Angelus News | February 24, 2023 | Vol. 8 No. 4

ANGELUS 

STRENGTH IN 

SHARING 

Why ‘microschools’ 

could be the future of 

Catholic education 

February 24, 2023 Vol. 8 No. 4

ANGELUS 

February 24, 2023 

Vol. 8 • No. 4 

3424 Wilshire Blvd., 

Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241 

(213) 637-7360 • FAX (213) 637-6360 

Published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese 

of Los Angeles by The Tidings 

(a corporation), established 1895. 

Publisher 

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ 

Vice Chancellor for Communications 

DAVID SCOTT 

Editor-in-Chief 

PABLO KAY 

pkay@angelusnews.com 

Multimedia Editor 

TAMARA LONG-GARCÍA 

Production Artist 

DIANNE ROHKOHL 

Photo Editor 

VICTOR ALEMÁN 

Managing Editor 

RICHARD G. BEEMER 

Assistant Editor 

HANNAH SWENSON 

Advertising Manager 

JIM GARCIA 

jagarcia@angelusnews.com 

ON THE COVER 


Guile Navos, a student at Precious Blood School in 

the Rampart Village area of LA, raises his hand during 

class. On Page 10, Ann Rodgers reports on how 

Precious Blood and two other inner-city LA Catholic 

schools are testing out a more community-focused, 

personalized approach to grade-school education 

that includes smaller multiage classrooms with more 

specialized staff and enrichment programs. 

THIS PAGE 


Father Brian Nunes gives the Anointing of the Sick to 

a woman at the annual World Day of the Sick Mass on 

Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the 

Angels. Participants at the Mass, co-hosted by the Western 

Association of the Order of Malta, received holy 

water from the Lourdes Grotto and were able to write 

prayer petitions to be hand-delivered to the Lourdes 

shrine in France during an upcoming pilgrimage in May. 

ANGELUS is published biweekly by The 

Tidings (a corporation), established 1895. 

Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, 

California. One-year subscriptions (26 

issues), $30.00; single copies, $3.00 

© 2021 ANGELUS (2473-2699). No part of this 

publication may be reproduced without the written 

permission of the publisher. Events and products 

advertised in ANGELUS do not carry the implicit 

endorsement of The Tidings Corporation or the 

Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: 

ANGELUS, PO Box 306, Congers, NY 10920-0306. 

For Subscription and Delivery information, please 

call (844) 245-6630 (Mon - Fri, 7 am-4 pm PT). 

FOLLOW US 

facebook.com/AngelusNews 

info@angelusnews.com 

Angelus News 

@AngelusNews 

@AngelusNews 

angelusnews.com 

lacatholics.org 

Pope Watch.................................................................................................................................... 2 

Archbishop Gomez..................................................................................................................... 3 

World, Nation, and Local News.......................................................................................... 4-6 

In Other Words............................................................................................................................. 7 

Father Rolheiser............................................................................................................................ 8 

Scott Hahn................................................................................................................................... 32 

Events Calendar......................................................................................................................... 33 

14 

18 

20 

22 

26 

CONTENTS 

The Catholic school nurse in Whittier with a never-ending job description 

The comeback is complete: A preview of this month’s LA Congress 

Five takeaways from last month’s historic papal trip to Africa 

Liz Lev identifies some of the most promising figures in Catholic art today 

Robert Brennan on his brother dedicating America’s biggest parish 

Sign up for our free, daily e-newsletter 

Always Forward - newsletter.angelusnews.com 

28 

30 

‘Jesus Revolution’ has ideas on how to get youth groovy with God 

Heather King pays tribute to a 1950s film classic’s examen of conscience 

February 24, 2023 • ANGELUS • 1

POPE WATCH 

Aftershocks in Africa 

Pope Francis’ words during his 

latest trip to Africa will resonate 

across the continent for a long 

time, Church leaders and experts say. 

Catholic bishops in Congo said the 

words of the Holy Father not only 

comforted but shook up the continent, 

reviving hope that the nations may 

overcome the significant challenges 

they face. 

“The successor of Peter, Pope Francis, 

as a good shepherd who knows his 

sheep, left us with powerful words 

which have strengthened our faith, 

revived our hope, ignited our love 

and challenged our consciences,” the 

bishops said in a Feb. 4 statement sent 

to OSV News. 

Francis spent four days in Congo, 

from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, before heading 

to South Sudan, from where he departed 

Feb.5. 

In Congo, the pope spoke out against 

“economic colonialism” and called out 

developed nations against the wanton 

exploitation of Congo’s vast mineral 

resources. 

The Holy Father also spoke about 

insecurity, and environmental destruction, 

and insisted on the need for love 

and tolerance in the world. 

Johan Viljoen of the Denis Hurley 

Peace Institute told OSV News that 

across the continent, there is a “toxic 

cocktail” of gas and mineral resources; 

corrupt political elite; multinational 

corporations, “resulting in ‘armed conflicts’ 

(where, often, previously there 

were none) to drive local communities 

off their land.” 

While Western media tends to frame 

the story of Africa’s conflicts along 

ethno-religious lines, Viljoen says 

the main root causes of conflict are 

related to the scramble for Africa’s raw 

materials. Francis’ comments, he said, 

are relevant to virtually every country 

in Africa. 

“It is the voice of prophecy, the voice 

of God,” Viljoen said, adding that 

the pope’s message resonates around 

the continent. “From Mali to Mozambique, 

from Burkina Faso to the 

Central African Republic, people are 

saying, ‘That is exactly what is happening 

here, to us.’ ” 

Viljoen said the pontiff’s message is 

particularly relevant because, since 

the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 

“Western governments have been 

desperate to secure oil and gas deals, 

disregarding human rights in the 

process.” 

Political scientist and conflict resolution 

expert David Matsanga, CEO of 

Africa World Media, said the pope’s 

visit puts a spotlight on the conflicts in 

Congo and South Sudan, which are 

“largely underreported or ignored by 

Western media.” 

And while Francis’ words have generated 

a “buzz” across the continent, 

resolving Africa’s problems remains the 

responsibility of Africans, said Viljoen. 

The pope suggested the trip was still 

on his mind after returning to Rome, 

mentioning in his weekly general 

audience Feb. 8 that in South Sudan 

“there are those who abuse the name 

of God to justify violence and oppression.” 

“This is why it is so important to bear 

witness that religion is fraternity, it is 

peace, it is communion; that God is 

the Father and always wants only life 

and the good of his children,” he said. 

Reporting courtesy of OSV News 

Cameroon-based writer Ngala Killian 

Chimtom. 

Papal Prayer Intention for February: We pray that parishes, 

placing communion at the center, may increasingly become 

communities of faith, fraternity, and welcome toward those 

most in need. 

2 • ANGELUS • February 24, 2023

NEW WORLD OF FAITH 

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ 

Learning to forgive 

I 

was moved by the accounts of Pope 

Francis’ recent visit to South Sudan. 

In a country still in the grips of 

civil war, where hundreds of thousands 

have been killed and millions made 

refugees, the pope appealed to those 

on both sides for forgiveness and reconciliation. 

In his final homily, he said, “Let us 

overcome the dislikes and aversions 

that over time have become chronic 

and risk pitting tribes and ethnic 

groups against one another. Let us 

learn to apply the salt of forgiveness to 

our wounds; salt burns but it also heals. 

Even if our hearts bleed for the wrongs 

we have suffered, let us refuse … to 

repay evil with evil. … Let us accept 

one another and love one another with 

sincerity and generosity, as God loves 

us.” 

This is a beautiful, prophetic prayer 

for the conversion of hearts. And I 

could not help thinking: Our world 

seems to be suffering from a lack of 

forgiveness. 

We can see this in our politics, in 

our social media, and can see it in 

the hearts of people we know. We can 

see it in our own hearts. There are 

too many divisions in our society, too 

much bitterness and holding on to old 

hurts and grudges. 

Lent is the season of forgiveness. And 

as the pope recognizes, forgiveness 

begins in our hearts. 

The 40 days of Lent are a journey 

to the cross, where Jesus once again 

speaks to our hearts: “This is my blood 

of the covenant, which is poured out 

for many for the forgiveness of sins.” 

This is why Jesus was born, that we 

might know salvation in the forgiveness 

of our sins. He died with those words 

on his lips: “Father, forgive them.” This 

is the mission that he gave his Church, 

to proclaim forgiveness of sins in his 

name to all the nations and to every 

heart. 

And Jesus told us that to follow him 

means that we must be like him. The 

love that he commands requires that 

we be men and women of forgiveness. 

The prayer that he taught us is astonishing: 

“Forgive us our trespasses, as 

we forgive those who trespass against 

us.” 

Every one of us needs to know forgiveness, 

to know that our sins are forgiven 

by God. But we cannot know God’s 

forgiveness unless we practice forgiveness 

in our own lives. 

Jesus understood that when we refuse 

to forgive, we close our hearts, not only 

to our brothers and sisters, but to God. 

“This outpouring of mercy,” the 

Catechism says, “cannot penetrate our 

hearts as long as we have not forgiven 

those who have trespassed against us.” 

That is the key. We can forgive the 

sins of others only when we realize that 

we are sinners, too, and that we also are 

in need of forgiveness. 

When his disciples asked him how 

often they must forgive, Jesus told them 

that great parable of the unforgiving 

servant. 

We know the story, because it is the 

human story. The servant owed a great 

debt to his master, and out of mercy 

the master forgave his debt. But the 

servant did not extend that same mercy 

to his fellow servants. 

The point is that the mercy that we 

hope for from God we must express 

in deeds of mercy that we do for our 

brothers and sisters. 

None of this is easy. Jesus knows that, 

This is why Jesus was born, that we might 

know salvation in the forgiveness of our sins. 

too. Forgiveness is costly, it requires a 

conversion of our hearts. It is impossible 

without his grace. 

But we have the power to forgive because 

in him we have been forgiven. In 

Jesus, we can be merciful as our Father 

is merciful. 

As St. Paul said, we can be “imitators 

of God,” forgiving one another as God 

in Christ has forgiven us. 

Let us make this Lent a time for 

learning forgiveness, and for living 

forgiveness. 

In our prayer this Lent, let us pray 

from the heart, “Forgive us our trespasses,” 

returning to our Father like the 

prodigal son, confessing our sins, our 

need for his mercy. 

In our fasting, let us “fast” from dwelling 

on old hurts and resentments, and 

harboring grudges. 

In our almsgiving this Lent, let us be 

generous in trying to give others the benefit 

of the doubt. Let us be quick and 

cheerful in forgiving the little offenses, 

the disappointments, and aggravations 

of daily life. 

One of the saints said, “To forgive 

with one’s whole heart, and with no 

trace of a grudge will always be a 

wonderfully fruitful disposition to have. 

