells us something 

marvelous and beautiful about 

ourselves, about our lives and our 

humanity. 

Human life is precious to the Creator! 

His love for us is endless and it 

begins long before we are even born. 

Our God is a Father who fashions 

every soul in every mother’s womb. 

We are God’s idea, every one of us! 

And there is the spark of the divine 

that is hidden in the purpose of every 

person. The human person is the glory 

of God, because there is a trace of 

God in even the tiniest person, even 

in the child who is waiting to be born. 

We have known these truths for a 

long time, but we need to continue to 

translate this knowledge into action. 

The existence of abortion tells us 

that we still have not created a culture 

of life, that we still don’t have a 

society or an economy that values the 

human person and the family as the 

essential foundation of society. 

It is still too hard for many families 

to make ends meet, and too many 

people do not have what they need 

to lead a dignified life. And we all 

have the responsibility to care for our 

brothers and sisters. 

Many of you are doing heroic and 

beautiful work to help women, to 

help mothers and children. Thank 

you for your compassion, for your 

love, for the sacrifices you make for 

this cause of life. 

But we need to do more. We need 

to change this society; we need to 

change this culture. Let us ask for the 

grace to commit ourselves to continue 

working to protect the unborn 

life, and to do more to support and 

strengthen the family. 

Jesus forms each one of us in the 

womb and in baptism he calls us to 

follow him and to be his servants, to 

be a light to our nation and to build 

his kingdom, filling this world with 

his holiness and love. 

God calls us not only to respect 

human life, God calls us to reverence 

human life. He wants us to contemplate 

and celebrate the mystery, 

the divine presence, his glory in the 

soul of every person. 

And we need to make reverence for 

life the foundation of a great movement 

for human rights and human 

dignity in our society. The way we do 

that is through our love, through our 

compassion, through our prayer and 

our pursuit of holiness in our own 

lives. 

So tonight, let us ask that his mercy 

be upon us, that he give us the 

strength to follow him in building 

a culture where every human life is 

sacred, where we can see the light of 

God in the eyes of every child. 

May the Blessed Virgin Mary our 

mother intercede for us and for our 

country, and may she go with us in 

this great movement for life. 

To read more columns by Archbishop José H. Gomez or to subscribe, visit www.angelusnews.com. 


WORLD 

A HISTORIC PROMOTION — On Jan. 15, 

Pope Francis appointed Italian lawyer 

Francesca Di Giovanni, 66, to serve 

as undersecretary for the Section for 

Relations with States in the Holy See’s 

Secretariat of State, making her the 

first woman to hold a senior position in 

that department. The longtime Vatican 

official said she was surprised by the 

appointment but is committed to her 

boss’ vision. “I hope that my being a 

woman might reflect itself positively in 

this task,” she told Vatican News, “even 

if they are gifts that I certainly find in my 

male colleagues as well.” 

VATICAN MEDIA 

Longer marriage prep in Spain 

How long does it take to prepare for marriage? A few weeks? Months? Bishops 

in Spain think it should take years. 

The country’s conference of Catholics bishops unveiled a two- to three-year 

optional program for engaged couples preparing for marriage in the Church, a 

stark contrast to the current requirement of just 20 hours. 

“Engagement is a path toward recognizing one’s vocation,” the conference’s 

website reads. “The main objective should be to accompany engaged couples in 

proper discernment of that matrimonial vocation.” 

Speaking to media, Bishop Mario Iceta of Bilbao defended the expanded timeline, 

which is intended to respond to the country’s high divorce rate of around 

60%. 

“To be a priest, you need to spend seven years in the seminary, so what about 

being a husband, wife, mother, or father? Just 20 hours?” 

Iraqi bishops call 

out US and Iran 

Catholic leaders in Iraq are pleading 

for a change in tone between the 

U.S. and Iran following a month of 

tense exchanges. 

“We are fed up with all kinds of troubles 

and war,” Archbishop of Kirkuk 

Yousif Thomas Mirki told Catholic 

News Service. “We would like to see 

the U.S. and Iran stop their war of 

words as well as missiles, and dialogue 

instead.” 

After U.S. troops killed Iranian Quds 

Force commander Qassem Soleimani 

Jan. 3, Iran retaliated by launching 

more that a dozen ballistic missiles at 

military bases hosting U.S. troops in 

Iraq. 

“Iraq has been suffering from proxy 

wars for decades, tearing our country 

apart,” said Archbishop Bashar Matti 

Warda of Erbil in a statement. “The 

current tensions between the two powers 

must not escalate in Iraq.” 

Korean Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung celebrates Mass at the inauguration of the Redemptoris 

Mater Seminary of Seoul in 2019. 

South Korea’s ‘tepid’ Catholic problem 

A growing Catholic population suggests 

the Church has more, not less, 

evangelizing to do in South Korea. 

According to a report released this 

month from the Catholic Pastoral 

Institute of Korea, the number of 

Catholics in the country grew from 

about 4 million in 1999 to almost 6 

million in 2018, and the number of 

priests rose more than 50% over the 

same period. 

But while the number of baptized 

Catholics jumped, Mass attendance 

rates dropped by more than 10% over 

the 20-year period, and the number 

of Catholic wedding Masses fell by 

41.5%. 

“All dioceses have made various 

efforts to bring back tepid Christians 

and overhaul the Church, but any 

significant change has yet to come,” 

the report said. 

A seminarian for the Archdiocese 

of Seoul told Angelus News that the 

country’s fundamentally “pagan” 

culture has helped accelerate the 

country’s pace of secularization. 

“[Church leaders] thought that 

super-organized sacramental pastoral 

care would be enough to sustain the 

growth, but it hasn’t worked,” he said. 

“Now they’re realizing the importance 

of returning to a more missionary 

pastoral approach.” 


NATION 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during the 11th annual National Catholic 

Prayer Breakfast May 7, 2015, in Washington, D.C. 

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE/TYLER ORSBURN 

Alex Trebek and his wife, Jean, after receiving Fordham University’s 

Founder’s Award. 

KAIT MCKAY/FORDHAM UNIVERSITY 

Texas bishops slam governor 

over refugee decision 

All of Texas’ 16 Catholic bishops have condemned Texas 

Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent decision to not accept new 

refugees. 

Abbott, who is Catholic, made the announcement in 

response to an executive order allowing states to decide 

whether to accept more refugees. He claimed that Texas 

has already “carried more than its share.” 

The bishops’ statement called the decision “deeply discouraging 

and disheartening.” 

“As Catholics, an essential aspect of our faith is to welcome 

the stranger and care for the alien,” they wrote. 

Abbott spokesman John Wittman later stated that the governor’s 

decision “will not prevent any refugee from coming 

into America” or from moving to Texas after immigrating, 

the Texas Tribune reported. 

Currently, Texas is the only state that has declined to 

accept more refugees, while 42 others will continue to 

receive them. 

Alex Trebek’s Catholic credentials 

To Fordham University, Alex Trebek is more than just 

a celebrity host. 

On Jan. 7 in Los Angeles, the Jesuit university 

honored the “Jeopardy!” host and his wife, Jean, with 

its Founder’s Award, which it bestows annually on 

individuals “dedicated to wisdom and learning in the 

service of others,” according to its website. 

In an interview with Crux, Father Joseph McShane, 

Fordham’s president, cited Trebek’s dedication to 

knowledge through hosting “Jeopardy!” as well as his 

and Jean’s generosity in establishing a scholarship fund 

after their son Matthew graduated from Fordham in 

2015. 

Father McShane added that Trebek has set an inspiring 

example since his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer 

last March. 

Trebek spoke to his faith during his acceptance 

speech. “If there’s one thing I have discovered in the 

past year,” he said, “it is the power of prayer.” 

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in 

the Oval Office on National Religious Freedom 

Day, Jan. 16. 

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE/TOM BRENNER, REUTERS 

Trump sticks up for public school prayer 

The Trump administration announced updated guidelines it says are meant to 

strengthen the right to prayer in public schools. 

Announced by President Trump Jan. 16 at an Oval Office event, the new 

federal guidance emphasizes that students “are permitted to read religious texts 

and pray during recess, organize prayer groups, and express religious beliefs in 

schoolwork,” the Wall Street Journal reported. 

The guidance also says that states must report to the federal government “complaints 

or lawsuits claiming students were denied the right to prayer in schools.” 

The president said the rules are part of a fight against the “totalitarian impulses 

on the left.” 

“You have things happening today that, 10 or 15 years ago, would have been 

unthinkable,” Trump said. “Taking the word Christmas out, you know. I think 

we’ve turned that one around very good.” 


LOCAL 

Pope Francis meets with U.S. bishops from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas during their “ad limina” 

visit to the Vatican Jan. 20. 

California bishops off to the ‘threshold of the apostles’ 

The bishops of California, Hawaii, and Nevada will be in Rome Jan. 26-Feb. 1 

for the customary “ad limina ad apostolorum” (“to the threshold of the apostles”) 

visit required of all bishops. 

Also known as a “quinquennial” visit because it is supposed to take place every 

five years, the “ad limina” visit is the official opportunity for bishops to report on 

the state of their dioceses to the Vatican, both in writing and in person. 

The bishops will celebrate Mass together at all four of Rome’s papal basilicas, 

visit several Vatican departments, recite the Creed at the tomb of St. Peter, and 

spend time with Pope Francis during an extended closed-door meeting at the 

Vatican. 

The last visit by the bishops of the three states, known as Region XI, took place 

in 2012 during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI. 

The new LACatholics.org events calendar page. 

ADLA website gets new name and makeover 

VATICAN MEDIA 

Six Catholic high schools 

awarded grants 

Six local Catholic high schools and 

one organization will benefit from 

grants from the William H. Hannon 

Foundation totaling $225,000. 

