Angelus News | June 30, 2023 | Vol. 8 No 13

Archbishop Gomez took the opportunity
to urge a return to American
principles.
“Religious freedom and respect for
the beliefs of others are hallmarks of
our nation,” he said in his homily.
Many lifelong Catholics who were
also lifelong Dodgers fans said they
feel betrayed by the franchise. Annie
Hagan fondly remembered going to
Dodger Stadium as a child and later
taking her own children there. Now
she says she won’t go back.
“It makes me cry. Dodger Stadium
was always a family-friendly place,”
said Hagan, a parishioner of Our Lady
of Mount Carmel Church in Newport
Beach. “Now it’s not. They’re
honoring people who are blasphemous
against the Catholic Church
at a place that St. Pope John Paul II
blessed.”
Hagan was referring to the time
when the Polish pontiff celebrated
Mass on the field of Dodger Stadium
during his visit to Los Angeles in
1987.
Originally, the Dodgers had announced
they would honor the Sisters
of Perpetual Indulgence for their
charity work, but after an outcry from
many Catholics, canceled plans for
the on-field tribute.
The team reversed course again following
swift, widespread criticism in
the media and from LGBT advocacy
groups, apologizing to the sisters and
asking them to accept the Community
Hero Award June 16 before the Friday
night game against the San Francisco
Giants.
The team also announced it would
be bringing back a “Christian Faith
and Family Day” on July 30. But
some of the faithful at the cathedral
said they weren’t sure if that would
be enough. Still, they took it all as a
moment to evangelize.
“Jesus took action. He didn’t sit at
home,” said Janie Beach, a parishioner
of St. Rose of Lima Church in Simi
Valley. “We need to reach out, we
need to show we are loving people. …
Our prayers hopefully will lead people
to Jesus.”
Terry Wright wants those prayers to
lead to a better society.
“I think we need to pray for kindness
in the world because everyone is so
nasty with each other,” said Wright, a
parishioner of St. Rita Church in Sierra
Madre. “To have someone who has
been a persecuted class persecuting
Catholics makes no sense to me.”
The Dodgers’ reversal not only
prompted calls for prayer by Archbishop
Gomez, but also from the
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, which asked U.S. Catholics
to pray the Litany of the Sacred
Heart that day for “reparation for the
blasphemies against Our Lord we see
in our culture today.”
Tom Schroeter took the request to
heart and flew to Los Angeles from
Houston, Texas. The retired attorney
said he felt compelled to attend the
Mass and later, the “Prayerful Procession”
outside Dodger Stadium.
“Somebody has to stick up for Jesus
and for Mary and for all Catholic
nuns … it’s pretty simple,” said Schroeter,
a parishioner of St. Michael the
Archangel Church in Houston. “We
have to pray for each other … I want
to remove any anger from my heart.”
Sister Mary Colette Theobald, SND,
said she’s not angry, but is pained by
the images put out by the faux nuns.
She says it’s “just wrong” to be hateful
toward things that are so sacred to
Catholics.
“It hurts a lot, it really hurts a lot,”
said Theobald. “Because these things
like the habit are so special to us …
I’ve seen pictures of this group dressing
up in horribly provocative ways.”
The cathedral erupted in applause
when Archbishop Gomez acknowledged
the many sisters present at
Mass. Outside he posed for pictures
with some of the sisters, while others
received blessings from archdiocesan
priests.
Michael Breen, sporting a red Jesus
t-shirt, said he came to Mass to make
a statement to the Dodgers and to
the world that God is still important.
Concerned about the possibility of violence
at Dodger Stadium that night,
he prayed for peace but still retained a
sense of humor.
“I asked God to please protect all
the people (at Dodger Stadium),
both sides, all
Scores of people
protest the Los Angeles
Dodgers honoring the
pro-LGBT group, Sisters
of Perpetual Indulgence,
during Pride Night at
Dodger Stadium on
June 16. | OSV/KIRBY
LEE, USA TODAY SPORTS
VIA REUTERS
sides, even the
Giants fans,”
chuckled Breen,
a parishioner of
St. Martin de
Porres Church
in Yorba Linda.
“Help us stand for
what makes our
country and our
Church awesome.”
Angelus Staff contributed to this story.
Natalie Romano is a freelance writer
for Angelus and the Inland Catholic
Byte, the news website of the Diocese of
San Bernardino.
June 30, 2023 • ANGELUS • 25