That was Christ’s attitude on being 

nailed to the Cross: ‘Father, forgive 

them, they know not what they are 

doing.’ From this came your salvation 

and mine.” 

Pray for me, and I will pray for you. 

And as we enter into our Lenten 

journey, let us entrust ourselves to the 

Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of 

Mercy. 


WORLD 

An earthquake survivor holding a 

child sits by a collapsed building in 

Hatay, Turkey, Feb. 10. | OSV NEWS/ 

UMIT BEKTAS, REUTERS 

■ Catholic aid groups rush to help 

quake victims in Syria and Turkey 

Catholic aid groups have launched emergency relief campaigns in Syria and 

Turkey following a pair of 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude quakes on Feb. 6 that have 

killed at least 36,000 people. 

The extensive damage has slowed initial relief efforts by Catholic Near East 

Welfare Association (CNEWA), Catholic Relief Services, and multiple branches 

of Caritas Internationalis. 

“There is a general state of panic, exacerbated by the harsh weather, complicating 

rescue efforts and the capacity to collect and assess data and plan accordingly,” 

said CNEWA Beirut regional director Michel Constantin. Funds from 

CNEWA’s campaign will provide bedding, food, medicines, nursing formula, 

diapers, and clothing to families in northern Syria. 

Leaders of the various Orthodox and Christian churches also initially blamed 

relief delays on economic sanctions imposed on Syria by the United Nations, 

U.S., and other nations. On Feb. 9, however, the U.S. issued a six-month sanctions 

exemption for transactions related to relief aid in Syria. 

■ The Big Bang 

theory found on tape 

A Belgian TV station found a 

video of the Catholic priest who 

came up with the Big Bang theory 

that had been lost for nearly 

60 years. 

During the 20-minute video recorded 

in French in 1964, Father 

Georges Lemaitre is heard hypothesizing 

on the origins of the 

universe, explaining the initial 

scientific rejection of the theory 

of an expanding universe and 

defending his theory as a scientific 

endeavor and not a profession 

of religious views. 

“Before the theory of the 

expansion of the universe, some 

40 years ago [in the 1920s],” he 

said in the video discovered by 

TV station VRT. “We expected 

the universe to be static, because 

nothing changes. It was an idea 

that, a priori, basically applied to 

the entire universe.” 

Prior to this interview, which is 

available on YouTube, only photographs 

of Lemaitre had been 

preserved, including a famous 

image of him alongside Albert 

Einstein. 

Juan Sebastian 

Chamorro, one of the 

more than 200 freed 

political prisoners from 

Nicaragua, speaks to 

reporters after arriving 

at Dulles International 

Airport in Virginia Feb. 

9. | OSV NEWS/KEVIN 

LAMARQUE, REUTERS 

■ Bishop refuses to join 

Nicaragua prisoner release 

Several Catholic priests and a diocesan employee are 

among the 222 political prisoners who were suddenly 

released by Nicaragua’s government and sent to the United 

States. 

According to several media reports, Bishop Rolando 

Álvarez of Matagalpa, who has been detained since last 

summer and on trial for alleged crimes of “conspiracy and 

spreading false news,” refused to join the other prisoners on 

the Feb. 9 flight to Washington, D.C. 

“Let them go free, I will pay their sentence,” Bishop 

Álvarez reportedly said. Following his refusal, Bishop 

Álvarez was sentenced to 26 years in jail and stripped of his 

Nicaraguan citizenship for disobedience to the government 

and spreading false information, among other charges. 

While Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega reportedly 

asked for nothing in return for their release, The New York 

Times cited a White House official who said Nicaragua 

was hoping to improve relations between the two countries. 


NATION 

■ Will God grant or give you pardon and peace this Lent? 

The sacrament of confession may sound a little different this Lent. 

The English translation for the prayer of absolution will receive a slight update that 

takes effect on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22. The changes were adopted by the U.S. Conference 

of Catholic Bishops in 2021 and approved by the Vatican in 2022. 

The USCCB elected to make the minor modifications—such as changing “poured 

out” to “sent” or “grant” to “give”—in order to more accurately reflect the original 

Latin texts. 

“The essential part of the absolution formula has not changed,” explained Father 

Andrew Menke, executive director of the USCCB’s Secretariat for Divine Worship. 

“It’s based on the fact that the Holy See instructed the bishops of the world at the 

beginning of the 21st century that our translations needed to be more accurate.” 

■ Satanic group to offer free abortion in New Mexico 

New Mexico’s Catholic bishops have condemned plans by a Satanist group to 

open a free online abortion clinic in the state. 

Named after the Supreme Court justice who wrote the majority opinion 

overturning Roe v. Wade, “The Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic” 

will provide abortion pills via mail to those who “wish to perform The Satanic 

Temple’s religious abortion ritual,” according to the group’s website. 

“The last thing we need in our state is a Satanic temple from Massachusetts to 

offer free ‘reproductive health’ services (read abortion),” read a Feb. 7 statement 

from the state’s bishops. “We shudder to think what the ‘Religious Abortion Ritual’ 

that they require is all about.” 

The bishops also criticized the proposed “Reproductive and Gender-Affirming 

Health Care Freedom Act,” which they said would “force schoolteachers to facilitate 

abortions and even promote transgender surgeries among schoolchildren” if it 

passes the state legislature. 

Schooled bishop — Bishop Robert P. Deeley of Portland, Maine, became a “student for a day” at St. Dominic 

Academy in Lewiston, Maine, on Feb. 1 to mark annual Catholic Schools Week. Bishop Deeley worked alongside 

kindergartners, first-graders, and other students on their assignments, from playing Bible bingo to building small 

objects with marshmallows and toothpicks. | OSV NEWS/DIOCESE OF PORTLAND 

Worshippers attend a Tridentine Latin Mass at St. 

Josaphat Church in the Queens borough of New York 

City in 2021. | OSV NEWS/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ 

■ Leaked FBI concerns 

over Latin Massgoers 

causes a stir 

The FBI announced that it would 

retract a document connecting Latin 

Mass attendees to violent extremist 

groups after it was leaked. 

The document encouraged the FBI 

to consider Latin Mass churches, 

like those operated by the Fraternal 

Society of Saint Peter, as “new opportunities 

for threat mitigation” through 

“trip wire or source development.” It 

was marked “Unclassified/For Official 

Use Only,” and was published by the 

website UncoverDC. 

“The FBI is committed to sound 

analytic tradecraft and to investigating 

and preventing acts of violence and 

other crimes while upholding the 

constitutional rights of all Americans,” 

read a statement from the FBI press 

office to media, “and will never conduct 

investigative activities or open 

an investigation based solely on First 

Amendment protected activity.” 

The document leaked Feb. 8, one 

day after the start of investigations for 

the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee 

on the Weaponization of 

the Federal Government. Republicans 

established the subcommittee to investigate 

alleged abuses committed by 

federal agencies, including the FBI, 

against Christians, pro-life advocates, 

or other political opponents. 


LOCAL 

Sister Maribeth Larkin greets 

Pope Francis during a Jan. 20 

private audience in Vatican 

City. | VATICAN MEDIA 

■ Local religious sister part of 

private audience with Pope Francis 

A Los Angeles-based sister was one of 10 members of the Sisters of Social Service 

received by Pope Francis in a private audience last month to mark the beginning 

of the order’s 100th jubilee year. 

Sister Maribeth Larkin, general director of the Los Angeles branch of the Sisters 

of Social Service, described the half-hour meeting in the library of the Vatican’s 

Apostolic Palace as “a powerful, intimate connection.” 

“As Christians, we are brothers and sisters to everyone,” said Sister Maribeth, 

describing the conversation with the pope, which touched on his latest encyclical 

“Fratelli Tutti” (“Brothers All”). “We don’t get to pick and choose who we’re going 

to be charitable towards or who we’ll give service to.” 

Founded in 1923 in Budapest, Hungary, by Sister Margaret Slatchta, the Sisters 

of Social Service are committed to service, charity, and improving social systems 

to better help the poor and disenfranchised. 

A cathedral gets its crypt — Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange speaks at a Feb. 1 media day event for the St. Callistus 

Chapel and Crypts project, located below Christ Cathedral in Orange Grove. The space will include a chapel 

that can hold 250 people, sacred artwork, and 40 burial spaces for generations of bishops. It is named after the 

parish and school of St. Callistus in Garden Grove, which was lost as part of the land swap that turned the Crystal 

Cathedral into Christ Cathedral. The Diocese of Orange will begin construction this March and hopes to finish by 

December. | DREW KELLEY/DIOCESE OF ORANGE 

■ LA Catholic school 

kids asked to put on 

their thinking caps 

A new initiative underway aims to 

turn LA Catholic school students into 

real-world inventors. 

The Archdiocese of LA’s C3 Thinker 

Tank has partnered with entrepreneurship 

program Lemelson-MIT and 12 

local schools this year for the initiative, 

titled “Thinker Tank: Invents.” 

It aims to generate “natural curiosity” 

and “a creative and inventive mindset” 

among students and encourage 

them to produce inventions that solve 

problem(s) affecting “their family, 

community, or even people around 

the world.” 

Student teams will work on their 

invention prototypes and presentations 

in the coming weeks to qualify 

to enter the “Regional Invention 

Convention” event, to be held March 

25 at St. Dominic Savio School in 

Bellflower. 

Organizers hope that winners will be 

selected to participate in the state, national, 

and global “Invention Conventions” 

that will follow later this year. 

■ Special collection 

for Turkey and Syria 

quake relief 

Parishes around the archdiocese have 

been invited to hold a special second 

collection for victims of the devastating 

earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. 

“In solidarity with our suffering 

brothers and sisters, Archbishop Gomez 

has asked all parishes to consider 

conducting a nonmandatory special 

collection during the weekends of 

Feb. 18-19 and Feb. 25-26, 2023,” 

read a Feb. 12 letter to parishes from 

Vicar General/Moderator of the Curia 

Father Brian Nunes and Msgr. Terrance 

L. Fleming, Executive Director 

of the archdiocese’s Mission Office. 

A similar appeal launched by the 

Mission Office last spring to help victims 

of the war in Ukraine raised more 

than $2 million. 

Y 


V 

IN OTHER WORDS... 

Letters to the Editor 

Wellness doesn’t have to be pricey 

In reference to the article “Medicine with meaning” in the Jan. 27 

issue of Angelus, the author focuses a lot on more exotic (and expensive) 

forms of wellness rather than focusing on the simpler aspects of a person’s “whole 

lifestyle — their diet, work habits, stress, relationships, and physical activity,” as 

espoused by Dr. John W. Travis. 

Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and we cannot neglect that aspect 

of our overall health. As for diet, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is an affront 

to God. We need to do a better job eating healthy and exercising more. This is 

something we all can do. 