Aquinas High School (San Bernardino), 

Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy 

(La Cañada), Mary Star of the Sea 

High School (San Pedro), Marymount 

High School (Los Angeles), St. Anthony 

High School (Long Beach), Xavier 

College Preparatory (Palm Desert), as 

well as The Association of Catholic 

Student Councils (TACSC), were 

awarded the grants this month, the 

foundation announced. 

“Each of these schools and TACSC 

play integral roles in the education of 

the next generation of Catholic leaders,” 

said Jim Hannon, treasurer of 

the William H. Hannon Foundation 

and president of the TACSC board of 

directors. 

“The generosity and impact of the 

William H. Hannon Foundation cannot 

be understated,” said Heidi Johnson, 

executive director at TACSC. 

“With their latest generous grant, we 

are able to continue our mission of 

developing moral leaders, anchored 

in faith, who positively impact our 

world.” 

Supporting Catholic education has 

been a pillar of the William H. Hannon 

Foundation since its founding in 

1983 by the late Catholic philanthropist 

and real estate developer William 

Hannon. 

Catholics in Los Angeles have a new digital destination for all their 

faith-related needs — and it’s even named after them. 

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles rolled out its new website, LACatholics. 

org, this month. Besides a brand-new look, the site includes a new events 

calendar, parish finder, photo galleries, a prayer wall, and information on 

different initiatives and ministries in the archdiocese. 

“We designed our website with our community in mind, from parish staff 

and ministry volunteers to the newcomer to Southern California,” said 

Sarah Yaklic, chief digital officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 

“We hope the new features will enable LA Catholics to see how our faith 

is alive and discover ways they can share their gifts with the world and move 

from a virtual experience to a living encounter with Jesus.” 

Archbishop José H. Gomez with middle-schoolers 

after Mass at the end of the TACSC Summer 

Leadership Conference at LMU last summer. 

TACSC 


LA Catholic Events 

Items for LA Catholic Events are due two weeks prior to the date of the event. They may be mailed to Angelus News (Attn: LA Catholic Events), 3424 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241; emailed to 

calendar@angelusnews.com; or faxed to 213-637-6360. All items must include the name, date, time, and address of the event, plus a phone number for additional information. 

Sat., Jan. 25 

Vocation Discernment Retreat for Young Adult 

Women. Pomona. Retreat runs Jan. 25-26. Donation: 

$45/person (includes overnight stay, meals, and 

retreat materials). For pre-registration, call Josie at 

562-417-6612, or visit nuevacreaciondedios.org. 

Foster Care and Adoption Information Meeting. 

Children’s Bureau’s Magnolia Place, 1910 Magnolia 

Ave., Los Angeles, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Discover if you 

have the willingness, ability, and resources to take on 

the challenge of helping a child in need. RSVP or learn 

more by calling 213-342-0162, toll free at 800-730- 

3933, or by emailing RFrecruitment@all4kids.org. 

37th Annual Nine Hour Novena to the Infant Jesus 

of Prague. St. Joseph the Worker Church, 19855 

Sherman Way, Winnetka, 6:45 a.m. Mass at 3:20 p.m. 

Call Leo Nevada at 818-633-3926 or visit IJPAG.com. 

Sun., Jan. 26 

ADLA Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Informational 

Meeting. The Cathedral Conference Center, 555 W. 

Temple St., Los Angeles, 2 p.m. Information on upcoming 

pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Archbishop 

Gomez, Bishop O’Connell, Msgr. Cacciapuoti, Father 

Anguiano and Father Sandoval. Cost: $4,299 from 

LAX plus $195 in tips. Register at GoCatholicTravel. 

com/20033. For more information, call Judy Brooks, 

213-637-7551 or email pilgrimage@la-archdiocese.org. 

St. John Paul II Stem Academy Open House. 465 

East Olive St., Burbank, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Meet students 

and teachers and tour new classrooms. Admissions 

and financial aid information available. Visit jpstem. 

org or call 818-972-1400. 

St. Anthony of Padua School Open House. 1003 

163rd St., Gardena, 11 a.m. Mass celebrating Catholic 

Schools Week. Open house, 12-2 p.m. School 

tours, information on faith, academic and extracurricular 

programs, and financial aid and affordable 

tuition program available. For information, call 310- 

329-7170 or email contact@stanthonygardena.org. 

Prayer Service for Christian Unity for the Southern 

California Catholic Forum. Church of the Good 

Shepherd, 504 N. Roxbury Dr., Beverly Hills, 2 p.m. 

Join Christian leaders from across the region for an 

afternoon of worship, music, and prayer for the unity 

of all of Christ’s followers. Reception to follow at 3:30 

p.m. in the parish hall with light refreshments. All are 

welcome. Email Sandra Bossi at ChristianUnityGS@ 

gmail.com or visit gsbh.org/ecumenicalandinterfaith. 

Mon., Jan. 27 

Healing Mass. St. Cornelius Church, 5500 E. Wardlow 

Rd., Long Beach, 7:30 p.m. Celebrant: Father Bill Adams. 

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy (PMA) Catholic 

Schools Week Mass. 7851 Gardendale St., Downey, 

9:30 a.m. Join the PMA community in celebration of 

Catholic Schools Week with Mass followed by luncheon 

with Paul Escala, superintendent of Catholic 

schools. RSVP required by Jan. 22. Call 562-861- 

2271, ext. 2205 or email gsantos@piusmatthias.org. 

Tue., Jan. 28 

Prayer and Life Workshop Introductory Session. 

St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 7215 Newlin 

Ave., Whittier, 7-9 p.m. Learn to pray and build a 

personal relationship with God. For more information, 

call Filomena Rombeiro at 562-715-0337. 

Fri., Jan. 31 

“Where a Healthy Psychology and a Healthy 

Spirituality Meet”: Rev. Jim Clarke, Ph.D. Jung 

Institute, 10349 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, 7:30- 

9:30 p.m. Cost: $35/person pre-registered, $40/person 

at door. Call 310-556-1193, ext. 221. 

Sat., Feb. 1 

MAGNIFICAT — A Ministry to Catholic Women 

Prayer Meal. St. Euphrasia Church parish hall, 

11766 Shoshone Ave., Granada Hills, 91344, 10 a.m. 

Speaker: Father James Gehl on his priest testimony, 

witness to God’s grace, and miracles. Mail check for 

$24/person to Magnificat, 29122 Florabunda Rd., 

Canyon Country, CA, 91387. After Jan. 23, cost is 

$26/person. Online registration at magnificatsfv.org. 

Call Teri Thompson with questions at 805-558-5340. 

48th Annual Bosco Tech Mathematics Competition. 

Don Bosco Technical Institute, 1151 San Gabriel 

Blvd., Rosemead, 8-10 a.m. Ceremony to follow with 

food and refreshments available for sale. Open to 

fifth- through eighth-grade students. Awards offered 

to highest scoring individuals and teams. Cost: $15/ 

student. Registration closes Jan. 24. Register, review 

rules, and see sample test questions at boscotech.edu. 

Retreat: Encountering God in Sacred Scripture. 

Pauline Books & Media, 3908 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver 

City, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Retreat led by Sister Patricia 

Shaules, FSP, will help participants deepen awareness 

of God’s presence in Scripture and learn several 

ways of praying with the Bible. Mass available 

at 4 p.m. Donation: $30/person and includes lunch. 

Please bring your Bible. RSVP by calling 310-397- 

8676 or by emailing culvercity@paulinemedia.com. 

Fourth Annual Nun Run. Course begins on Dover 

Ave., and finishes in front of La Reina School campus. 

Sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame and La Reina 

High School and Middle School, the event features 

5K, 1-mile fun run, and community service fair. Open 

to all runners and walkers of any ability. Registration 

includes 5K chip timing, race medals for all finishers, 

and post-race pancake breakfast. Register at nun. 

run. Email Jen Coito at jcoito@sndca.org or call 805- 

917-3730. 

Sun., Feb. 2 

Convalidation of Marriage. St. John Baptist de la 

Salle Church, 16555 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills, 

12 p.m. Father Ramon Valera will preside over several 

parish couples at the noon Mass. 

Thu., Feb. 6 

Separated and Divorced Support Group: “Healing 

the Hearts of the Family.” Holy Family Church, 1527 

Fremont Ave., S. Pasadena, 7-9 p.m. Free event presented 

by Judy McCord, LMFT. RSVP to Julie Auzenne 

at 213-637-7249 or email jmonell@la-archdiocese.org. 

Fri., Feb. 7 

“Caring for the Whole Person” Conference. Cathedral 

of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los 

Angeles, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Hosted by ADLA Office of 

Life, Justice, and Peace. Keynote speakers: Archbishop 

José H. Gomez and Dr. Ira Byock. Whole Person 

Care is a new statewide initiative of California bishops 

and health care systems to provide community 

support to families with dying loved ones. Free event 

will provide resources and connections with leaders 

across regions. Register at https://www.eventbrite. 

com/e/caring-for-the-whole-person-launch-conference-tickets-83212882973. 

Sat., Feb. 8 

Healing Retreat for those hurting after abortion. 

St. Martin of Tours Church, 11967 Sunset Blvd., Los 

Angeles. Cost: $40/person, scholarships available. 

Pre-register by emailing sharon@mercifulcompanions.org 

or calling 213-637-7550. 

Italian Catholic Club of SCV Valentine’s Day 

Dinner Dance. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 

23233 Lyons Ave., Newhall, 6 p.m. Enjoy a delicious 

dinner and dance to the music of Duo Domino. Wear 

your favorite red dress/shirt/tie. All adults welcome. 

Cost: $40/person, prepaid by Feb. 2. RSVP to Anna 

Riggs at 661-645-7877. 

