Angelus News | March 22, 2024 | Vol. 9 No. 6

LOCAL
The newly arrived statue of St. Junípero Serra in
the Mission Basilica San Buenaventura garden. |
SUBMITTED PHOTO
■ Padre Serra
reappears in
Ventura on
Leap Day
A larger-than-life
bronze statue of
St. Junípero Serra
that once stood in
front of Ventura’s
City Hall arrived
at Mission Basilica
San Buenaventura
Feb. 29.
The statue was
installed atop a
concrete base in the
mission’s garden
area with the help of
a crane. As previously
reported in
the March 8 issue
of Angelus, the statue’s successful return to the public view
after being removed from Ventura’s City Hall in 2020 amid
protests was the result of intense talks between Catholic,
Native American, and civic leaders.
“Moving the St. Junípero Serra statue to [the mission]
underscores our dedication to preserving our community’s
rich history and honoring the legacy of our earliest residents,”
said Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder.
■ Pope Francis appoints UCLA
professor to Vatican academy
Pope Francis has appointed a UCLA astrophysicist to the
Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Andrea Mia Ghez, professor of physics and astronomy and
Astrophysics chair at UCLA, is one of the world’s leading
experts in observational astrophysics and leads the university’s
Galactic Center Group. She won a Nobel Prize in
2020 for her work in helping discover the likely presence
of a supermassive black hole in the Milky Way’s galactic
center.
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences says its mission is
to honor “pure
science wherever
it may be
found, ensure
its freedom,
and encourage
research for
the progress of
science.” Academy
members
representing
countries all
around the
world participate
in study groups
and meetings to
examine specific
scientific issues.
Andrea Mia Ghez. | ELENA ZHUKOVA/UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA
■ Camarillo churches help
raise money to fight hunger
Hundreds of parishioners from Padre Serra
Church and St. Mary Magdalen Church in
Camarillo participated in the 2024 Crop Hunger
Walk, which raises money and awareness
for local and global hunger-fighting efforts.
The two Catholic parishes, along with nearby
St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, Trinity
Presbyterian Church, Mount Cross Lutheran
Church, and St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox
Church, took part in the 2.8-mile walk at Pitts
Ranch Park on March 10.
The walk has raised more than $28,000 so far
and funds will support local programs — St.
Mary Magdalen Christian Service Program,
St. Columba’s food pantry, Christians Acting
Together thrift store, and RAIN Transitional
Living Center — as well as internationally.
Last year, organizers said they raised a
record-breaking $27,000. Supporters can still
donate at crophungerwalk.org.
A shared spirit of peace — The Ecumenical & Interreligious Officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,
Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith, right, was joined by Rabbi Lana Zilberman Soloway of Congregation Or
Ami in Calabasas, Ghadir Haney, a Muslim social activist from Israel, Father Saba Haj, a Palestinian
Greek Orthodox priest from Israel, and Rabbi Or Sohar, a reform rabbi from Israel, for a “Spirit of
the Galilee” panel discussion at St. Mel Church in Woodland Hills Feb. 27. | SUBMITTED PHOTO
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6 • ANGELUS • March 22, 2024