Angelus News | August 27, 2021 | Vol. 6 No. 17

LOCAL
Bishop Peter Esterka at a Mass in Minnesota in 2018.
| CNS/DAVE HRBACEK
■ Bishop of displaced
Czech Catholics
dies in OC
Bishop Peter Esterka, a native of
Czechoslovakia who fled to Minnesota
to avoid communist persecution,
died in Orange County Aug. 10. The
retired bishop was 85.
Bishop Esterka left Communist
Czechoslovakia in 1957, and was ordained
in Rome in 1963. He came to
Minnesota in 1967, where he taught
theology.
Bishop Esterka devoted himself to
working among Czech Catholics
in the U.S. and Canada, eventually
extending his ministry to Australia. In
1999, he was named auxiliary bishop
of Brno, Czechoslovakia, and entrusted
with the spiritual care of all Czech
Catholics living abroad.
“He has touched so many people,”
said Joan Timmerman, a former
teaching colleague and close collaborator
of Bishop Esterka, who took care
of him at her home in Anaheim.
Bishop Esterka’s funeral Mass will be
held Aug. 20 at Christ Cathedral in
Garden Grove. He will be buried in
the Czech Republic.
■ ADLA gets high praise for digital efforts
A Vatican official praised the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for setting “a high
model for the rest of the Church” in its use of digital technology at this year’s
Catholic Communication Collaboration Conference (C3).
Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, made the
remarks during his keynote address at the virtual event Aug. 3.
“We learn locally and we can share that with different parts of the world,” said
Bishop Tighe, a native of Ireland. “Los Angeles has always been a church community
of hope for the global Church.”
Archbishop José H. Gomez echoed praise for the archdiocese’s efforts in
his own speech, telling attendees he was “encouraged by the many ways the
Church here in Los Angeles is leading the way in using these new media to
bring people to a new encounter with Jesus Christ.”
The archdiocese launched C3 in 2012 with a goal of integrating new and current
technologies into archdiocesan ministries. At this year’s conference, topics
ranged from digital learning and remote work to the concept of digital discipleship
and a look at where the world may be in 2030.
■ ‘Bittersweet’ end to Long
Beach Masses for migrant kids
In April, the Long Beach Convention Center was transformed into a temporary
emergency shelter for unaccompanied migrant kids. The Archdiocese of Los
Angeles successfully petitioned to begin holding weekend Masses at the shelter in
May, but now that the shelter is closing, those Masses are coming to an end.
The last Mass, held on July 18, was a celebration of the next step for the children,
many of whom are fleeing violence, gangs, and poverty, but for the volunteers
who helped coordinate the Masses, it was a “bittersweet” end to a “meaningful
and intense ministry.”
“I will never forget the profound experience of being together with the migrant
children to receive holy Communion,” said one volunteer, Cynthia Marie Powell,
who served as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion each week.
Powell and other volunteers helped to facilitate more than just Masses at the
shelter. Volunteer priests came to hear confessions and pray with the children,
and local charities put together care packets, small gifts, and even a “Día de Los
Niños” (“Children’s Day”) celebration.
Carrying on the Faith — Teens at this year’s City of Saints attended Mass with Archbishop José H. Gomez
at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The Aug. 7 event was held in person this year, with an option to
attend virtually. | VICTOR ALEMÁN
Y
6 • ANGELUS • August 27, 2021