Angelus News | January 12, 2024 | Vol. 9 No. 1

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IN OTHER WORDS...
Letters to the Editor
How the Holy Spirit works in Finland
I was very impressed with the article about Finland’s new bishop, “A
shepherd at the end of the world,” in the Dec. 29 issue of Angelus. In
fact, it’s important to realize that Father Raimo Goyarrola Belda (now Bishop) has
been in Finland for 17 years. What he has accomplished, by the grace of God, is
remarkable.
What struck me most is the ecumenical cooperation among Christian churches
in this country of few Christians. Whether Orthodox, Lutheran, Catholic, or other
denominations, the Christians there share their churches so that Mass can be said
“at least once a month in 25 cities where there’s no Catholic parish.”
Their “collections are very small because the people don’t have money.” Yet the
Church in Finland has grown from 7-8,000 Catholics (17 years ago) to 17-18,000
today.
No doubt, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola’s enthusiasm for the New Evangelization,
his love for the Finns, and his hard work had something to do with that, but it’s
obvious also that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in Finland.
Thank you for this beautiful story that captures how the energy of the Church is
spreading in the world today.
— Marilyn Boussaid, St. James Church, Redondo Beach
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Bringing Christ on Christmas
“We are not Jesus for one
another if we’re looking at
our phone.”
~ Kathleen McNutt, the head of Bishop Ireton High
School, in a Jan. 2 USA Today article on banning
cellphones in schools.
“I’m living on the streets. I’m
also dying there.”
~ “Michael,” interviewed by National Catholic
Reporter for a Dec. 29 story on local efforts to help
the homeless in the North Hollywood area.
“Does my life belong to me,
or is it a gift from God?”
~ Bishop Robert Barron, in a Jan. 4 Word on Fire
commentary on euthanasia and physician-assisted
suicide.
“We’ve had more than
one suit of armor come
through, believe it or not.”
~ Bryan Owens, owner of Unclaimed Baggage Center,
in a Dec. 27 CBS News article on lost luggage finding
new life.
“We cannot live and speak
of peace if our hearts are
not turned to God, if our
lives are not truly inhabited
by his presence, if we do
not feel the need to ask for
his forgiveness.”
~ Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of
Jerusalem, at a Jan. 1 Mass for Peace celebrated amid
the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez handed out copies of “The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments” by Scott
Weeman to inmates at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles after celebrating Christmas Mass the morning of Dec. 25.
Archbishop Gomez’s visits to the jail have become a Christmas Day tradition. | VICTOR ALEMÁN
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.
“We’re like stepping into the
shoes of the dead person.”
~ Dennis Cotek, an LA County investigator, in a Jan.
4 Associated Press article on investigating unclaimed
bodies in Los Angeles.
January 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 7