Visit AngelusNews.com for these stories 

and more. Your source for complete, 

up-to-the-minute coverage of local news, 

sports and events in Catholic L.A. 

This Week at AngelusNews.com 

• Is there room for religion in the world of competitive cheer? 

• Robert Brennan on the hero’s comeback in Hollywood. 

• The importance of being a good (interfaith) neighbor. 


Come & Join Our Divine 

Mercy Lenten Retreat! 

Theme 

“Divine Mercy & The Family 

in this Challenging Time” 

March 14, 2020 

Saturday, 9am to 4pm 

Sacred Heart Catholic Church 

Cavanagh Hall 

344 W. Workman St. 

Covina, CA 91723 

Registration Starts at 8am 

Featured Speakers 

FR. Robert Spitzer, SJ, PH. D 

FR. Ed Broom, OMV 

FR. Lou Cerulli 

Donna Lee 

Contact 

Estrella Mijares - (562) 972.5675 

angelstar73@earthlink.net 

Ruby Gonzales (626) 482.1284 

Lourdes Garrison - (714) 585.9579 

Pre-registration Fee of $25 must be received by 

February 29, 2020. Check payable to Holy Name of 

Mary, and mail to Divine Mercy Ministry, 

321 Vallejo St., La Habra, CA 90631. On-site registration 

is $35, if available. Lunch included but 

NO special diet. Seats are limited, REGISTER EARLY!! 

PRAYER & 

KNOWLEDGE 

TO STRENGTHEN 

YOUR FAITH 

angelusnews.com 

Telling the story of the 

Catholic Church — both here 

in Southern CA and 

across the globe. 

SUNDAY 

READINGS 

BY SCOTT HAHN 

Is. 8:23–9:3 / Ps. 27:1, 4, 13–14 / 1Cor. 1:10–13, 17 / Mt. 4:12–23 

Today’s liturgy 

gives us a lesson 

in ancient Israelite 

geography 

and history. 

Isaiah’s prophecy 

in today’s First 

Reading is quoted 

by Matthew in 

today’s Gospel. 

Both intend to 

recall the apparent 

fall of the 

everlasting kingdom 

promised 

to David (see 2 

Samuel 7:12–13; 

Psalm 89; Psalm 

132:11–12). 

Eight centuries 

before Christ, 

that part of the 

kingdom where 

the tribes of 

Zebulun and 

Naphtali lived was attacked by the 

Assyrians and the tribes were hauled 

off into captivity (see 2 Kings 15:29; 1 

Chronicles 5:26). 

It marked the beginning of the kingdom’s 

end. It finally crumbled in the 

sixth century B.C., when Jerusalem 

was seized by Babylon and the remaining 

tribes were driven into exile 

(see 2 Kings 24:14). 

Isaiah prophesied that Zebulun and 

Naphtali, the lands first to be degraded, 

would be the first to see the light 

of God’s salvation. Jesus today fulfills 

that prophecy, announcing the restoration 

of David’s kingdom at precisely 

the spot where the kingdom began to 

fall. 

His gospel of the kingdom includes 

not only the 12 tribes of Israel but 

“Calling of Peter and Andrew,” by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1255-1319, 

Italian. 

all the nations, symbolized by the 

“Galilee of the Nations.” Calling his 

first disciples, two fishermen on the 

Sea of Galilee, he appoints them to 

be “fishers of men,” gathering people 

from the ends of the earth. 

They are to preach the gospel, Paul 

says in today’s Epistle, to unite all 

peoples in the same mind and in the 

same purpose, in a worldwide kingdom 

of God. 

By their preaching, Isaiah’s promise 

has been delivered. A world in 

darkness has seen the light. The yoke 

of slavery and sin, borne by humanity 

since time began, has been smashed. 

And we are able now, as we sing in 

today’s Psalm, to dwell in the house of 

the Lord, to worship him in the land 

of the living. 

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS 

Scott Hahn is founder of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, stpaulcenter.com. 

ANGELUS 


IN EXILE 

BY FATHER RONALD ROLHEISER, OMI 

The ‘Little Way’ 

Most of us have heard of St. Thérèse 

of Lisieux, a French mystic who died 

at age 24 in 1897 and who is perhaps 

the most popular saint of the last two 

centuries. She’s famous for many 

things, not least for a spirituality she 

called her “Little Way.” What’s her 

Little Way? 

Popular thought has often encrusted 

both Thérèse and her Little Way 

within a simple piety, which doesn’t 

do justice to the depth of her person 

or her spirituality. Too often her Little 

Way is understood simply to mean 

that we do little, hidden, humble, acts 

of charity for others in the name of 

Jesus, without expecting anything in 

return. 

In this popular interpretation we 

do the laundry, peel potatoes, and 

smile at unpleasant people to please 

Jesus. In some ways, of course, this is 

true; however, her Little Way merits a 

deeper understanding. 

Yes, it does ask us to do humble 

chores and be nice to one another in 

the name of Jesus, but there are deeper 

dimensions to it. Her Little Way 

is a path to sanctity based on three 

things: littleness, anonymity, and a 

particular motivation. 

Littleness: For Thérèse littleness 

does not refer, first of all, to the 

littleness of the act that we are doing, 

like the humble tasks of doing the 

laundry, peeling potatoes, or giving 

a simple smile to someone who’s 

unpleasant. 

It refers to our own littleness, to our 

own radical poverty before God. Before 

God, we are little. To accept and 

act out of that constitutes humility. 

We move toward God and others in 

her Little Way when we do small acts 

of charity for others, not out of our 

strength and the virtue we feel at that 

moment, but rather out of a poverty, 

powerlessness, and emptiness that 

allows God’s grace to work through 

us so that in doing what we’re doing 

we’re drawing others to God and not 

to ourselves. 

As well, our littleness makes us aware 

that, for the most part, we cannot do 

the big things that shape world history. 

But we can change the world more 

humbly, by sowing a hidden seed, by 

being a hidden antibiotic of health 

inside the soul of humanity, and by 

splitting the atom of love inside our 

own selves. And yes, too, the Little 

Way is about doing little, humble, 

hidden things. 

Anonymity: Thérèse’s Little Way 

refers to what’s hidden, to what’s done 

in secret, so that what the Father sees 

in secret will be rewarded in secret. 

And what’s hidden is not our act of 

charity, but we, ourselves, who are 

doing the act. 

In Thérèse’s Little Way our little acts 

of charity will go mostly unnoticed, 

will seemingly have no real impact on 

world history, and won’t bring us any 

recognition. They’ll remain hidden 

and unnoticed; but inside the body of 

Christ what’s hidden, selfless, unnoticed, 

self-effacing, and seemingly 

insignificant and unimportant is the 

most vital vehicle of all for grace at a 

deeper level. 

Just as Jesus did not save us through 

sensational miracles and headline-making 

deeds but through 

selfless obedience to his Father and 

quiet martyrdom, our deeds, too, can 

remain unknown so that our deaths 

and the spirit we leave behind can 

become our real fruitfulness. 

Finally, her Little Way is predicated 

on a particular motivation. We are 

invited to act out of our littleness and 

anonymity and do small acts of love 

and service to others for a particular 

reason, that is, to, metaphorically, 

wipe the face of the suffering Christ. 

How so? 

Thérèse was an extremely blessed 

and gifted person. Despite a lot of 

tragedy in her early life, she was (by 

her own admission and testimony 

of others) loved in a way that was so 

pure, so deep, and so wonderfully 

affectionate that it leaves most people 

in envy. 

She was also a very attractive child 

and was bathed in love and security 

inside an extended family within 

which her every smile and tear were 

noticed and honored (and often photographed). 

But as she grew in maturity 

it didn’t take her long to notice that 

what was true in her life wasn’t true of 

most others. 

Their smiles and tears went mostly 

unnoticed and were not honored. Her 

Little Way is therefore predicated on 

this particular motivation. In her own 

words: 

“One Sunday, looking at a picture of 

Our Lord on the Cross, I was struck 

by the blood flowing from one of his 

divine hands. I felt a pang of great 

sorrow when thinking this blood was 

falling on the ground without anyone’s 

hastening to gather it up. I was 

resolved to remain in spirit at the foot 

of the Cross and to receive its dew. … 

Oh, I don’t want this precious blood 

to be lost. I shall spend my life gathering 

it up for the good of souls. … To 

live from love is to dry Your Face.” 

To live her Little Way is to notice 

and honor the unnoticed tears falling 

from the suffering faces of others. 

Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father Ronald Rolheiser is a spiritual writer, www.ronrolheiser.com. 


Always saying YES 

BY TOM HOFFARTH / ANGELUS 

As they waited in the shade next 

to the Pico House, watching 

the crowd swell in size in anticipation 

of the sixth annual OneLife 

LA Walk for Life outside La Placita 

in downtown Los Angeles, Monica 

and John Meier did their best to make 

their daughter, Veronica, as comfortable 

as possible. 

Afflicted with cerebral palsy, Veronica, 

who will be 15 in March, 

clutched a stuffed animal for comfort, 

moving around in her wheelchair to 

the rhythm of the music at the nearby 

youth rally. 

“She is our gift and our blessing,” 

said Monica, a regional marketing 

manager for the Eternal World Television 

Network (EWTN). “Every time 

I’m asked about how hard it must be 

to take care of her, I think of all the 

meaning she brings and the bridges 

she helps us to build in our family: 

unity, love, sacrifice, selflessness, and 

she pays it all back with a beautiful 

smile that fills our hearts.” 

Meanwhile, Veronica’s younger 


Pro-lifers at this year’s OneLife LA 

showed how there’s more than 

one way to ‘sanctify the world’ 

through a culture of life 

The sixth annual OneLife LA Walk for Life 

makes it way through Chinatown Jan. 18. 


brother, Thomas, stayed very active 

nearby, tossing around a small inflatable 

OneLife LA beach ball that, more 

than once, bounced somewhere off 

his mother as she spoke. 