— David Walter, Downey 

Correction 

A Nation news brief on Page 5 of the Jan. 27 issue incorrectly characterized the 

Born-Alive Act, which mandates medical care for infants who survive abortion 

procedures, as having “passed Congress.” To be clear, the bill passed the House 

of Representatives but not the Senate. 

Y 

Continue the conversation! To submit a letter to the editor, visit AngelusNews.com/Letters-To-The-Editor 

and use our online form or send an email to editorial@angelusnews.com. Please limit to 300 words. Letters 

may be edited for style, brevity, and clarity. 

Nothing robotic about school spirit 

“People are not just being 

censored in terms of what 

they can say, but what they 

can think in certain zones.” 

~ Father Sean Gough, a UK priest fighting a legal 

battle against abortion “censorship zones” in 

England, in a Feb. 10 interview with The Pillar. 

“Newsrooms aren’t 

interested in shattering 

narratives they already 

believe.” 

~ Clemente Lisi, in a Feb. 7 Get Religion article, 

“Death of old-school journalism may be why 

Catholic church vandalism isn’t a big story.” 

“There is no writing 

quite like this in medieval 

literature.” 

~ Alex Ross of The New Yorker, in a long-form 

essay on medieval nun and doctor of the Church 

St. Hildegard of Bingen’s contributions to early 

musical history. 

“The future of humanity 

depends on people 

opening doors to the 

transcendent, rather than 

sealing themselves into 

materialism and despair.” 

~ Ross Douthat, in a Feb. 1 New York Times 

op-ed, “Be Open to Spiritual Experience. Also, 

Be Really Careful.” 

Students at Notre Dame Academy Elementary in West LA cheered on a robotics tournament held last month to 

kick off this year’s Catholic Schools Week, during which the school’s classes could choose a service organization to 

support via the “Buck-a-Stuff” dress-down day fundraisers. | SUBMITTED PHOTO 

View more photos 

from this gallery at 

AngelusNews.com/photos-videos 

Do you have photos or a story from your parish that you’d 

like to share? Please send to editorial @angelusnews.com. 

“Bishop Álvarez has not 

been condemned. It is they 

who have condemned 

themselves.” 

~ Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Baez of Managua, 

Nicaragua, currently exiled in Miami, criticizing the 

Ortega regime’s 26-year prison sentence for fellow 

Nicaraguan bishop Rolando Álvarez after refusing 

exile to the U.S. 


IN EXILE 

FATHER RONALD ROLHEISER, OMI 

Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father 

Ronald Rolheiser is a spiritual 

writer; ronrolheiser.com/. 

One God, one guidance system, one road 

At the end of the day, all of us, 

believers and non-believers, 

pious and impious, share one 

common humanity and all end up on 

the same road. This has many implications. 

It’s no secret that today religious 

practice is plummeting radically everywhere 

in the secular world. Those 

who are opting out don’t all look the 

same, nor go by the same name. Some 

are atheists, explicitly denying the 

existence of God. Others are agnostics, 

open to accepting the existence 

of God but remaining undecided. 

Others self-define as nones; asked what 

faith they belong to they respond by 

saying none. There are those who 

define themselves as dones, done with 

religion and done with church. Then 

there are the procrastinators, persons 

who know that someday they will have 

to deal with the religious question, 

but, like St. Augustine, keep saying, 

eventually I need to do this, but not yet! 

Finally, there’s that huge group who 

define themselves as spiritual-but-notreligious, 

saying they believe in God 

but not in institutionalized religion. 

All of us know people who are in one 

or several of these categories and are 

anxious about them. What can we 

do, if anything, to nudge these people 

towards faith, religion, and church? 

What will happen if they die in this 

state? Where does God stand in the 

face of this? 

I suspect that God doesn’t much 

share our anxiety here, not that God 

sees this as perfectly healthy (humans 

are human!), but rather that God has 

a larger perspective on it, is infinitely 

loving, and is longsuffering in patience 

while tolerating our choices. Why? 

What’s God’s larger perspective here? 

First, the fact that our faith already 

baptizes those we love. French philosopher 

Gabriel Marcel once famously 

stated, “To say to someone ‘I love 

you’ is to say, ‘you will never be lost.’ ” 

As Christians, we understand this in 

terms of our unity inside the body of 

Christ. Our love for someone links 

him or her to us, and since we are part 

of the body of Christ, he or she too is 

linked to the Body of Christ, and to 

touch Christ is to touch grace. 

Thanks to the marvels of the Incarnation, 

every sincere Christian can 

say, “My heaven includes this or that 

particular person whom I love.” We 

used to call this “baptism by desire,” 

except that in this instance the desire 

for “baptism” is on our part, but still 

equally efficacious. 

Next, we need to recognize that God 

loves these persons more than we do 

and is more solicitous for their happiness 

and salvation than we are. God 

loves everyone individually and passionately 

and works in ways to ensure 

that nobody gets lost. Moreover, God 

is tricky! As good Christian apologists 

have always pointed out, God has his 

own schemes, loving traps, and means 

to lead persons to faith. 

Moreover, God is infinitely patient. 

If we bracket piety for a moment, we 

might profitably compare God to a 

GPS (a Global Positioning System) 

given how infinitely patient and yet 

persistent a GPS is in giving us directions. 

A GPS is built with the presumption 

that it will frequently not be obeyed 

and that it will have to make the necessary 

adjustments. We are all familiar 

with how this works. We are driving 

toward a destination and the GPS tells 

us that in order to get there we need to 

make a right turn at the next intersection. 

However, we ignore its instruction 

and drive straight through the intersection. 

There is a brief silence and then 

the GPS, taking into account the fact 

that we ignored its original directive, 

says, “recalculating” and gives us a 

new instruction vis-à-vis getting to our 

destination. And, it will repeat this 

cycle endlessly. A GPS, limitless in its 

patience, keeps “recalculating,” and 

keeps giving us a new instruction until 

we get to our destination. It never 

gives up on us. 

God is the same. We have an 

intended destination and God gives 

us constant instructions along the 

way. Religion and the Church are an 

excellent GPS. However, they can 

be ignored and frequently are. But 

God’s response is never one of anger 

or of a final impatience. Like a trusted 

GPS, God is forever saying “recalculating” 

and giving us new instructions 

predicated on our failure to accept the 

previous instruction. Eventually, no 

matter our number of wrong turns and 

dead ends, God will get us home. 

One last thing. Ultimately, God is 

the only game in town, in that no 

matter how many false roads we take 

and how many good roads we ignore, 

we all end up on the one, same, last, 

final road. All of us, atheists, agnostics, 

nones, dones, searchers, procrastinators, 

those who don’t believe in institutionalized 

religion, the indifferent, 

the belligerent, the angry, the bitter, 

and the wounded, end up on the 

same road heading toward the same 

destination — death. However, the 

good news is that this last road, for all 

of us, the pious and the impious alike, 

leads to God. 


Small school, Big difference 

Blended classrooms, 

organic gardening, and 

specialized teachers: why 

the ‘microschool’ model 

is working at three LA 

Catholic schools. 

BY ANN RODGERS 

Sebastian Gregorio, a 

fourth-grader at Precious 

Blood School west of downtown 

LA, smiles during a 

classroom activity. Precious 

Blood is one of three new 

inner-city “microschools” 

trying a fresh approach to 

Catholic education. 

| VICTOR ALEMÁN 


, a 

ecious 

of downring 

a 

Precious 

e new 

hools” 

ach to 

. 

When Maria Guillermo first 

heard about the plan to turn 

Precious Blood School into 

a “microschool,” with enrollment 

capped at around 100, she worried 

that it was the school’s last gasp, and 

that her daughters’ learning might be 

impeded by having two grades share a 

classroom. 

“But I think it’s benefitted them,” 

she said two years later. Not only do 

the students have better relationships 

in their multiage classrooms, but the 

teachers “tailor the classroom instruction 

to each individual student.” 

The Microschools Network was the 

inspiration of school officials in the 

Archdiocese of Los Angeles who saw 

the children of celebrities paying 

high prices to send their children to 

very small schools. These educators 

believed that they could harness new 

approaches to online learning developed 

during the COVID lockdown 

to make tiny schools affordable and 

academically excellent. 

“We are thrilled to offer families a 

small-school experience with a highly 

personalized learning environment,” 

said Paul M. Escala, senior director 

and superintendent of schools. “Our 

Catholic schools have always been 

known for their community-based 

approach to education of the whole 

person. Our Microschools Network 

takes this to a whole new level.” 

So far, three 

TK-8 schools are 

participating: Precious 

Blood in 

Rampart Village, 

St. Teresa of Avila 

in Silver Lake, 

and St. Athanasius 

in Long 

Beach. Enrollment 

is generally 

Kindergarten and 

TK-age students attend 

a “garden class” at 

Precious Blood School 

earlier this month. 


limited to 150 students per school. 

Specialized staff, such as music, art, 

and physical education teachers, 

secretaries, and janitors are shared 

among the schools. Enrichment 

programs have been added, including 

organic gardening and the opportunity 

to enroll in advanced classes for high 

school credit. 

These school communities don’t 

suffer enrollment anxiety. 

“The principals can breathe a sigh 

of relief. It gives you a model that will 

work even if you go down to 80 kids,” 

said Christina Arellano, director of the 

Microschools Network, who championed 

the concept. 

“We wanted to be in purposefully 

small schools, very Christ-centered 

smaller communities.” 

Along with small class sizes, individualized 

learning is a hallmark as 

computer learning blends with smallgroup 

activities. The teachers receive 

coaching in multiage education and 

individualized learning through Inclusion 

Solutions, Inc., and the Greeley 

Center for Catholic Education at 

Loyola University in Chicago. 

“So they are in class, the teachers are 

guiding them, but the teachers can 

give each of them different assignments 

to work on while they work with 

another group of students. They don’t 

have to sit back when they finish and 

wait until the whole class is ready to 

move on,” Arellano said. 

The families pay the same tuition as 

at any other Catholic school, but the 

Microschools Network is supported 

by benefactors. They do not cover 

operating costs, only special projects, 

such as renovating a building, purchasing 

technology, or creating a school 

garden. 

“If we were just going to pay their 

bills, then we are not helping them 

to sustain themselves,” Arellano said. 

“Tomorrow, if our benefactors had 

to step away, the school would still 

thrive.” 

“A multiage classroom is the way to go. We 

believe that they prepare the students for life. 

Anything that they do after they leave here, 

they will be involved with people of all ages.” 

Precious Blood had begun combining 

grade levels as a cost-saving 

measure several years earlier. The 

Microschools Network has shown that 

to be good for education as well as 

finances. 

