Angelus News | January 15, 2021 | Vol. 6 No. 1

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ation Progress, it is because an LAPD officer recommended the program to her mother at a crucial time: she was about to finish fifth grade when her family was evicted from their home amid a situation of domestic violence. Both her parents were arrested, and she was sent to foster care. The turn of events brought her to St. Lawrence of Brindisi School on a scholarship when the pastor at the time, the late Father Jesus Vela, was helping LAPD officers recruit new students for the program. “I was a shy, very quiet kid, and I didn’t realize how much of a traumatic phase I was going through,” said Torres. “I had a difficult time believing in police officers when they took away my parents. I was disappointed and angry and resented the police; it is their job to protect us. And now they want to help by sponsoring me?” Torres said getting to know officers and the risks they take with their own lives left an impression on her. “I can now see the relationship I have with the officers; it has started small but it continues to grow, and now it’s connected to my Catholic beliefs.” Father Elshoff has a favorite story he likes to tell when explaining the positive impact the LAPD has made on his flock. Last June, when some 20 children in St. Lawrence of Brindisi School’s kindergarten class had a Zoom promotion ceremony, each was asked from their home what they wanted to be when they grow up, and why. “I believe it was a third of them who said, ‘I want to be a police officer,’ and the reason is because ‘I want to help people,’ ” recalled Father Elshoff, a lifelong educator who once served as president of his alma mater, St. Francis High School in La Cañada Flintridge. “It wasn’t like they were all telegraphing this to each other. I believe this was because they so often see so many officers on campus mentoring their students.” St. Lawrence of Brindisi School principal Alicia Camacho said the officers’ dedication can be seen in their regular participation in Catholic Schools Week Career Day every January. They bring their trained dogs on campus, give tours of the patrol cars, and even fly a helicopter overhead for a greeting. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mentor officers continue to check in on students’ grades and meet over Zoom welfare updates. “Our new first-graders are huge fans of the officers,” Camacho said. “It’s because the officers have cultivated long-lasting relationships with our students and brought a sense of safety for all of us at school. I am grateful that our students get to know the police officers as individuals and caring citizens.” The parish’s relationship with the LAPD has also helped Father Elshoff stay connected with the community during the pandemic. He and LAPD Sgt. Tim Jones have been holding community public meetings on Wednesdays in the parking lot of Café Oaxaca restaurant on Century Boulevard and Central Avenue in Watts, making themselves available to locals. Father Elshoff, who moonlights as chaplain for LAPD’s Southeast Division, has taken to sharing experiences of the encounters on his Facebook page in a series dubbed “The Police and the Padre.” The Capuchin says the meetings have helped him know people better, and Father Matt Elshoff with Torres and her sponsor, Sgt. Busiere. the joy he’s witnessed in them despite the tough times “reinforces my mission as a priest and follower of Francis of Assisi. “It animates me to give more, and more often than not, in very ordinary, TOM HOFFARTH 18 • ANGELUS • January 15, 2021
LAPD Sgt. Tim Jones gets on his knees to show his badge to a young boy in Watts during a meeting of “The Police and the Padre” outside of the Café Oaxaca restaurant on Century Boulevard near Central Avenue, across from Ted Watkins Park in Watts. basic ways. It really doesn’t have to be complicated.” One poignant moment Father Elshoff captured with his own cellphone camera was a time when Sgt. Jones was asked by a young boy if he could touch his badge. Jones crouched down and readily obliged. “That’s our future,” Jones said of that moment. “I think of that moment, where we have to get down to the same level where they are comfortable and talk as equals. You can see people’s minds shift as I talk about my own life and my relationship with Father Matt.” The son of a Southern Baptist minister, Jones said his relationship with Father Elshoff can be summed up by the priest’s recent birthday gift, a St. Timothy medal that he now wears every day on patrol. “I think you can’t know what’s right in a community if you don’t know what’s wrong,” said Jones. “I know I have a better understanding since when I came in 25 years ago. Small drops of goodwill will spread the love and communication that we’re here to serve. That’s pretty cool.” FATHER MATT ELSHOFF/FACEBOOK 626.795.8333 140 South Lake Avenue, Suite 208 Pasadena, California 91101 030520_ThornBeckVanniCallahan_Powell_Angelus_1-3pgH.indd 1 A CATHOLIC DAY AND BOARDING SCHOOL SINCE 1924 facebook.comVillanovaPrep Hablamos Español. Please call for a free consultation in our office or your home. ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS! Contact us to schedule CAMPUS TOUR Shadow Visits and Tours are available throughout the year. Please note dates are subject to change due to changes in Ventura County health guidelines. 5/6/20 3:32 PM Tom Hoffarth is an award-winning journalist based in Los Angeles. January 15, 2021 • ANGELUS • 19 @vps_activites @villanovaprep @vpsathletics 12096 NORTH VENTURA AVENUE OJAI, CALIFORNIA 93023 villanovaprep.org 805.646.1464 January 15, 2021 • ANGELUS • 19 13112020_Villanova_Angelus_12-20_1-3pgH.indd 1 11/29/20 12:09 PM
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Angelus News | January 15, 2021 | Vol. 6 No. 1

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