“He is also a blessing; he’s very 

caring and helpful when his sister is 

having a seizure,” Monica added with 

a patient smile. 

The Meier family felt it was a natural 

place for them to be part of the 

thousands who walked in solidarity 

on the cool, sunny Saturday, Jan. 18 

afternoon from Olvera Street through 

Chinatown and gathered into the Los 

Angeles State Historic Park. 

During the walk, parts of the group 

prayed the rosary — a large reproduction 

of a rosary made of yellow 

and white balloons — or sang aloud 

hymns such as “How Great Thou 

Art.” Some chanted a refrain: “We are 

… pro-life! Pro-life generation!” 

From there, several hours of witness 

talks, guest speakers, and musical 

entertainment tied together the value 

of the human condition and rein- 


forced the 2020 event’s theme, “One 

Mission, One Family.” 

Organized by the Archdiocese of 

Los Angeles’ Office of Life, Justice, 

and Peace, OneLife LA was once 

again held the same day as — and 

just blocks away from — the Women’s 

March, a demonstration in favor of 

abortion rights, which, like OneLife 

LA, is timed to coincide with the 

anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade 

Supreme Court decision legalizing 

abortion. (The first OneLife event was 

held in 2015, while the first Women’s 

March was in 2017.) 

Contrary to initial media reports, 

the Los Angeles Police Department 

estimated that OneLife attendance 

actually exceeded that of the Women’s 

March by several thousand this year, 

Angelus News learned. 

The event attracted legions of pro-lifers 

from beyond LA, from places as 

far as San Diego, San Bernardino, and 

even Fresno. 

“This celebrates life, and we’re here 

to fight for life, for everyone — yes, 

for the unborn, but also for those with 

disabilities,” said Monica, one of the 

hundreds of Catholics from Orange 

County who showed up along with 

their bishop, Kevin Vann. 

“Our society can try to make us 

believe life is only important and has 

meaning if it comes with some certain 

utility. That’s not true. My daughter 

may not walk or talk but she is very 

special and we are here to defend that, 

the dignity of the human being.” 

Not far from a large red banner 

lining the park fence that simply read 

“Choose Love,” Archbishop José H. 

Gomez spoke in English and Spanish 

about how those words resonate. 

“We have a purpose in this world and 

that purpose is to love and to give life 

to others,” said Archbishop Gomez. 

“We are one family, and we have one 

mission. God is calling us to sanctify 

the world, to redeem this world 

through our works of love, through 

our deeds of compassion. 

“We cannot remain indifferent when 

we see all the suffering and injustice 

in the world. This is not God’s way, 

this is not what God wants for his 

children. 

“So God gave us this mission. He is 

calling us to oppose and overcome 

the evils we see around us. Our God 

will not let us rest until every human 

life is respected, and that begins with 

the life of the child who wants to be 

born.” 

That message of all human dignity 

was also reflected in the variety of 

nearly 20 booths that circled the park, 

ranging from assistance and information 

about foster care, sheltering the 

homeless, combating human trafficking, 

pregnancy services, care for 

creation, supporting immigrants and 

refugees, and ministering to families 

of the incarcerated. 

Later, at the Requiem Mass for the 

Unborn, the day wrapped up with 

a more solemn tone. Thousands 

packed the Cathedral of Our Lady of 

Archbishop Gomez was escorted by local members of the Knights of Malta during the walk from Placita Olvera Church to Los Angeles State Historic Park. 



the Angels for the liturgy, a quarter 

century-old Catholic LA tradition, 

held in memory of all who died from 

abortion in the past year. Some 175 

candles were lit during the Mass and 

placed in the window of the cathedral 

colonnade to remain on display. 

“Every time a child dies in the 

womb, something of our humanity 

dies as well,” said Archbishop Gomez 

in his homily at the Mass. “And over 

these long decades of legalized abortion, 

we all know we have fallen short 

of what is expected of us.” 

Inviting faithful to pray “in sorrow 

and repentance,” the archbishop emphasized 

that building a culture of life 

is a responsibility shared by all. 

“The existence of abortion tells us 

that we still have not created a culture 

of life, that we still don’t have a society 

or an economy that values the human 

person and the family as the essential 

foundation of society.” 

ark. 


Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron, 

founder of Word on Fire Catholic 

Ministries, was one of many 

who posted their experiences about 

the event on social media, using his 

Twitter account to express how “it was 

a joy to walk with my brother bishops” 

in the pro-life event that emphasized 

life’s sacred nature from conception to 

natural death. 

“Catholic social teaching is a pro-life 

teaching covering the whole range of 

belonging to God and God’s purposes, 

so we can’t reduce any of this to one 

issue,” said Bishop Barron, who serves 

the archdiocese’s Santa Barbara Pastoral 

Region. “We’re not just ‘against,’ 

we are fundamentally ‘for.’ When the 

Church says no, it’s always a ‘no’ to 

a no. So the Church is always saying 

‘yes.’ ” 

Bishop Barron stressed that as 

“one of the great events of the year,” 

OneLife LA was a perfect example of 

the Church’s long tradition of witness 

in the public square. 

Jorge Moncada, a 23-year-old from 

Oxnard who went to Thomas Aquinas 

College in Santa Paula and is currently 

a student at St. John’s Seminary 

in Camarillo, was part of that public 

display, one of dozens wearing a 

“Seminarians For A Culture of Life” 

T-shirt. 

Fernando Rocha’s Star Wars-inspired pro-life sign quickly became a social media sensation. 

“What impresses me most about this 

is seeing the little kids, who are learning 

from their parents to speak up 

and protect us from something that’s 

such an evil,” said Moncada, one of 

the more than 100 seminarians from 

around Southern California attending 

the event. “They are the next generation, 

the pro-life generation, the ones 

who will defend life in the world.” 

The mark of that younger generation 

could be seen in the many homemade 

signs and banners brought by families 

to the festivities. Perhaps the one that 

got the most attention was the Star 

Wars-inspired creation of Fernando 

and Cynthia Rocha of Riverside: a 

picture of the viral sensation “baby 

Yoda” from the new hit Disney+ 

series “The Mandalorian,” with the 

words “Save the babies” and “this is 

the way,” a clever play on the main 

character’s mysterious motto. 

The Rochas, who have been married 

for three years and brought their 

one son along for the day’s festivities, 

found a pro-life theme in the decision 

by the show’s namesake character to 

save the little green creature. 

“He sacrificed everything, his code 

and everything to save this one child’s 

life,” Cynthia explained. “We were 

like, ‘he’s pro-life!’ ” 

Also among the event’s younger 

JOHNMICHAEL FILIPPONE 


Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron looks on during the OneLife LA kickoff at Olvera Street. 

participants were students from USC’s 

Caruso Catholic Center and Our Savior 

Church, who stressed the impact 

they could make by showing solidarity 

with the pro-life cause. 

Michael Uranga, a junior from 

Yorba Linda studying accounting, 

said his involvement as co-chair of 

the Spiritual Life Committee on the 

Student Executive Board was part of 

his search to find a Catholic and prolife 

community on campus to support 

his beliefs. 

Keynote speaker Cyntoia Brown-Long. 


“My family has been involved in the 

hospice care business, so I am partial 

to helping those elderly who are 

facing terminal illness and their fight 

for the right to the dignity of a natural 

death,” said Uranga. “That’s what I 

love about the pro-life movement, being 

from the womb to the tomb, and 

we can celebrate it in this setting with 

music and fellowship. It’s beautiful.” 

Jessica Vela, a USC sophomore from 

Sacramento studying mechanical 

engineering, said this was her first 

experience at a public demonstration. 

“I think about how every life is 

important and all the individuals who 

have had a profound impact on my 

life,” said Vela. “What if they weren’t 

there? How many others would miss 

making an impact if their lives were 

taken away? Advocating for life is 

about the right to be able to explore 

your own potential. By taking away 

life, you are harming humankind.” 

Several important moments were 

celebrated in the afternoon during 

the event. 

Jess Echeverry, the executive director 

of the Westchester-based nonprofit 

organization SOFESA, which has 

been able to assist the homeless and 

low-income families with shelter and 


services, accepted a $10,000 grant that 

came with her being named the first 

recipient of the OneLife LA Service 

Award. 

“I’m not alone when I say that if 

someone hands you a giant check, 

you feel like you’ve won a lottery, so 

SOFESA has kind of won a lottery 

since we had to shut down our outreach 

program because we ran out of 

funds to provide immediate assistance 

to families in need,” said Echeverry. 

“It’s also very nerve-racking for me 

to get up and share the most painful 

experience of my life, but this crowd’s 

energy was great. They were cheering 

and clapping and screaming and it 

helped me feel I was reaching them 

and doing God’s will, and they were 

encountering him in what I was 

saying.” 

The archdiocese also announced a 

partnership with Venice-based Harvest 

Home, which serves women who are 

homeless and pregnant. A 20-bedroom 

repurposed convent in West LA 

was donated to the nonprofit to become 

its second campus in addition to 

a 10-bed facility it has been operating. 

Sarah Wilson, Harvest Home 

executive director, noted there had 

been only 70 beds available in LA 

on a daily basis for pregnant women, 

but nearly 5,000 need that kind of 

immediate support. Harvest Home, in 

existence for more than 35 years, has 

had some 600 women come through 

its doors. 

“I was able to share a story today 

about a woman who came to us 

struggling with addiction and years of 

turmoil, but now has a baby celebrating 

its first birthday, they are in 

housing, she’s working toward her education 

and she’s maintained sobriety 

through it all,” said Wilson. “We want 

to celebrate more stories like that and 

see both the broad and generational 

impact that happens.” 