“Sometimes people look at multiage 

classrooms as a panic measure because 

you’re struggling financially. That’s not 

the case for us,” said Maria Cunanan, 

the principal at Precious Blood for 

11 years. “A multiage classroom is 

the way to go. We believe that they 

prepare the students for life. Anything 

that they do after they leave here, they 


Eighth-graders at the are in sixth and 

lunch table with Precious eighth grades. 

Blood principal Maria Cunanan. 

| VICTOR ALEMÁN benefitted from 

Her girls have 

a new approach 

to homework, 

which emphasizes preparing for the 

next day’s lesson rather than reviewing 

the last lesson. 

“From the results I’ve seen with both 

my daughters, the test scores have 

shown it to be very, very effective,” 

she said. 

That is also the experience of Corman 

Gregorio, whose eighth-grade son 

Gavin has attended Precious Blood 

since transitional kindergarten. She 

has seen a marked improvement in his 

study habits. 

“Now he is much more focused,” she 

said. 

He is among the first Precious Blood 

students invited to enroll in an online 

program for high school math credit 

through Arizona State University. 

will be involved 

with people of all 

ages.” 

Precious Blood 

has come full 

circle since the 

1950s, when 

it educated 

first-generation 

Student performers at 

Precious Blood School’s 

International Day Feb. 

3, celebrated as part 

of the annual Catholic 

Schools Week. | SUB- 

MITTED PHOTO 

European immigrants, and had multiage 

classes because there were only 

four teaching sisters. Today its families 

hail from the Philippines, East Asia, 

and Latin America — heritages that 

they proudly celebrated with artistic 

displays of music and dance at the 

school’s recent International Day. 

Cunanan is thrilled that the network 

allows specialized teachers of music 

and art. 

“Those are usually the first things 

to go with schools that are financially 

challenged,” she said. “This has 

opened up resources for us that we 

would never have been able to have.” 

A ranger from EnrichLA teaches 

organic gardening, with tasty and 

colorful results. The students have 

held farmers markets for their parents, 

giving away herbs, lettuce, zucchini, 

and kale. 

“The plants are so healthy looking,” 

said Guillermo, whose daughters 


There is no extra charge to the parents. 

All of this is creating buzz. 

The number of parents who signed 

up at an enrollment pitch for Precious 

Blood soared from 25% to 75%, with 

100% of last year’s families returning. 

Standardized test scores are also up, 

Arellano said. 

Prior to the Microschools Network, 

“I always thought of Precious Blood 

as ‘The Little Engine That Could,’ ” 

Guillermo said. 

“There’s a whole new energy that it 

has brought to the school, as far as the 

academics and being proud of being 

a smaller-size school. When my son 

graduated in 2018, I never in my wildest 

dreams thought that things like this 

would be possible at Precious Blood.” 

Ann Rodgers is a longtime religion 

reporter and freelance writer whose 

awards include the William A. Reed 

Lifetime Achievement Award from the 

Religion News Association. 


The soul of a school 

To understand Margie Whyte’s job 

description at St. Bruno School in Whittier, 

you have to go back a few decades. 

BY NATALIE ROMANO 

Margie Whyte (right) and her sister when they were 

students at St. Bruno. | SUBMITTED PHOTO 

Need to know the lunch schedule 

for St. Bruno Catholic 

School in Whittier? See Mrs. 

Whyte, the office worker. 

Need to tour the campus? See Mrs. 

Whyte, the marketing staffer. 

Need help because you’re not feeling 

well? See Mrs. Whyte, the registered 

nurse. 

The list of hats worn by Margie 

Whyte at St. Bruno goes on and on. 

Her unwritten job description: to go 

where she is needed and give her best. 

It’s what you do when you’ve been 

connected to a place your whole life. 

“I love St. Bruno 

because it’s literal- 

Margie Whyte (left) ly part of my soul 

with St. Bruno principal and my being,” 

Nancy Chavana. said Whyte. “I’m 

| VICTOR ALEMÁN happy to say I’ve 

been part of it 

since the early 

1970s.” 

Whyte’s nametag introduces her as 

the school’s Health, Development and 

Marketing coordinator but it doesn’t 

list all the whys. She went here, her 

children went here, her mom taught 

here, and her Catholic faith lives 

here. 

“We say God at this school,” said 

Whyte. “We talk about God every day. 

We’re always looking at everything 

through the lens of our Catholic 


faith.” 

Whyte’s primary task is to keep 

students “healthy and safe.” To that 

end, her office looks like any other 

medical facility; brightly lit with white 

walls and neat rows of jars filled with 

bandages, cotton pads, and tongue 

depressors. The artwork reveals a love 

of horses. 

When her oldest child was a kindergartner 

here, Whyte was laid off 

from her critical care nursing job. The 

devices like EpiPens for severe allergic 

reactions, and inhalers for delivering 

medications to the lungs. 

The latter is particularly important 

to Rene and Alicia Dominguez. They 

have three children at St. Bruno, including 

twins who were born prematurely. 

Alicia calls them her “miracle 

babies,”’ and when she learned St. 

Bruno had a registered nurse on staff, 

she knew this was the place for them. 

“My son has asthma and it gives me 

Schools Week Open House, which 

took place Jan. 29. 

For Whyte, the annual event involves 

dozens of school tours to prospective 

families. She estimates she’ll give 

around 50 before the school year is 

over. One of her favorite stops in the 

school’s hallways is the campus “prolife 

board,” displaying information 

and pictures on fetal development. 

“We teach the students from kindergarten 

on up to value life,” said 

principal offered her a lifeline. 

“I didn’t like the thought of going 

back to 12-hour shifts and slinging 

bedpans,” recalled Whyte. “This was 

just a godsend for me.” 

On a typical day, Whyte dispenses 

prescribed medications and deals with 

minor scrapes and tummy aches for 

any of the school’s 310 students. On 

a rare day, she handles a broken bone 

or seizure. She keeps at the ready 

peace of mind that Mrs. Whyte is here 

in case he has an attack,” explained 

Alicia. “It’s like a member of the family 

is there looking after my children.” 

If not dealing with sick students 

or answering calls at the front office, 

Whyte is the one making calls 

promoting school fundraisers to local 

newspapers. She then updates the 

Instagram and Facebook pages with 

announcements like the Catholic 

Whyte. “By the 

time they’re 

in junior 

high, they can 

explain why it’s 

so important. 

It’s beautiful to 

hear them speak.” 

Principal Nancy Chavana said 

Maya Silva, a seventh-grader 

at St. Bruno, receives a 

bandage from Mrs. Whyte. 


Whyte demonstrates the values of St. 

Bruno in how she “exemplifies that 


nurturing, that compassion, that love. 

We’re very blessed to have her.” 

Whyte fondly recalled her own 

school days here. The atmosphere 

was “lovely and homey,” particularly 

with her mom just down the hall. She 

shares old photos of herself wearing 

her plaid uniform with her favorite 

cowboy boots. 

“I remember myself as a shy, quiet 

girl but my report card reflected 

otherwise,” said a smirking Whyte. 

“Evidently, I was also a little chatty in 

class.” 

Years later, Whyte and her husband, 

Michael, sent their sons to those very 

same classrooms. She said it was nice 

for her but more complicated for 

Riley, Colin, and Aidan. Riley, who is 

now a dispatcher for the Los Angeles 

County Fire Department, said the 

closeness was 99% amazing, 1% not 

so much. 

“We were young, mischievous. You 

know, boys will be boys,” laughed 

Riley. “But we had a great childhood. 

Whyte was first offered a job as school nurse 

when her daughter was a kindergartner at St. 

Bruno. “This was just a godsend for me,” she said. 

Our mom is the cornerstone of our 

family. She taught us the importance 

of faith and hard work.” 

Occasionally, Riley likes to visit the 

school and watch his mom do what 

she does best, take care of others — 

mind, body, and soul. The students 

seem to sense this. 

“If I look into her office and she’s not 

busy I can come in and say hi,” said 

Maya Silva, a seventh-grader at St. 

Bruno. “She shows me pictures of her 

puppy and asks me how my day is.” 

Classmate Sofia Waldo pointed out 

that everyone knows Mrs. Whyte. And 

you can tell that’s true thanks to the 

constant chorus of “Hi Mrs. Whyte!” 

that follows her wherever she goes. 

“She’s always there for us,” said Waldo. 

“She’s very kind to all the kids. We 

really like her.” 

Whyte said she’s not ready to talk 

about retirement yet, especially since 

her grandchildren will keep with 

family tradition and attend St. Bruno 

in a couple of years. “If the school 

will have me, I will gently slide into 

retirement right from this chair,” said 

Whyte. “I just hope all these students 

have at least one vivid memory of me 

helping them in some way.” 

Natalie Romano is a freelance writer 

for Angelus and the Inland Catholic 

Byte, the news website of the Diocese 

of San Bernardino.

Guido and Silvia Figueroa 

with Father José Román 

Flecha, from the Diocese 

of Leon, Spain, during a 

recent Religious Education 

Congress appearance. 

| SUBMITTED PHOTO 

A time to reconnect 

Three years after the start of COVID, LA 

Congress is back to a fully in-person format. 

BY TOM HOFFARTH 

Silvia and Guido Figueroa’s 

plans for their 15th straight Los 

Angeles Religious Education 

Congress (REC) begin with a caravan 

from Sylmar to Anaheim with about 

30 parishioners from St. Didacus 

Catholic Church. From there, they’ll 

check into the small-scale hotel they 

found within walking distance of the 

Anaheim Convention Center. 

Mostly, they look forward to reconnecting 

over the three-day weekend 

with many of those who they’ve come 

to know over the years and share their 

passion as catechists. 

To help train dozens of parents of elementary 

school-aged children for the 

sacrament of first Communion, the 

couple often juggles their schedules 

to accommodate all sorts of illness or 

hardships so families can stay caught 

up in their program. 

The Figueroas know something of 

their pains. 

Silvia’s parents both passed away 

from COVID-19 in 2020, an agony 

made worse when she was unable to 

travel back to her native Guatemala to 

see them. Her oldest sister and youngest 

brother also were critically ill with 

the virus but survived. 

“My faith life is strong,” Silvia said 

through a translator during a recent 

conversation over Zoom. “I’ve always 

been confident that despite difficulties, 

God is there with me and he’s 

never left me alone. God has been my 

strength and at Congress, the topics 

we learn about always seem to prepare 

us for whatever might come next.” 

“It helps to know that Jesus is always 

there to help us have a better life and 

be a testimony that we have grown 

in faith,” added Guido during the 

interview. 

Guido left Guatemala for the U.S. in 

2002 to do construction work. Silvia 

followed the next year with their two 

young daughters and continued doing 

housekeeping work. They now enjoy 

babysitting their 5-month-old granddaughter. 

The REC experience has taught 

Guido to listen more, he said, “to 

go deep inside yourself and find a 

solution to end any conflict.” Silvia’s 

takeaway has been learning ways 

to communicate better “and stay 

humble. We remember to walk in the 

shoes as others, as Pope Francis tells 


us.” 