Keynote speaker Cyntoia Brown- 

Long, delivering a powerful 10-minute 

testimony at the end of the rally, 

told about how she survived 15 years 

in prison going back to the age of 16, 

arrested for killing a man who solicited 

her for sex. She was released from 

prison last August. 

“For much of my life, I was imprisoned 

by the lie that my life did not 


matter,” Brown-Long said. “And I’m 

here today to tell you that God freed 

me from it all. 

“My road to redemption began with 

a community of people who showed 

me Jesus loves us irrespective of the 

labels society puts on us. He loves us 

despite the worst things we may have 

done. … 

“Every interaction we have is an opportunity 

for us to be a life of Christ. 

I hope our interaction today touches 

the heart of someone who may be 

feeling their life doesn’t matter. You 

do matter. And God sees you. 

“As you leave today, if you’ve taken 

nothing from anything I’ve said, I pray 

you recognize the power to be a light 

and making a choice to be a light to 

everyone you encounter. Because one 

life just may depend on it.” 


Children carry candles lit to honor unborn lives lost to abortion at the Requiem Mass for the 

Unborn. 

Editor-in-chief Pablo Kay also contributed 

to this report. 

Tom Hoffarth is an award-winning 

journalist based in Los Angeles.

Members of the Sisters of Life join other pro-life advocates in reciting 

the rosary during a monthly “Witness for Life” prayer vigil held across 

the street from a Planned Parenthood center in New York City. 

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ 

New York Cardinal John O’Connor and the Sisters of Life attend the 

annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. 

COURTESY SISTERS OF LIFE 

The look that heals 

In a world wounded by the evil of abortion, 

the Sisters of Life take their prayers to the streets 

BY KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ / ANGELUS 

Rohini Brijlall holds her 3-month-old son Zakarya as Sister Mary Elizabeth, vicar general of the 

Sisters of Life, talks with the child at the religious community’s Holy Respite residence in the 

Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. Holy Respite serves as a home and support center 

for pregnant women in crisis and new mothers. 

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ 

Would you like a cinnamon 

roll? Hot chocolate? A 

prayer? Sister Mary Gabriel 

and Sister Mercy Marie were going 

straight for the traffic as it approaches 

Rockefeller Center on a recent 

Wednesday night. 

Cab drivers. Uber drivers. Messengers. 

Passersby. You name them. No 

one was off limits. A few people clearly 

had no interest in finding out what was 

going on. 

But they were few and far between. 

The overwhelming majority seemed 

more than happy, both surprised and 

yet not at all, that women in habits 

were offering them baked goods, 

warmth, and the Holy Spirit. 

And it wasn’t just two of the Sisters 

of Life bearing gifts. The pastries and 

cocoa were donated, and they had 

enough to feed or warm 1,000. That’s 

the kind of hospitality New Yorkers 

aren’t known for, and yet, here were 

some of our finest, the ones who will 

help us be who God made us to be. 

St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth 

Avenue in Manhattan, you see, has 

no real meeting space. So, when it 

came time for some treats after the 

Mass celebrating the centenary of the 

late Archbishop of New York Cardinal 

John O’Connor’s birth, Fifth Avenue 

was the obvious place to be. 

Mercifully, the Christmas tree had 


just come down, or everything would 

have been gone in a minute or two, 

the way those tree crowds operate! 

As the sisters flooded the street, some 

people would ask, “What exactly is 

going on here?” Others didn’t seem 

surprised at all. New York has just 

about everything else. Why not nuns? 

But as I looked around at the sisters 

having conversations, God was at work 

through them. 

“What are the Sisters of Life?” You 

could see things happening in one 

woman who asked, and as men asked 

for prayers. “This is what I live for!,” I 

heard one sister exclaim. Sharing his 

love is what she was talking about. 

The conversation can get especially 

deep quickly, because these women 

religious take a fourth vow in addition 

to poverty, chastity, and obedience, 

speaking to their unique charism for 

protecting human life. 

The Sisters of Life were founded 

by Cardinal O’Connor after a 1975 

experience at the Dachau concentration 

camp that left him crying from 

the depths of his heart: “My God! How 

can human beings do this to other 

human beings?” 

Evil, of course, is the answer. The evil 

that wreaks havoc on the human heart 

and soul. The evil that hurts and scars 

and bruises. The pain that hardens 

and sometimes is simply waiting for 

one person to look into another’s eyes 

with a look of love, a look that these 

sisters give naturally. 

I often find myself with the Sisters 

of Life, but it’s gotten a little out of 

control lately. Even when I don’t plan 

to be with them, I am, which is always 

a blessing. A recent trip to an off-thebeaten 

path parish for Sunday Mass for 

the purpose of invading its perpetual 

adoration chapel became another 

occasion for a run-in with the sisters. 

At the end of the Mass, Sister Ann 

Catherine talked about how God 

chose you, to love you into existence, 

and he loves you regardless of how 

much money you make and how 

useful you are. He loves you, all of 

you. He wants you to come to him 

with your sins and your wounds. He 

wants to unite them with his glorified 

wounds. He wants to heal you so that 

you can love in the way he loves you: 

boundlessly, gratuitously, full of mercy. 

Their message is truly about a culture 

of life, and civilization of love in full. 

It’s not just about defeating abortion, 

it is about restoring the human heart. 

It’s about giving hope to the soul. It’s 

about living love, and showing what 

that looks like in all kinds of circumstances. 

The night before the centenary Mass 

and celebration, I was also with the 

Sisters of Life, praying holy hour and 

evening prayer and maybe lingering 

a little after at their Holy Respite 

convent, where pregnant mothers and 

mothers with their babies live with 

them. 

The Sisters of Life share pastries and cocoa 

with passersby in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral 

in Manhattan after Mass Jan. 15. 

The Sisters of Life themselves, but 

this building in a particular way, too, 

are beacons of what was the vision 

of Cardinal O’Connor: to be able to 

say to women, if you are pregnant 

and need help, come to the Catholic 

Church. So, he put a “help wanted 

sign,” so to speak, in his Catholic New 

York column, announcing the Sisters 

of Life, and women came. 

One of those women was Mother 

Agnes Mary Donovan, who essentially 

founded the order with him. During 

a reflection after that centenary 

Mass, she recalled how he was both 

lion-hearted and tender, a father and a 

truth-teller. He was a leader. And doz- 

KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ 

ens of people remarked to me during 

the 100th birthday celebrations how 

very much they wish he were alive 

today (not quite 100, but in his prime 

again). 

He engaged politically, fearlessly, and 

he cared for those other people argued 

about — his time with AIDs patients 

— most beautifully. 

But back in the chapel of the Holy 

Respite convent, listening to cooing 

and crying at the same time from 

different babies, I couldn’t help but be 

haunted by the question: What are we 

doing? 

Well, the sisters are doing their part, 

literally laying down their lives to save 

lives, to show Jesus and let him be 

known. And I give thanks every time I 

run into them for this legacy of Cardinal 

O’Connor with the Sisters of Life. 

This Jan. 22 marked the 47th anniversary 

of Roe v. Wade. That necessitates 

an examination of conscience. It’s 

been legal for all of my life. What am 

I doing to make sure it doesn’t outlive 

me? These sentences here don’t get 

me off the hook. 

Where are our weekly holy hours in 

reparation? Are we sharing the reality 

of God’s mercy with women in our 

churches who need to ask Jesus to 

forgive them? (It’s not just women on 

Fifth Avenue; women who have had 

abortions are at Mass on Sunday, they 

are Church volunteers. The shame 

eats at them. It doesn’t have to.) 

Do they know there is post-abortion 

healing to be had, and that the people 

who run these ministries are not going 

to judge them, but they are going to 

cheer them on into the arms of the 

Divine Physician? 

Abortion is a grave reality in our 

midst. Let’s undo it with love. Don’t let 

January end without adding something 

to your life that will help change the 

hearts of men and women who may 

just be in a quiet, tortuous misery over 

the pain of abortion. Let’s make that 

be no more. 

Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow 

at the National Review Institute, 

editor-at-large of National Review 

magazine, and author of the new book, 

“A Year with the Mystics: Visionary 

Wisdom for Daily Living” (Tan Books, 

$44.95). 


A co-authored 

conundrum 

Among the questions raised by 

Pope Benedict XVI’s ‘contribution’ 

on priestly celibacy: What exactly is 

an emeritus pope supposed to be? 

BY JOHN L. ALLEN JR. / ANGELUS 

ROME — A tempest raging in Rome about a new 

book defending priestly celibacy originally billed as 

“co-authored” by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and 

Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, and now as authored 

by Cardinal Sarah with a “contribution” from Pope Benedict, 

neatly illustrates several realities about Catholic life 

in the early 21st century. 

First, it captures the way media (especially social media) 

can have a funhouse mirror effect, turning everything into 

a political cat fight. Second, it also reveals the Vatican’s 

chronic inability to manage communications in a crisis 

environment. 

Perhaps of most lasting importance, the controversy 

underlines that the role of a “pope emeritus” remains 

a novelty, and that defining the role and functions of a 

retired pontiff remains a work in progress. 

The affair began on Jan. 13, when the daily Le Figaro 

in France published excerpts from the new book, published 

in English by Ignatius Press. As the news made 

the rounds it caused a sensation, since Pope Benedict 

and Cardinal Sarah’s vigorous defense of priestly celibacy 

comes at a time when Pope Francis is contemplating a 

limited exception to the celibacy requirement. 

During last October’s Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon 

region, more than two-thirds of the prelates recommended 

that Pope Francis give permission for the 

ordination of “viri probati,” meaning tested married men 

who are already deacons, to serve isolated rural communities 

which, right now, may be lucky to see a priest once a 

year or less frequently. 