The Figueroas like to call their Congress 

journey “una fe experiencial,” or 

an “experiential faith.” That fits into 

the theme of the 2023 REC, “Embrace 

Grace.” 

Sister Rosalia Meza, senior director 

of the Office of Religious Education, 

said this year’s Congress, set for Feb. 

23-26, is a reminder to see God’s assistance 

at work not just in the Church, 

but in the world. 

“It’s important to rely on the hope 

and love of God’s grace,” said Meza. 

“That’s beautiful.” 

Some 120 workshops in English, 

Spanish, and Vietnamese will be 

offered, with topics ranging from 

mental health, evangelization, women’s 

leadership, family matters, theology 

and spirituality, and childhood 

catechesis and youth ministry. More 

than one session will offer updates on 

the synodal process. 

Thursday’s Youth Day, with the 

theme of “Strive For Life,” will include 

a presentation by Matt Harper, 

a community member of the Los 

Angeles Catholic Work, to talk about 

his experiences serving the homeless. 

The adult part of the weekend is 

highlighted by a Saturday 8 a.m. 

keynote address by New York Auxiliary 

Bishop Joseph A. Espaillat II, 46, 

who last year became the country’s 

youngest Catholic prelate and the first 

Dominican-American bishop. 

Other well-known speakers include 

Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy 

Industries; Carolyn Woo, Ph.D., 

former CEO of Catholic Relief 

Services; and Archbishop Christophe 

Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., 

who will participate in a Spanish-language 

workshop on Saturday and 

preside over Friday’s Spanish liturgy. 

The Congress’ expanding Vietnamese 

community will hear from Bishop 

Peter Nguyen Van Kahm of My Tho 

at workshops on Friday and Sunday 

morning, as well as Saturday’s Vietnamese 

liturgy. 

The largest Catholic gathering in 

the country has had to navigate some 

rocky ground over the last three years. 

Its 2020 edition in late February that 

year came just a couple weeks before 

the pandemic shutdown. In 2021, 

participants pivoted to an all-virtual 

event, and last year, some 5,000 

people were able to attend in person, 

while a hybrid setup of exclusive 

streaming workshops online drew 

another 5,000 virtual households. 

Meza said it was problematic to 

continue the hybrid model this year, 

citing costs related to producing 

a quality livestream in addition to 

resources dedicated to accommodating 

for what she expects will be more 

than 10,000 attending. She added that 

in a survey of participants, about 70% 

preferred the in-person experience. 

“The community aspect is what the 

people really value,” said Meza, who 

pointed out that events in the Convention 

Center Arena will continue 

to be livestreamed as in years past. 

“They were obviously grateful we 

didn’t stop Congress the last two 

years. But for what we wanted (in 

production and in expenses), it wasn’t 

realistic (to repeat the hybrid format).” 

REC is considered a “mega event” 

by the California Department of Public 

Health, but current COVID-19 

policies for the Anaheim Convention 

Center do not require masks, proof of 

vaccination, or a negative test. 

Special events over the weekend will 

include dedicating the lunchtime 

periods Friday to the Latino community 

and Saturday to the Vietnamese 

community — complete with 

dancing, music, and food provided 

by local food trucks specializing in 

their cultural delicacies. An all-female 

mariachi band and singers are part of 

the Fiesta Latina, Saturday, at 8 p.m., 

in the Convention Arena. 

This is the 50th anniversary of the 

event under the official name of the 

Los Angeles Religious Education 

Congress. The 1973 event was also 

the first to offer Spanish-language 

workshops. 

Tom Hoffarth is an award-winning 

journalist based in Los Angeles. 

A workshop at the 2020 Religious Education Congress. | VICTOR ALEMÁN 


Pope Francis caresses the cheek of a woman whose 

hand was amputated in the violence that continues 

to plague the eastern part of Congo. The pope met 

victims of violence Feb. 1 at the apostolic nunciature 

in Kinshasa. | OSV NEWS/VATICAN MEDIA 

Francis’ African dream 

Five takeaways from the pope’s long-awaited visit 

to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. 

BY ELISE ANN ALLEN 

ROME — From blunt chastisements 

to tender embraces, 

with both missed opportunities 

and bright spots along the way, Pope 

Francis’ Jan. 31-Feb. 5 trip to Africa 

was packed full of big moments and 

nuance that likely will have a lingering 

impact for some time to come. 

Francis visited the Democratic 

Republic of Congo (DRC) and South 

Sudan in a bid to bring comfort and 

encouragement to the two war-torn 

nations, and to call the leaders of each 

nation to task. The trip to both countries 

was originally scheduled for last 

year but postponed due to the pope’s 

ongoing knee troubles. 

Still, it was the fulfillment of a longheld 

dream not only for the pontiff but 

also for the people, who saw his arrival 

as a sign of hope. 

Here are five key aspects of the trip 

that stood out. 

Pope as political advocate 

Francis often gets political when he 

knows he has the world’s attention, 

and he was at it again in Africa. He 

used the trip to again speak out against 

the rich exploiting the poor, turning a 

blind eye to atrocities to line their own 

pockets. 

In the DRC, wealthy companies 

harvest from the mineral-rich soil, 

extracting millions of dollars’ worth of 

diamonds, cobalt, and coltan, bolstering 

gem and tech markets globally on 

the backs of the poor while corrupt 

national leaders look the other way. 

In South Sudan, wealthy corporations 

dip into the country’s rich oil 

supply while turning a blind eye to its 

perpetual political instability, rampant 

poverty, and unfettered violence, and 

doing nothing to promote peace or the 

development of the country. 

To that end, Francis’ most pointed 

words during the trip were directed to 

civil authorities in each country. 

Speaking to national leaders in the 

DRC, he condemned “the darkness 

and injustice of corruption,” saying 

power “is meaningful only if it becomes 

a form of service. How important 

it is that civic responsibilities 

be carried out in this spirit, avoiding 

authoritarianism, the quest for quick 

profit!” 

He also condemned foreign exploitation, 

chastising the economically ad- 


vanced world for closing “its eyes, ears, 

and mouths” to the darker realities in 

Congo, saying at one point to thunderous 

applause, “Hands off the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo! Hands 

off Africa! Stop choking Africa: it is not 

a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be 

plundered.” 

In South Sudan, Francis gave an 

equally fiery speech condemning political 

leaders for their failure to make 

peace and the “swamps of corruption.” 

“Inequitable distribution of funds, 

secret schemes to get rich, patronage 

deals, lack of transparency: all these 

pollute the riverbed of human society; 

they divert resources from the very 

things most needed,” he said. 

The face of mercy 

Francis also showed his pastoral side 

during the trip, particularly during 

two visibly moving meetings with war 

victims in the DRC and a handful of 

South Sudan’s roughly 2 million internally 

displaced. 

During a Feb. 1 meeting with war 

victims from eastern DRC, the pope 

heard horror stories of women who 

had been serially raped, children who 

watched their families get slaughtered 

before their eyes, and people who had 

been maimed during violent rebel 

attacks on their villages. 

“I am close to you. Your tears are my 

tears; your pain is my pain,” Francis 

told the group. “I am with you; I want 

to bring you God’s caress. …While 

the violent treat you as pawns, our 

heavenly Father sees your dignity,” 

and he drew tears as he embraced and 

caressed the limbs of women whose 

hands and wrists had been cut off. 

In South Sudan, the pope invited the 

group of refugees not to be resigned to 

their situation, but to be protagonists in 

building a better future, saying, “You 

are the seed of a new South Sudan,” 

based on harmonious coexistence 

among those who “do not want to 

respond to evil with more evil.” 

The victims Francis didn’t meet 

While Francis was meeting with 

clergy, religious, and seminarians in 

the DRC on Feb. 2, a group of clerical 

sexual abuse victims gathered outside 

the cathedral where the meeting was 

being held, to draw attention to the 

problem of clerical abuse and what 

they said is a the systemic coverup and 

corruption within the DRC judicial 

system benefitting Church officials at 

the expense of victims. 

They were not allowed into the cathedral, 

so it is unclear if the pope was 

aware of their presence. 

Just last year, the pope’s Commission 

for the Protection of Minors 

announced a new partnership with the 

Italian Bishops’ Conference to fund 

awareness-raising and child protection 

efforts in the global south, where 

guidelines and effective safeguarding 

measures are often still lacking. 

An ecumenical visit 

The South Sudan portion of Francis’ 

trip was an ecumenical visit, made 

together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, 

Justin Welby, and the Moderator 

of the Church of Scotland, Iain 

Greenshields. 

Around 60.5% of South Sudan’s 11 

million people belong to some form 

of Christianity, most of whom belong 

to the Catholic or Anglican churches. 

Catholics themselves make up roughly 

52% of the overall population, and it 

is the churches who are often on the 

frontlines in providing support and relief 

to the poor, displaced, and victims 

of violence. 

Welby and Greenshields joined 

Francis on his return flight to Rome 

and also joined in his mid-flight press 

conference, marking the first time a 

pope had shared the spotlight during 

an inflight presser. 

Africa the ‘present’ of the Church 

The trip was also an acknowledgement 

of global Catholicism’s shifting 

demographics. Africa now has the 

highest number of practicing faithful 

worldwide, with several African nations 

ranking higher than larger Catholic 

countries such as Brazil, the United 

States, and Italy in weekly Mass attendance. 

On the list of the top 10 countries 

with highest Mass attendance, according 

to the World Values Survey (WVS), 

five — the DRC, Nigeria, Uganda, 

Tanzania, and Angola — are from 

sub-Saharan Africa. 

Given trends in both population 

growth and Mass attendance, the 

importance of African Catholicism is 

set to increase significantly in the years 

to come. 

The hundreds of thousands who lined 

the streets for Francis in Africa, as well 

as the millions who attended his public 

events, suggest that Africa is not just 

the future of the Catholic Church — 

it’s the present. 

Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby, Pope Francis, and Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Presbyterian Church 

of Scotland, give the final blessing together at the conclusion of an ecumenical prayer service at the John Garang 

Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, Feb. 4. | OSV NEWS/VATICAN MEDIA 

Elise Ann Allen is a senior correspondent 

for Crux in Rome, covering the 

Vatican and the global Church. 


Renaissance? 

A NEW 

With the help of a new generation of 

contemporary artists, Catholic art is trying to 

capture the world’s imagination once more. 

BY ELIZABETH LEV 

It often happens that after seeing 

the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, 

the stained glass of Chartres, or 

the mosaics of San Vitale, pilgrims 

lament, “Why can’t we make these 

things anymore?” or “Aren’t there people 

around who can still do this?” 

I respond that it’s not because of a 

lack of talent; rather, there has been a 

decline of thoughtful patronage. 