Pope Francis is said to be preparing conclusions from 

that synod, which could appear as early as March. Thus 

Retired Pope Benedict XVI talks with Pope Francis during a meeting at 

the Vatican in this 2015 file photo. 

the book was taken as a conservative push to force the 

pope’s hand, and the fact that the pope emeritus was 

involved lent that impression the air of high drama. 

Many observers insisted it was inappropriate, even disloyal, 

for a former pope to speak out in such a way, while 

others claimed Pope Benedict was obligated to address 

such a critical issue. 

(In all reality, this was never “pope vs. pope” in the 

way it was presented by breathless social media posts. 

Both Popes Benedict and Francis have defended priestly 

celibacy, and both contemplated narrow exceptions: Pope 

Benedict authorized one in 2009 by creating ordinariates 

for former Anglicans.) 

Next, the hunt was on to find out what Pope Benedict’s 

actual role in the book had been, with Cardinal Sarah insisting 

all along the former pope had been fully informed. 


The cover of “From the Depths of 

Our Hearts.” 

Eventually, Pope Benedict’s 

closest aide, German Archbishop 

Georg Gänswein, was 

forced to issue a statement 

saying that while Pope 

Benedict had agreed to allow 

Cardinal Sarah to use his essay 

on celibacy, the former pope had asked that 

his name be removed as co-author and also from the 

book’s introduction and conclusion. 

Perhaps the overheated reaction expresses one point 

above all: We still don’t know what the role of an emeritus 

pope is supposed to be. As things develop from here, 

there would seem to be three basic possibilities. 

The “monk” option: This seems to be the choice those 

most outraged by the book are advocating. The idea is 

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS/CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE 

that an ex-pope should, in Pope Benedict’s own words 

upon his retirement, remain “hidden from the world.” 

If not in the Vatican itself, they should spend their retirement 

in a monastic setting someplace, engaged in prayer 

and private reflection but not engaging in any public 

discussions. The problem with this option is that by the 

time a pope would retire, he’s spent a lifetime thinking 

deeply about issues in the Church and has an absolutely 

unique perspective to offer. Do we really want to muzzle 

them completely? 

The “ex-president” option: By now in the U.S., there’s 

a fairly clear script for the role of a former president. 

They’re still addressed as “Mr. President” (or, someday, 

“Madame President”), still afforded the respect of the 

office, and in exchange they generally stay out of the dayto-day 

political fray. 

Yet they have an active public role, often launching 

foundations for causes they care about, hitting the lecture 

circuit, giving interviews, and so on. From time to time 

they may appear at political conventions or campaign 

rallies, and no one’s stunned when they take positions 

that differ from their successor, especially if he or she is 

from a different party. 

The problem with this option is that popes aren’t presidents, 

and treating them as such arguably risks 

both cheapening and politicizing 

the office. 

The “private citizen” 

option: Under the theory that 

there’s no such animal as two 

popes at once, advocates of 

this view believe that a retired 

pontiff shouldn’t be referred 

to as “pope” in any way, even 

“emeritus,” and shouldn’t wear 

the papal white. 

A former pope should go back 

to being “Cardinal So-and-So,” 

even “Father So-and-So,” and 

whatever he has to say shouldn’t be 

regarded as having any papal aura. 

The problem is that it’s often not so 

IGNATIUS PRESS/CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE 

easy to step back. Just ask Harry and 

Meghan, who don’t seem to be fading 

from view after having announced 

their intention to withdraw from “senior 

royal” status. 

As the forgoing should suggest, there 

probably isn’t an obvious, no-brainer 

solution on offer that would resolve the 

conundrums associated with an “emeritus 

pope.” The question now is whether we’ll 

have an open conversation that might lead to a creative 

synthesis, or whether — as is so often the case — we’ll 

simply lurch on, buffeted by what British Prime Minister 

Harold MacMillan (possibly apocryphally) is said to have 

defined as the bane of politics: “Events.” 

John L. Allen Jr. is the editor of Crux. 


A mission that unites 

HOLLYWOOD AND ROME 

Both places are considered capitals of culture. 

But they are also home to Catholic ‘field hospitals’ 

tending to the wounded of society 

BY FATHER FRANK BUCKLEY, SJ / ANGELUS 

IMAGE VIA FACEBOOK @CENTERINHOLLYWOOD 

The Center at Blessed Sacrament Church is dedicated to ending isolation and homelessness in Hollywood. 

In early December 2019, Italian media headlines 

reported that the “pope’s dream” of a church open 24/7 

for the poor in the center of Rome had come true this 

Christmas. 

Located in the Italian capital’s central Pigna district, the 

remodeled church of Santissime Stimmate di San Francesco 

(Holy Stigmata of St. Francis), was opened with a 

Eucharist presided by Auxiliary Bishop Gianpiero Palmieri 

Dec. 9. 

In a letter read at the Mass, Pope Francis praised the 

project as “a haven in which to find a welcome and from 

which to return to the face of the wonderful adventure of 

Christian vocation.” He went on to say that he “wished that 

the doors of the house of God are always open because it 

walks among the peoples.” 

As I read the news, I was struck by the similarities between 

Rome and Los Angeles. One article quoted a “Padre 

Ángel” García, founder of the Spanish Catholic NGO 

(nongovernmental organization) Mensajeros de la Paz 

(which operates the new church) as stating there are more 

people sleeping on the streets of Rome than anyplace else 

in the world. Here in Los Angeles, we are made aware daily 

of the homeless crisis that has left more than 58,000 people 

The church of the Holy Stigmata of St. Francis, open 24/7 for the poor in 

Rome, was opened with a Mass presided by Auxiliary Bishop Gianpiero 

Palmieri Dec. 9. 

SMENSAJEROS DE PAZ 


IMAGE VIA FACEBOOK @CENTERINHOLLYWOOD 

unhoused. 

But Pope Francis continues to invite 

us to reimagine the Church not as a 

museum, but as a refuge for the weakest. 

“Pope Francis always says that he 

would like to have a poor church for 

the poor,” García said. “This project is 

just that.” 

As I read these words, I could not 

have felt more proud of the Urban 

Sanctuary, located on the Jesuit campus 

at the nearly 100-year-old Blessed 

Sacrament Church in the heart of 

Hollywood. It is the church in which 

I was ordained a priest, but at the time 

I could not have imagined it would 

become a refuge for the most vulnerable 

people living on the peripheries 

in Hollywood through something like 

the Urban Sanctuary. 

The Urban Sanctuary provides a 

safe environment for respite, spiritual 

rejuvenation, and wellness 

for the Hollywood 

community, both for 

the unhoused and the 

housed. The hospitality 

at the Urban Sanctuary 

is experienced 

from the moment you 

enter the church. 

There you will find 

a welcoming staff that 

oversees and provides 

a safe, peaceful, and 

meditative environment 

outside where the community 

in Hollywood can 

rest, restore, and renew. 

As I walk through the Urban 

Sanctuary, I am immediately 

struck with the 

diversity of the Hollywood 

community: volunteers ranging from 

retired parishioners to Hollywood celebrities, 

to people living on the streets 

of Hollywood; a diversity ranging from 

young adults coming to be discovered, 

to an 80-year-old woman who could 

no longer afford her rent and lost her 

apartment. 

As one enters this diverse oasis from 

the commotion of Sunset Blvd., it 

feels as if you can almost scoop Jesus 

out of the air. 

Pope Francis has encouraged us 

to reimagine the Church as “a field 

hospital for the wounded.” Father 

Antonio Spadaro, SJ, suggests, “It is 

FATHER FRANK BUCKLEY 

a term that triggers the imagination, 

forcing us to rethink our identity, mission, 

and our life together as disciples 

of Jesus Christ.” I think the Urban 

Sanctuary has done precisely this. 

The Society of Jesus’ General Congregation 

36, which was convoked in 

October 2016, invited the Jesuits to 

“row out into deeper waters,” but at 

the time I doubt everyone understood 

the adventure we were embarking on 

with our new pontiff, Pope Francis. 

This 83-year-old pope’s best Christmas 

gift this year was a church in the 

Eternal City for “the most vulnerable 

and marginalized where they can relax, 

shower, receive clothes and blankets 

or wash their own, get medical/ 

psychological/spiritual attention, and 

even connect to the internet seven 

days a week.” 

Scenes from the Urban Sanctuary at Blessed 

Sacrament Church. 

My own Christmas came early this 

year after a meeting with Archbishop 

José H. Gomez, when I was given an 

opportunity to describe the work of 

the Urban Sanctuary and explain how 

we are working to end isolation and 

homelessness on the Blessed Sacrament 

campus. 

At the end of the meeting, Archbishop 

Gomez validated not only my parking 

ticket but the work we were doing 

as a Jesuit parish toward this end. I 

left that meeting with an even greater 

appreciation for Archbishop Gomez’s 

support and heart for the poor. 

More than once in my preaching, I 

have shared that I feel like the most 

fortunate Jesuit in the world to get 

to do the work I do on the Blessed 

Sacrament campus. As a clinical 

psychologist and a Jesuit priest, I am 

aware of the tremendous importance 

of exemplars in our life. 

As we begin the new year, I cannot 

think of a better exemplar than Pope 

Francis, who invites us to imagine 

a church for the 

poor open 24/7. 

While we are not 

quite there yet at 

the Urban Sanctuary 

at Blessed Sacrament, 

I believe 

with all my heart we 

are moving in the 

right direction. 

Pope Francis begs 

the Church to 

engage in a missionary 

thrust and to not 

get bogged down in 

self-preservation. In 

this spirit, and in the 

spirit of St. Ignatius, I 

invite all LA Catholics 

to join us at the Urban Sanctuary to 

continue to “set the world on fire” by 

providing a space in Hollywood for 

the whole community to rest, restore, 

and renew through the secret recipe 

of radical hospitality and community 

rooted firmly in the values of the 

gospel. 