The great eras of Christian art — 

medieval manuscripts, Renaissance 

paintings, Baroque sculptures — were 

fueled by people who valued and treasured 

faith and beauty. While many 

people love faith and others appreciate 

beauty today, the two rarely go hand in 

hand. 

In what appears to be a “change of 

era” for the world and Church, is it too 

much to ask what part laypeople can 

play in bringing about a “New Renaissance”? 

Many assume that the institutional 

Church should spearhead such a 

movement, but it’s been laypeople who 

have been a critical force for beauty 

through the ages. 

The Medici family, commissioning 

Donatello’s “David” for their courtyard, 

patronizing Benozzo Gozzoli’s 

frescoes, and welcoming the young 

Michelangelo into their midst, shaped 

styles, determined demand, and catapulted 

careers. The Burghers of Bruges 

vied to hire the most exquisite painters 

to produce devotional works. 

These were investments in both their 

earthly legacy and spiritual futures. 

Proud owners displayed their works, 

and others attempted to emulate the 

taste of these early “influencers.” The 

high demand drew more and more 

talented people 

Russian painter Natalia 

Tsarkova poses next 

to copies of portraits 

she painted of Pope 

Benedict XVI and Pope 

John Paul II in her studio 

in downtown Rome in 

2013. | OSV NEWS/ 

MAX ROSSI, REUTERS 

to the arts, while 

experience taught 

patrons how to 

elicit the best work 

from competing 

artists. 

Talent abounds 

in the world of 

Catholic art; what 

is needed now are 

patrons to promote 

new faith-based 

works. Perhaps one of my contributions 

can be providing a sampler of what is 

out there. While this is only the tip of 

the iceberg, my hope is that it will help 

develop a taste for Catholic art. 

Igor Babailov and Natalia Tsarkova 

are the established gold standard of 

Catholic artists. They led the Russian 

brigade of highly trained painters 

whose drawing skills are only outshone 

by their handling of color. 

Beyond portraits of many famous 

faces, these two artists have produced 

their own interpretations of sacred subjects. 

Babailov’s image of “Mercy” is a 

haunting work, where he uses his gift 

for likenesses to put faces to the many 

stories of suffering around the world. 

Tsarkova’s “Last Supper” is an astonishing 

reinterpretation of one of the most 

well-known subjects in Christian art, 

engaging the viewer in a new and bold 

way. 

Anthony Visco, Pennsylvania’s response 

to the Roman Baroque, excels 

in both painting and sculpture. His 

statue of “The Guardian Angel of the 

Unborn” in the Shrine of Our Lady 

of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, 

rivals the work of the 17th-century 

giants. 


Doney MacManus has jump-started 

a new iconography of St. Joseph in 

sculpture, while Henry Wingate’s 

crystalline images offer clarity and 

intelligibility to his representations of 

the sacred, the most exalted qualities in 

post-Tridentine art. 

Beyond institutional works, meant 

to adorn private 

altars or make a 

show of generosity 

for a beloved 

church, the great 

patrons of the 

past found space 

in their domestic 

settings for beautiful 

art as well. 

Modern museums 

are filled 

with portraits of 

Father Richard Baker and 

Archbishop Diarmuid 

Martin look on as artist 

Doney MacManus points 

to a statue he created of 

Archbishop Fulton Sheen 

during a 2015 ceremony 

in Dublin. | OSV NEWS / 

JOHN MC ELROY 

saints, which were intended to grace 

the walls of a bedroom, study, or living 

room like a beloved family member. 

The principal art form in most homes 

is photography — framed pictures 

of oneself alongside one’s family and 

friends. While that certainly has a 

place, great patrons of the past balanced 

their own images with those of 

people already participating in eternity. 

They chose to display their name saints 

A painting of Jesus by 

artist Janet McKenzie. | 

OSV NEWS VIA NATION- 

AL CATHOLIC REPORTER 

or subjects of particular 

devotion, 

including Sts. 

Jerome, Agnes, 

Francis, and 

Cecilia. Given 

that we have many new saints today, 

there are even more opportunities to 

fill homes with heavenly trailblazers. 

Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs specializes 

in bringing these holy figures to 

life, employing meaningful details to 

encourage deeper contemplation. Neilson 

Carlin produces images of saints 

modern and ancient, using a crisp 

style and jeweled colors reminiscent of 

stained glass. 

On the other side of the Atlantic, the 

prolific Raul Bersoza from Malaga, 

Spain, has a stunning body of work 

centered on images of saints with 

visual richness that evokes brocaded 

altar cloths and gem-studded chalices, 

that accentuate the limpid purity of his 

holy faces. 

Icons, meant for prayer and catechesis, 

are making a comeback in 

our era of biblical illiteracy. Shining 

beacons of truth, they are a solid bridge 

into the world of art, employing beautiful 

materials, clean, clear lines and, for 

a world that loves puzzles, symbols to 

be decoded. The iconographer merely 

serves as a medium between the mes- 

sage and the viewer. 

Constantin Brancusi, a modern 

sculptor who grew up steeped in that 

visual culture, once said, “Look at 

things until you really see them. Those 

who sit close to God have already done 

so,” summing up the treasure that is 

the icon. 

The American Association of Iconographers 

is a good source to begin to 

explore this most ancient of Christian 

arts. 

When thinking of art for the home, 

still life or landscapes often seem like 

the best way to cover empty space. 

Even these “innocuous” works could 

be leavened with a sacred sense. John 

Folley’s still lifes with glittering fish 

scales, glistening grapes, and burnished 

plates evoke the Eucharist for those 

with eyes to see. Closer to the spirit 

of Northern Vanitas are the works of 

French painter Anne de Saint-Victor. 

Parisian-born Rome denizen Philippe 

Casanova creates interiors of Baroque 

churches. His rapid brushstroke, 

descended from the Impressionists, 

conveys the energy of space with light 

reflecting off the gilt and stucco. 

Images of the Holy Family are 

another lovely choice for the home 

— as Florentines once hung “tondi” 

(“round”), platter-shaped paintings 

of Mary, Jesus, and John the Baptist 


to commemorate a new birth. The 

modern age would do well to celebrate 

life with similar images. 

Cameron Smith uses a Gustav Klimtlike 

sumptuousness in his scenes, 

though their real power comes from 

the authenticity of the expressions 

and interactions. Janet McKenzie’s 

paintings are haunting; her palette of 

taupe, lavender, and rose calms the eye 

but also adds a solemn sense of mystery 

to her scenes. McKenzie celebrates 

the Christian heritage of Africa, from 

her representations of St. Josephine 

Bakhita and the plight of trafficked 

African women to her powerful images 

of black fatherhood, especially in her 

portrayal of St. Joseph. 

In the history of Western art, the 

Classical style was always balanced by 

edgier artists, who experimented with 

new techniques and different perspectives. 

Just as Caravaggio stood out in 

the age of the Carracci, so there are 

today many artists who are challenging 

the mainstream naturalistic tendency 

of contemporary art. 

Three examples of this promising 

trend are Hélène Legrand, whose 

powerful Michelangelo’s bodies 

“The Cross Remains 

While the World Turns,” 

by Jean Prachinetti. 

| OSV NEWS/COURTESY 

EDIZIONI CANTAGALLI 

dissolve into light 

or mesmerizing 

color; Daniel 

Bonnell, whose 

swirling brushstroke 

compels 

the viewer to look 

more closely to 

try to perceive the 

order within apparent 

chaos; and 

Jean Prachinetti, 

who animates his 

structured spaces 

with mysterious 

mists and angelic 

beings. 

There are many more gifted artists out 

there than those I’ve mentioned. More 

importantly, even a few people are 

trying to help connect them to patrons. 

As we enter into this period of preparation 

and contemplation that is Lent, 

perhaps we could take some time to 

reflect on how to bring the gift of art 

back into the world to proclaim the 

good news of the Word made Flesh. 

Elizabeth Lev is an American-born art 

historian who lives and works in Rome.

AD REM 

ROBERT BRENNAN 

A new gateway 

to God in Visalia 

With space for 3,200 worshippers, the 

newly dedicated St. Charles Borromeo 

Church in Visalia is the biggest parish 

church in North America. | AMBIENT 

ART PHOTOGRAPHY 

Earlier this month I had the privilege of witnessing a 

Catholic ritual that I was previously unfamiliar with: 

the dedication of a new church. (Full disclosure: the 

event was led by my own brother, the bishop of Fresno.) 

On Feb. 2, the newly finished St. Charles Borromeo 

Church in Visalia went from a brick and mortar example 

of 21st-century construction techniques to a timeless element 

of sacred space. 

St. Charles Borromeo will be a lot of things to a lot of 

people. For now, it is the largest (at least in capacity) parish 

church in North America, a fitting reflection of the beauty 

of Catholic worship. It is also a telling reminder of the 

ongoing vocation crisis on the same continent. 

Built in a California mission style, there is almost an 

entire acre under St. Charles’ roof. It has seating and 

kneeling capacity for 3,200 worshippers. The need for such 

a large church was born from a numbers 

problem: The three area parishes 

whose Catholics St. Charles Borromeo 

will now serve had 14,000 registered 

families between them, but a combined 

seating capacity of only 1,250. The 

good news is this beautiful new church 

Bishop Joseph Brennan of 

Fresno (the author’s brother) 

led the dedication rites for the 

new church Feb. 2. | AMBI- 

ENT ART PHOTOGRAPHY 


Robert Brennan writes from Los Angeles, where 

he has worked in the entertainment industry, 

Catholic journalism, and the nonprofit sector. 

answers that need for space. The 

An artistic rendering of 

not-so-good news is that those 14,000 the communion of saints 

registered families are being served by makes up part of the 

only two priests. 

new church’s “liturgical 

Located in the geographic center of landscape.” | AMBIENT 

the Diocese of Fresno (which comprises 

eight counties), St. Charles is 

ART PHOTOGRAPHY 

intended to serve as a hub of sorts. 

Priest ordinations and chrism Masses will be celebrated 

here, in addition to the daily sacramental life of a parish 

serving a growing immigrant, working-class population. 

It has been said geography is destiny, and I think it is 

not too hyperbolic to suggest the same goes for liturgical 

landscapes. An ornate crucifix and a striking sculpture of 

God the Father watch over its cruciform interior, while 

large painted images of the four evangelists among a field 

of deep blue look down from the vault directly above the 

altar. Clouds of red orange and darker hues swirl around 

them, but this somewhat foreboding image is penetrated by 

the rays of light coming through the vault’s skylight. During 

the dedication Mass, this light source created changing 

accents of light and shadow, augmenting the mural of 

saints on either side of the hovering crucifix. 

It was humbling and inspiring to watch my own brother 

officiate a rite that travels back in time. Seeing him take 

off his chasuble and roll up the sleeves of his alb to anoint 

every inch of the church’s impressive wooden altar with 

chrism oil made me feel struck with spiritual electricity. 

Archbishop José H. Gomez, who oversees the metropolitan 

see of Los Angeles that includes Fresno, and his 

predecessor Cardinal Roger Mahony, also assisted in the 

consecration rite by anointing the church’s walls with the 

palms of their hands and with the same sacred oils. 

Then it was time for the deposition of relics underneath 

the altar. It was emotional to see my brother on his knees as 

he encased a reliquary under the altar containing physical 

links to St. Peter, St. Thomas Becket, and St. Faustina 

Kowalski, among other saints. I thought of the holy examples 

we had both been privileged to know in our lives. I 

prayed for our parents, our aunts, uncles, our grandparents, 

our departed brothers and sister. 

Later, I asked pastor Father Alex Chavez about the challenges 

of the project. He acknowledged there was resistance 

from the parishioners of the three churches included 

within the boundaries of Good Shepherd Church. But, 

he added, with time and providence more people came to 

embrace it, to see things as less about my church and your 

church, but rather our church. 

At a press conference before the Mass, Brennan was asked 

what he most wanted to see at St. Charles. He answered 

that he was not as concerned about how people came in 

through the imposing wooden doors of the Church, but 

rather how they exited. In other words, his prayer is that 

this sacred space will respond to the spiritual needs of those 

looking for the Lord, renewing them and giving them 

spiritual nourishment. 

Around this part of California, Visalia is known as 

the gateway to the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

Everything about St. Charles is intended to make it a 

gateway of another sort, where God invites us to his house 

to pray and receive him. And what a house it is. 


NOW PLAYING JESUS REVOLUTION 

OF GOD AND HIPPIES 

‘Jesus Revolution’ may not have all the answers to our 

modern crisis of faith, but it offers some compelling hints. 

Jonathan Roumie as Lonnie 

Frisbee in “Jesus Revolution.” 

| DAN ANDERSON 

BY STEFANO REBEGGIANI 

I 

was not expecting much from “Jesus 

Revolution,” apart from the bad writing 

and sentimental plotlines typical 

of many modern Christian movies. 

Nor did the subject matter seem 

promising: Left-leaning, hippie Christians 

were still a presence in Catholic 

environments in Italy as I was growing 

up. I always found them nice and 

pathetic at the same time, conveying 

sentimentality and feel-good platitudes. 

But “Jesus Revolution,” which 

premiers in theaters Feb. 24, is a 

thought-provoking take on the timeless 

struggle to get young people to 

come to Jesus. It tells the true story of 

a revival of Christianity leading up to 

what Time magazine called “A Jesus 

Revolution” during a time of profound 

crisis and distrust in institutions in the 

1970s amid the hippie revolution. 

Despite some predictable turns in the 

plot, the story that unfolds raises timely 

questions. I always find actors playing 

Christ (or Christ-like figures) unbearable, 

but Jonathan Roumie, who plays 

Jesus Christ in the hit TV series “The 

Chosen,” is surprisingly convincing. 

Greg Laurie (played by Joel Courtney) 

is a young man searching for the 

right things in all the wrong places 

(mostly drugs). Meanwhile, Pastor 

Chuck Smith’s church is empty. The 

pastor’s daughter is attracted by the 

hippie movement. She thinks they may 

be onto something, while her father is 

afraid she may end up on drugs. 

“I ask God to send me a hippie,” 

he tells her, “because I don’t understand 

them.” God sends him hippie 

street-preacher Lonnie Frisbee, played 

by Roumie. 

My people, Lonnie explains to 

Chuck, are like sheep without a 

shepherd. They are a desperate bunch, 

looking for an answer to their desire 

for meaning. The hippie movement 

was not just a bunch of youth trying to 

get high and get as much sex as they 

could, the film suggests. Behind the 

drugs and the protests was a desire for 

truth and authentic happiness. 

It is a precious insight that’s as true 

then as it is now. It was a favorite 

theme of St. Pope John Paul II, whose 

eloquent words to young people at 

World Youth Day in Rome in 2000 

still ring true: “It is Jesus that you seek 

when you dream of happiness; He is 

waiting for you when nothing else you 

find satisfies you; He is the beauty to 

which you are so attracted; it is He 

who provoked you with that thirst for 

fullness that will not let you settle for 

compromise; it is He who urges you to 

shed the masks of a false life.” 

“Jesus Revolution” starts from the 

assumption that young people are 

really looking for God — whether they 

are aware of it or not — and that their 

rebellion should not be dismissed out 

of hand or ignored. The answer, it 


suggests, is helping them find a way to 

him. 

The film proposes that the key to this 

process is a change of form. Chuck 

becomes more welcoming, abandons 

judgment while embracing forgiveness, 

introduces rock music, and begins to 

speak the young people’s language. In 

a short time the church is full again. 

Interestingly, neither Lonnie nor 

Chuck propose a different spirituality. 

Lonnie’s sermons are no different from 

those of Chuck before the two met. It 

is not so much a point of content, but 

rather establishing a contact. 

This, the film suggests, is the solution 

to the problems of the Church today: 

Be more open, don’t be judgmental, 

and change the language to reflect the 

tastes and interests of today’s youth. 

And yet, there is little evidence that 

such an accommodating approach is 

always effective, or effective in the long 

term. 

This is evidenced by the fact that 

the Boomer generation’s children 

and grandchildren have all but fled 

Catholic, mainline, and evangelical 

churches. 

Despite efforts to update marketing 

and outreach, incorporate contemporary 

language from the pulpit, and 

offer ministries defined by categories 

like age, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, 

church demographics are rapidly 

aging — and churches are not exactly 

brimming over with young people. 

But “Jesus Revolution” does, perhaps 

unwittingly, suggest a more profound 

answer to the Church’s trouble with 

the younger generations. Lonnie is a 

loving, compassionate man. The youth 

feel loved by him, and the film implies 

that they would not have listened to his 

preaching had it come from someone 

else. 

It’s an experience I can identify with: 

Having grown up Catholic, I heard 

the good news many times since I was 

little, but only started to truly believe 

it when I received it from someone 

whom I knew loved me patiently and 

unconditionally, when I had been 

selfish and untrustworthy. This type 

of love, I realized, cannot be achieved 

through training, effort, or education, 

but rather grace. 

So perhaps the problem of the 

Church today is not so much a problem 

of form, but rather the need for 

people inside the Church who show 

this love actually exists. 

Instead of looking for new forms of 

communication, a more urgent task 

is helping lead people toward a more 

adult faith, one that enables us to look 

at others the way Lonnie does, and set 

in motion our own “Jesus revolution.” 

Stefano Rebeggiani is an associate 

professor of classics at the University of 

Southern California.

DESIRE LINES 

HEATHER KING 

A ’50s classic’s tough critique of humanity 

A scene from “An Inspector Calls.” | IMDB 

I’m a sucker for classic British films: 

black-and-white dramas from the 

’40s and ’50s, with top-notch actors, 

sharp directors, and often a thorny 

moral dilemma. 

One such gem, “An Inspector Calls” 

(1954), is based on the play by J.B. 

Priestley, and stars Alistair Sim (of 

Scrooge fame) as an otherworldly 

examiner of conscience. 

You can stream it for free on Internet 

Archive or the Kanopy feature of your 

LA Public Library card. 

The credits roll over a sumptuously 

laid dinner table. The Birling family 

is celebrating the engagement of their 

daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft, an 

upper-crust scion who is marrying 

ever-so-slightly down. Not to worry: 

Arthur Birling, the insufferably smug 

factory-owning patriarch, is up for a 

knighthood. 

The formidable Mrs. Birling keeps 

watch over her brood with an eagle 

eye. “You’ll get used to being alone a 

good bit of the time, dear,” she counsels 

Sheila, apropos of what promises 

to be Gerald’s endless business travels. 

“I did.” 

Eric, the perpetually tipsy Birling son, 

is belittled by his father and treated 

like a baby by his mother. He alone 

has trouble getting into the spirit of the 

occasion, making mordant asides and 

nodding off over the liqueurs. 

Just as Mr. Birling proposes a toast, a 

large, urbane figure appears — materializes, 

actually. He’s not come through 

the front door. And who has let him 

in? 

He introduces himself as Inspector 

Poole and announces that a young 

woman named Eva Smith has been 

brought to the infirmary that afternoon 

and, having ingested a strong antiseptic, 

died. 

Was it suicide? they all ask. The 

inspector — who’s had access to Eva’s 

diaries and journals — declines to 

answer and instead proposes showing 

the dead woman’s photograph to each 

member of the family in turn. 

He starts with Mr. Birling. A couple 

of years ago, turns out, Eva had been 

employed as a shop girl at his factory. 

Her crime, we learn in flashback, was 

to have joined a delegation of sister 

workers and asked Birling for a raise. 

Not my problem, he’d blustered, then 

had her fired. 

“You seem to forget that we’re respectable 

citizens,” Gerald protests to this 

line of questioning, “not criminals.” 


Heather King is an award-winning 

author, speaker, and workshop leader. 

Poole, imperturbable, murmurs that 

he’s sometimes hard-pressed to tell the 

difference. 

Eva was next employed at a women’s 

clothing shop that Sheila, after being 

shown the photo, remembers with 

dawning horror she visited a year or so 

ago. “I was in a filthy temper and I was 

determined to get my way over that 

hat.” She’d reported Eva’s “abominable 

rudeness” — basically, because Eva 

the girl had smiled — and once again, 

gotten her fired. 

Each member of the family is shown 

to have contributed to Eva’s downfall. 

Gerald took her as his mistress for a 

time, then dumped her for Sheila. 

Homeless, penniless, and as it 

turns out, heavy with child, Eva had 

appealed to the local charity organization, 

of which Mrs. Birling is the chair. 

She’d refused to divulge the name of 

the child’s father, nor to beg him for 

money. In the face of such “impertinence,” 

Mrs. Birling, outraged, had 

categorically denied Eva’s request for 

help. 

“It was her own fault,” she continues 

to insist in the face of Poole’s penetrating 

gaze. “And the young man should 

be publicly exposed and dealt with 

severely.” 

The young man is, of course, none 

other than Eric who, bumbling and 

drunk, had charmed his way into Eva’s 

flat and heart, and impregnated her. 

The senior Birlings are incorrigible. 

Money and status are their gods. 

Birling sputters, “That all happened 

more than two years ago. … Good 

heavens, man, I can’t accept any 

responsibility. If we were all responsible 

for things that happened to people 

we’d had anything to do with, it’d be 

very awkward, wouldn’t it?” 

“Very awkward,” Poole agrees dryly. 

Sheila, by contrast, is deeply contrite. 