Father Frank Buckley, SJ, is a clinical 

psychologist, and clinical director of the 

Center at Blessed Sacrament Church 

in Hollywood. To learn more about the 

Center, visit TheCenterInHollywood.org. 


INTERSECTIONS 

BY GREG ERLANDSON 

The card’s 

in the mail. Not. 

SHUTTERSTOCK 

E 

piphany is past. 

The baptism of the Lord, too. 

With Valentine’s Day just 

around the corner, there can be no 

denying that the Christmas season is 

now officially over. This makes it fairly 

certain that I probably won’t get my 

Christmas cards out. No Christmas 

letter either. I won’t be able to update 

the world about my kids, or talk about 

the spectacular vacations we thought 

about taking this past year. Nor will I 

be able to share tiny photos of all of 

us standing in front of some sort of 

body of water. 

I feel like a Christmas failure. 

I think there might be others like 

me out there. It is reported that 

Christmas card usage is down about 

a billion cards per year from 25 years 

ago, and only a portion of that is 

attributable to my family. But people 

still seem to want to send cards. 

Very popular now are the little photo 

cards from Snapfish and Shutterfly 

and other web outlets. Often they are 

a collage of vacation photos, usually 

so tiny that a magnifying glass would 

make a great accompanying present. 

These picture cards basically say, 

“Here is photographic proof we are 

still alive, but way too busy having 

fun to write anything meaningful.” 

My admiration persists for people 

who write Christmas letters. These 

may be the only real written letters 

most of us are likely to send out in 

a year, yet they are proof that we are 

not a completely post-literate culture. 

Less admirable is the fact that so 

many such letters are deadly serious, 

like annual status reports proving “we 

have indeed been a productive family.” 

I say this because I loved writing 

humorous Christmas letters, which I 

know are just a clever way to say “we 

have been a productive family, and 

we have a sense of humor, too.” 

Whether any such letters or cards 

will continue to be sent much longer 

is a good question. I’m not sure my 

children have darkened the door of a 

post office. Where the stamp gets put 

may still be a mystery, like filling out 

all the blanks lines on a check. Even 

emails feel pretty antiquated to them. 

But for the rest of us who remember 

the cards and notes and letters 

tumbling through the mail slot every 

Advent season in decades past, well, 

Mat 

Ob 

10 

H 

Str 

Ob 

LAX 


I think we still feel guilty we aren’t 

keeping it up. 

This is just one more expectation we 

heap like burning coals on our heads 

this time of year. We want to give 

perfect gifts and set the perfect table. 

Most of all, we want to connect: with 

friends, with family, with colleagues 

old and new, but in the frenzy of 

shopping and parties and what my 

dad called the “forced gaiety” of the 

season, connecting is the one thing 

that we seem too busy for. 

Taking the time to write a real letter, 

or even just to jot a note to someone 

we perhaps think about often but haven’t 

seen in ages, is a way to connect 

that is actually quite personal. It is an 

acknowledgement that we wish we 

had more time to be in touch. In this 

sense, the guilt isn’t just about failing 

to practice a dying Christmas custom. 

It is the guilt of not staying connected 

as much as we would like, as much as 

we need. 

I’m not sure how we slow all this 

down. The pace of work and family 

life feels like it is endlessly accelerating. 

When I consider how to slow 

down the merry-go-round, I think of 

the penultimate scene in Hitchock’s 

“Strangers on a Train” when the 

whole carousel tears itself off its base 

in a final grinding act of violence. 

Now that would be something to 

include in a Christmas letter! 

I was thinking about this recently 

when, quite atypically, I showed up 

for Mass early. Except for a few musicians 

practicing, the church was nearly 

empty. In any other such situation, 

I would have taken out my phone and 

been busy scrolling, but that seemed 

highly inappropriate in this setting. 

So I sat there. In silence. Staring at 

the crucifix. And he stared back. 

It suddenly felt like an extravagant 

luxury: quiet, prayerful staring time. 

Amid all of my to-do lists and plans, 

my 24/7 connectivity and my 24/7 

expectations, it is the one luxury that 

often seems beyond my grasp. Maybe 

writing an occasional letter to a dear 

friend qualifies as “staring time” too. 

Maybe the carousel keeps whirling, 

but we can commit to sending out 

Taking the time to write a real letter is an 

acknowledgement that we wish we had more 

time to be in touch. 

letters like messages in a bottle, connecting 

with those we love, admire, 

miss. 

For now, I have given up any hope 

of getting Christmas cards out, but 

what’s the likelihood I can send 

Easter cards? 

Yeah, that’s what I thought. 

Greg Erlandson is the president 

and editor-in-chief of Catholic News 

Service. 

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Truth through 

BEAUTY 

A look back at 

the third and final 

category of the 

Vatican’s 1995 

movie list: art 

BY ALISON NASTASI / ANGELUS 

In 2006, Pope Francis said, “Great 

artists know how to present the tragic 

and painful realities of life with 

beauty.” The Holy Father has frequently 

discussed his profound connection to 

various works of literature, music, art, 

and cinema. “I owe my film culture 

especially to my parents, who used to 

take us to the movies quite often,” he 

said in a 2013 interview. 

The pope comes from a long line of 

supreme pontiffs and Catholic leaders 

who have made great strides in the 

collection and preservation of cinema’s 

finest artworks. 

The Vatican film library, which just 

celebrated its 60th anniversary in 

November 2019, was founded by Pope 

John XXIII “with the aim of collecting 

and preserving films and recordings of 

television programs on the life of the 

Church.” 

Pope Leo XIII, the first pope to be 

recorded on film (the then-octogenarian 

also blessed the camera), and Pope 

Pius XII are just two of the pontiffs that 

appeared in front of the camera. The 

archive has grown to house more than 

8,000 titles, including commercial 

films “of artistic value and worthy of 

note,” like “Schindler’s List,” gifted by 

director Steven Spielberg himself. 

The library, a member of the International 

Federation of Film Archives, 

includes a study center, special film 

storage cellars, and a screening hall in 

a former chapel that has been host to 

former popes. 

St. Pope John Paul II screened 

“Gandhi” at the theater prior to a trip 

to India, and directors such as Liliana 

Cavani, Roberto Benigni, and Martin 

Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale in “The Leopard.” 

Scorsese. Most recently, Terrence Malick 

screened his new film, “A Hidden 

Life.” 

The movie is based on the real-life 

story of World War II-era conscientious 

objector Franz Jägerstätter, who 

was put to death at age 36 and later 

declared a martyr and beatified by the 

Catholic Church. 

In the last of a three-part series, we 

take a final look at the Vatican’s “Best 

Films” list. Established in 1995 during 

the 100th anniversary of cinema, the 

Vatican’s list was assembled by a group 

of film experts who pinpointed a total 

of 45 movies, categorized into three 

parts: religion, values, and art. 

Here, we focus on two of the 15 films 

that illuminate the art of cinema: one, 

a European classic of international 

acclaim, and the other a children’s film 

that adults can appreciate, too, involving 

more than 1,000 artists and technicians 

and 500 animated characters. 

As we enter a brand new decade 

25 years after the Vatican’s list first 

appeared, it remains to be seen if the 

Vatican Film Library or Dicastery for 

Communication will issue an updated 

list for the new millennium that has 

seen incredible technological advances. 

But the Vatican’s 1995 list remains a 

gift for even the most ardent filmgoer: 

an essential primer in the beauty and 

emotional power of cinema. 

IMDB 

24 • ANGELUS • January 24, 2020

‘THE LEOPARD’ (1963) 

The Vatican chose a film by a director 

of cinema, opera, and theater for 

one of its most evocative selections. 

Luchino Visconti’s lush historical epic 

“The Leopard,” set during the Italian 

unification (“Risorgimento”) of the 

mid-19th century, is a wistful look at 

one aristocratic family’s struggle with 

their prominent status in the past and 

their uncertain future. 

Burt Lancaster’s Prince Don Fabrizio 

Salina grapples with his faith and mortality 

amid the flux of Italy’s political 

climate. He views his bloodline as “the 

leopards, the lions,” while others are 

mere “jackals and sheep.” 

Unencumbered by his family’s hesitance, 

the prince’s ambitious nephew 

Tancredi (Alain Delon) finds his place 

at the top of the democratic resistance 

alongside the nouveau-riche Angelica 

(Claudia Cardinale), daughter of the 

opportunistic town mayor. 

The prince knows the union will help 

salvage the last vestiges of his family’s 

noble clout and despises every moment 

of it, despite his own tortured fondness 

for Angelica. 

“The Leopard” was a landmark work 

of color cinematography, featuring dramatic 

light and sumptuous settings that 

overwhelm the senses. The filmmaker’s 

painstaking attention to detail is both 

seen and unseen. 

Period-appropriate pieces like embroidered 

handkerchiefs were never even 

visible on camera. Every room in Visconti’s 

film is a jewel. Portraits of the 

family’s ancestors watch every drama 

play out between lavish, wallpapered 

halls. 

These opulent touches are juxtaposed 

with less savory details that evoke the 

“stench” and privilege of wealth, such 

as the brimming chamber pots in one 

scene that litter a mansion floor. 

In another scene, after the family 

makes a long procession to the local 

church, they sit covered in dust from 

the journey. Their faces are ashen like 

ghosts, portending their own social 

demise. Visconti, himself, joined the 

Italian Communist Party after World 

War II, yet was born into a noble family 

of his own, and you can sense his personal 

conflict during these moments. 

The film’s crowning achievement 

is a 45-minute ballroom scene that is 

breathless in its decadence and offers 

the prince a farewell moment where 

he relives his former glory during a 

dance. 