“It’s not only Eva Smith, Father. It’s all 

the Eva Smiths. It’s the things we do 

to people without realizing it. Only for 

once we’ve seen the consequences.” 

Eric, too, is shaken. “I can change. 

Stop drinking.” 

Meanwhile out for a walk, Gerald 

runs into the local constable and learns 

that there is no Inspector Poole on the 

force. A fake! And upon calling the 

infirmary, he learns there hasn’t been a 

suicide for months. 

Arthur Birling crows, “Makes all the 

difference in the world whether we 

said it in private or it becomes a public 

scandal.” 

“The girl’s dead and we all helped to 

kill her,” Eric rejoins bitterly. “That’s 

all that matters.” 

I won’t spoil the ending. The film is 

in one way a scathing critique of privilege, 

class, and bourgeois hypocrisy. It 

also opens the possibility of hope in the 

post-war Britain younger generation. 

Deeper still, it’s a meditation upon 

the many offenses we commit that are 

not punishable by law but are profound 

offenses against the law of love. How 

many times have I taken out my own 

fear or frustration or hurt on someone 

who I thought in the moment “didn’t 

matter?” How often have I struck back 

in my heart against someone who had 

the “impertinence” to question my 

values? How different are any of us, 

really, than the millions of people who 

are in prison? 

Long after the credits rolled, I was still 

thinking: What might I have to answer 

for if Inspector Poole knocked on my 

door? 


LETTER AND SPIRIT 

SCOTT HAHN 

Scott Hahn is founder of the 

St. Paul Center for Biblical 

Theology; stpaulcenter.com. 

Children of God, lost and found 

Have you ever seen a small child lost in a shopping 

mall? 

There are few sights so sorrowful. You know the 

child’s parents are probably close by, but that’s no comfort. 

The child sees only an impersonal crowd, a lot of movement, 

a lot of bright lights, but no security, no safety. 

Sad to say, many of the adults in that fast-moving crowd are 

living their lives the way that child is living his moment of 

separation. They’re lost. They’re separated from Father God 

and Mother Church. All of life comes at them as so much 

movement, so many stimuli. It has no coherence for them, 

and they get through it only by entertainment and constant 

distraction, grazing from text messages to kitten videos to the 

worst of the latest news cycle. 

These are God’s lost children. These are today’s sheep 

without a shepherd. 

They lack what you and I have. They lack Jesus Christ, the 

eternal Son, in whom they’ll see the Father. But they don’t 

even know who he is or what they’re missing? 

You and I are just beginning to make our way through 

Lent, and that’s a privilege. We have heard the good news 

and accepted it as our own. We live in the same scary 

world as everyone else. But we know our Father is with 

us. We know we’re loved, and that love gives coherence 

to everything else. It gives meaning to our sorrows. It even 

makes a sort of sense of the evening news. We’re part of a 

grand story. It has its ups and downs, 

“Good Shepherd,” by 

Bernhard Plockhorst, 

1825-1907, German. 

| WIKIMEDIA COMMONS 

but we know how the story ends. 

During Lent we’re drawing closer to 

the Father. Of course we know he’s 

near. But we’re turning to see him 

more clearly and take his hand more 

firmly. “Turning” is the literal meaning 

of the word conversion, and this season 

is all about our conversion. It’s a project that never ends, but 

in Lent we try to open our hearts to receive greater grace. We 

try to turn more decisively. 

The Greek word for conversion is “metanoia.” It means 

a change of mind, a better worldview. It means we see the 

world not as something random and absurd, but as a gift 

from our Father God. 

We don’t ignore sin and suffering. But of all the things 

that are wrong with the world, none should concern us so 

much as ourselves. When someone asked G.K. Chesterton, 

“What’s wrong with the world?” he answered “I am.” That 

should be our answer, too, and it should be what we’re working 

on this Lent. 

Let me propose a task we can share in the days that stretch 

between now and Easter. Let’s try to find occasions to be 

hopeful — publicly hopeful. When conversations take a 

downturn at work or at home, let’s try to be the Catholic 

voice. Let’s show people the joy and confidence of God’s 

children — sons and daughters who have our Father’s hand, 

who know how the story ends, who know that God answers 

every prayer. 

We can do our part to change the worldview of others. We 

might be surprised to discover what the effort does to our 

own outlook. 


■ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 

Priests vs. Seminarians Basketball Game. Chaminade Middle 

School, 10210 Oakdale Ave., Chatsworth, 6 p.m. Game 

starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be livestreamed at lacatholics.org/ 

catholic-hoops/. Cost: $10/person, limited tickets available. 

■ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 

Our Lady of the Angels Regional Eucharistic Congress. St. 

Augustine Church, 3850 Jasmine Ave., Culver City, 9 a.m.-1 

p.m. English and Spanish music, prayers, reflection, and Mass. 

Free admission. 

■ SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 

International Thomas Merton Society Chapter Meeting. 

Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 2-4 p.m. 

Hosted by Sister Chris Macado, SSS. Visit hsrcenter.com or 

call 818-784-4515. 

■ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 

Winter Coat and Blanket Distribution. Church of the Nazarene, 

15518 Gale Ave., Hacienda Heights, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 

No lineups before 10:45 a.m. Hosted by the East San Gabriel 

Valley Coalition for the Homeless, winter coats, blankets, 

hygiene kits, and nonperishable lunches will be provided. 

■ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 

“What Catholics Believe” weekly series. St. Dorothy 

Church, 241 S. Valley Center Ave., Glendora, 7-8:30 p.m. 

Series runs Wednesdays through April 26. Deepen your 

understanding of the Catholic faith through dynamic DVD 

presentations by Bishop Robert Barron, Dr. Edward Sri, Dr. 

Brant Pitre, and Dr. Michael Barber. Free event, no reservations 

required. Call 626-335-2811 or visit the Adult Faith 

Development ministry page at www.stdorothy.org for more 

information. 

■ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 

Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. Anaheim 

Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim. Fourday 

event with keynotes, workshops, liturgies, exhibits, and 

entertainment that showcases the depth and beauty of the 

Catholic faith. For more information, visit recongress.org. 

■ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 

St. Clare’s Fish Fry. 19606 Calla Way, Canyon Country, 4:30- 

8 p.m. Two or three pieces of beer-battered cod, coleslaw, and 

choice of two sides (fries, rice, or beans). Fish tacos available 

with rice and beans. Dine in or take out. Cost: $15/2-piece 

dinner or tacos, $16/3-piece. Family pack available for $55. 

For more information, call 661-252-3353 or visit st-clare.org. 

Torrance Fish Fry. Nativity Annex, 1415 Engracia Ave., 

Torrance, 5-7 p.m. Hosted by Knights of Columbus Council 

#4919. Baked or fried fish, baked potato or fries, cole slaw, 

roll, and cake. Dine in or take out. Cost: $12/adults, $10/seniors, 

$7/children under 12. 

■ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 

God’s Healing Power for Your Family Tree. St. Didacus 

parish hall, 14325 Astoria St., Sylmar, 10 a.m. With Father 

Bob Garon and Dominic Berardino, topics include: Prayer 

for Breaking Family Bondages, Does Ancestral Sin Affect the 

Living?, and Mass for Healing your Family Tree. Cost: $30/ 

person before Feb. 20, $40/person at door, includes catered 

lunch. For more information, email spirit@scrc.org. 

Conscious Aging, Life Review, and Transformative Practices. 

Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 9:30 

a.m.-3:30 p.m. With Deborah Lorentz, SSS. Visit hsrcenter. 

com or call 818-784-4515. 

Catholic Daughters of America Court of Our Lady of 

Victory #1344 Annual Retreat. Kavanagh Hall, 415 

Vincent St., Redondo Beach, 8 a.m. Mass, continental 

breakfast, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. retreat. Facilitator: Father Ed 

Broom. RSVP to Mary Costello by calling 310-316-0768 

or emailing mmcostello1@verizon.net. 

■ SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 

Stations of the Cross. Calvary Cemetery, 4201 Whittier 

Blvd., Los Angeles, 2 p.m. Stations will be held each 

Sunday of Lent. For more information, visit CatholicCM. 

org/stations or call 323-261-3106. 

“The Slave Letters” by The Wagner Ensemble. St. 

Francis de Sales Church, 13370 Valleyheart Dr., Sherman 

Oaks. The Wagner Ensemble presents a multimedia 

performance featuring readings of authentic slave letters, 

spirituals, and video image projections. Cost: $20/ 

general admission, $15/students and seniors. For more 

information, call 310-339-2488. 

■ THURSDAY, MARCH 2 

Housing/Tenants’ Rights Virtual Legal Clinic for Disabled 

Veterans. 5-8 p.m. Zoom clinic will help disabled 

veterans in LA County with an income level at or below 

75% of HUD’s low-income limit. Registration required. 

Visit https://tinyurl.com/bm93ny3j. 

■ FRIDAY, MARCH 3 

Beginning Experience Weekend for Widowed, Separated, 

and Divorced Adults. Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 

4316 Lanai Rd., Encino. Retreat runs March 3-5. Trained 

peer ministers will guide participants on their grief journey 

following a spousal loss. For more information visit 

beginningexperience.org or family life.lacatholics.org/ 

beginning-experience. $75 deposit required in advance, 

financial aid available. To register, call Maria at 909-592- 

0009 or email beginningexp.losangeles@gmail.com. 

■ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8 

St. Padre Pio Mass. St. Anne Church, 340 10th St., Seal 

Beach, 1 p.m. Chaplain: Father Al Baca. For more information, 

call 562-537-4526. 

■ TUESDAY, MARCH 14 

Memorial Mass. San Fernando Mission, 15151 San 

Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, 11 a.m. Mass is 

virtual and not open to the public. Livestream available 

at catholiccm.org or facebook.com/lacatholics. 

■ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 

Mass and Healing Service. St. John Eudes Church, 9901 

Mason Ave., Chatsworth, 6 p.m. praise and worship, 

6:30 p.m. Mass celebrated by Father Mike Barry, hosted 

by the Forever Grateful Catholic Charismatic Prayer 

Group. 

■ THURSDAY, MARCH 16 

Children’s Bureau: Foster Care Zoom Orientation. 4-5 

p.m. Children’s Bureau is now offering two virtual ways 

for individuals and couples to learn how to help children 

in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how 

to provide legal permanency by adoption. A live Zoom 

orientation will be hosted by a Children’s Bureau team 

member and a foster parent. For those who want to 

learn at their own pace about becoming a foster and/or 

fost-adopt parent, an online orientation presentation is 

available. To RSVP for the live orientation or to request 

the online orientation, email rfrecruitment@all4kids.org. 

Items for the calendar of events are due four weeks prior to the date of the event. They may be emailed to calendar@angelusnews.com. 

All calendar items must include the name, date, time, address of the event, and a phone number for additional information.

Angelus News | February 24, 2023 | Vol. 8 No. 4

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?