He leaves the brash affair more melancholic 

than ever and genuflects, not 

before God, but before the night stars, 

calling to them just before he vanishes 

into the night. It’s a somber, poetic end 

for a fallen leopard and lion. 

‘FANTASIA’ (1940) 

With the recent release and growing 

popularity of Disney+, the Walt Disney 

Company’s subscription VOD streaming 

platform, makes for a ripe time to 

revisit some of the studio’s animated 

classics, like Vatican list honoree 

“Fantasia.” 

Originally titled “The Concert 

Feature,” the 1940 film pairs a series of 

lively, animated segments with iconic 

Other films in the Vatican’s 

‘best films’ art category 

“Citizen Kane” (1941), directed by Orson Welles 

“8½” (1963), directed by Federico Fellini 

“Grand Illusion” (1937), directed by Jean Renoir 

“La Strada” (1954), directed by Federico Fellini 

“The Lavender Hill Mob” (1951), directed by Charles Crichton 

“Little Women” (1933), directed by George Cukor 

“Metropolis” (1927), directed by Fritz Lang 

“Modern Times” (1936), directed by Charlie Chaplin 

“Napoleon” (1927), directed by Abel Gance 

“Nosferatu” (1922), directed by F. W. Murnau 

“Stagecoach” (1939), directed by John Ford 

“2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968), directed by Stanley Kubrick 

“The Wizard of Oz” (1939), directed by Victor Fleming 

IMDB 

A scene from “Citizen Kane.” 


Monks processing to Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria” in “Fantasia.” 

pieces of classical music arranged 

and recorded with conductor Leopold 

Stokowski and the Philadelphia 

Orchestra (performed on the screen by 

Disney studio employee musicians). 

One of the movie’s most memorable 

moments includes dueling compositions: 

“Night on Bald Mountain” by 

Modest Mussorgsky and “Ave Maria” 

by Franz Schubert. In a “struggle between 

the profane and the sacred,” the 

devil Chernabog summons dark spirits 

that are banished back to their graves 

when the golden light of dawn appears 

and a group of monks process into a 

cathedral singing the beloved Marian 

hymn. 

“What you’re going to see are the 

designs and pictures and stories that 

music inspired in the minds and imaginations 

of a group of artists,” master 

of ceremonies Deems Taylor tells us at 

the start of the film. 

In a 1937 essay, Walt Disney wrote 

that “action controlled by a musical 

pattern has great charm in the realm of 

unreality.” He hoped “Fantasia” would 

be the film to break tradition and prove 

what kind of artistry animated movies 

were truly capable of. 

The film initially saw an inferior critical 

and box office response, but gained 

psychedelic appeal in the 1960s, which 

helped boost its classic status for future 

generations. In an unpublished 1955 

interview with journalist Peter Martin, 

Disney said, “Every time I made a 

mistake is when I went in a direction 

where I didn’t feel the thing actually. 

And I did try to be a little smarty-pants.” 

Recently, Disney announced that it 

was developing an unnamed project 

based on “Fantasia” for Disney+, 

proving that the fantastical film still 

endures. 

Alison Nastasi is an arts and culture 

journalist, author, and artist living in 

Los Angeles. 

IMDB 

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

Archbishop José H. Gomez invites you to join him 

July 8-13 in Mexico City 

Come experience one of the most beautiful of shrines with Archbishop Gomez & Monsignor Jim Halley, Vicar for Clergy 

Our visit will include the Nation Museum of Anthropology, Excursion to Puebla, 

Tulpetlac and Coyoacan, Shrine of Fr. Miguel Pro, Xochimilco, 

the Metropolitan Cathedral and Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Under the direction of Judy Brooks, Archbishop’s Office of Special Services 

Call Judy or Mary Kay Delsohn at (213) 637-7520 

Pilgrimage Travel planned by our friends at Catholic Travel Centre, Burbank 

CMY 

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THE CRUX 

BY HEATHER KING 

In search of love 

Need somewhere to ponder a decision, nurse a wound, 

or just reconnect with God? There’s an abbey for that 

Aerial view of St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo. 

© ST. ANDREW’S ABBEY, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

If, like me, you’re forever in search 

of a day or two of silence and solitude, 

do I have a place for you. 

That would be St. Andrew’s Abbey, 

a male Roman Catholic Benedictine 

monastery in the high desert 1 1/2 

hours outside LA. You can either cut 

through the Angeles Forest, or take 

the long way around up the 5 to the 

114 to Route 138 (aka the Pearblossom 

Highway). 

That will land you in the unincorporated 

community of Valyermo, on 

which, down a winding back road, 

St. Andrew’s is located. Pearblossom, 

Valyermo: pure poetry, and wait till 

you actually arrive! 

Benedictines are known for their 

hospitality, and one of the abbey’s 

main offerings consists of retreats. 

I’ve done many over the years: a few 

directed, most private. You get a room 

with heat, a swamp cooler, a bed, a 

desk, a patio, and a crucifix (WiFi is 

available in the guest lounge). You 

get acres of gorgeous desert to explore 

and roam. At 3,600 feet, nestled in 

the northern foothills of the San Gabriel 

Mountains, you get four seasons. 

Spring is an explosion of colors, 

textures, and the fragrance of chaparral 

and sage. Summers are hot, all 

the better to enjoy the shade of the 

Lombardy poplars, cottonwoods, and 

chapel. In fall, the trees change color. 

I spent Christmas here the year my 

mother died and woke Dec. 25 to 

snow. 

The abbey is named for its mother- 


house in Brugge, Belgium. Several 

missionary monks who had been 

expelled from Communist China 

bought the Hidden Springs Ranch in 

Valyermo and in 1955 established the 

monastery. Today, 20 monks make 

their lives of “ora et labora” (“pray 

and work”) there. 

You can sign up for a guided retreat 

at the abbey and learn more about 

St. Hildegard of Bingen, Thomas 

à Kempis, Father Henri Nouwen, 

Father Teilhard de Chardin, 12-step 

spirituality, or “Caring for Our Common 

Home.” 

Other 2020 offerings include 

“Discernment in Daily Life,” “Faith 

and the Human Condition: The 

Writings and Relationship Between 

Adrienne von Speyr and Hans Urs 

von Balthasar,” and the one I’d be 

most likely to sign up for: “Poverty of 

Spirit.” 

You can request spiritual direction 

or the sacrament of reconciliation, on 

weekdays visit the ceramics factory, or 

simply wander. 

You can also come to the abbey to 

ponder a decision, nurse a wound, 

plan a project, or process an epiphany. 

The first time I spent serious 

time here was in 2000, right after I’d 

received a cancer diagnosis. Amid the 

silence, beauty, and cottontail rabbits, 

I learned how to pray the Divine 

Office, a practice that’s sustained me 

ever since. 

All these years later, I’ve begun 

taking steps to become an oblate, “a 

layperson connected with a religious 

order or institution and living according 

to its regulations,” at St. Andrew’s. 

Recently my brother Ross and I, 

coming from different directions, 

made a day trip to the abbey. He’d 

never been before and couldn’t get 

over the landscape, sky, and general 

loveliness. The day was sunny and 

clear, with a light breeze, and beneath 

the coolness a layer of warmth 

from the sun. 

If I do become an oblate, I could 

choose to be buried at the abbey. 

The cemetery is situated up a hill 

with a dirt trail, making a trek there 

a mini-pilgrimage. As we climbed, 

below was a valley and all around 

were snow-shrouded mountains. “Just 

think, Roscoe,” I told my little 6-foot- 

4-inch brother, “someday you might 

be carrying my ashes up here!” 

We went to noon Mass together, 

then ate with the monks and other 

visitors in the refectory. 

Monks bring around soup to each 

guest, a moving gesture of hospitality, 

after which we all helped ourselves 

from the buffet table. Afterward I 

had a meeting with Father Francis 

Benedict. 

“So what about the oblateship?” I 

asked, always eager to do penance, 

check items off a long, difficult list, 

prove myself, and earn a crumb of 

love. 

“Just come and be with us,” Father 

Francis replied. “Make a retreat, 

stay a night or drive out for the day, 

continue to come to the monthly 

meetings. Make friends with the other 

oblates. We just want you to be part 

of us, of the community.” 

Nothing is certain, of course. I won’t 

be eligible even to make informal 

vows for another six months. 

But that was when I knew I’d found 

a new home, one I didn’t even know 

I’d been looking for all my life. 

What could be more simple, more 

balanced, more sane, and in its way 

more difficult, than participating in 

community? Connection is what 

we crave and what we will go to any 

lengths, often unbeknownst to ourselves, 

to avoid. 

Already I felt a little closer to believing 

perhaps the hardest thing for us 

fallen human beings to believe: that 

we’re worthy of love, just as we are. 

The Welcome Center, opened in 

2008, houses the Conference Center, 

and Abbey Books and Gifts. 

I stopped in the bookstore before I 

left, trailing my fingers over the treasure 

trove of titles yet to be read. 

Then, sensing I’d be making this 

trek often in the coming years, I treated 

myself to a wall icon of St. Christopher: 

patron saint of travelers. 

Heather King is a blogger, speaker, and the author of several books. 

January 24, 2020 • ANGELUS • 29 


January 17, 2020 Vol. 5 No. 2 

ANGELUS 

ANGELUS 

THE 

CASE 

for the 

CRÈCHE 

UPON A 

PRECIPICE 

What’s next for 

Christians in the 

Middle East? 

A DECADE 

of CHANGE 

Catholic 

stories of 

5 the 2010s 

December 27, 2019 — January 3, 2020 Vol. 4 No. 44 

December 20, 2019 Vol. 4 No. 43

Angelus News | January 24, 2020 | Vol. 5 No. 3

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