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

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IN OTHER WORDS...
Letters to the Editor
Gratitude for a beloved saint’s return
Reading “Standing Up for Serra” in the March 8 issue brought me back
to August 2020, when I watched the statue of our beloved St. Junípero
Serra removed from in front of the Ventura City Hall under the cloak of darkness.
I fell to my knees and wept for the tragic events that led to this, for the lies that were
told about him, for the threatened violence by a small number of activists willing to
vandalize and desecrate public property to advance their beliefs, and for the rising
wave of anti-Christian rhetoric that was beginning to sweep our country. It felt so
much like being present at the crucifixion and witnessing the suffering of an innocent
and holy man.
But I was blessed to be there when the statue returned, in the light of day, to Ventura
on Feb. 29 and was installed in the garden of Mission Basilica San Buenaventura.
As God can bring good out of the evil he permits, more people are aware of who
Serra is. Today we can honor him and follow in his footsteps, continuing his mission
to bring the good news to the people of California. Last year 300 people walked 35
miles over two days in the annual St. Junípero Serra Walking Pilgrimage, covering
the Santa Barbara to Ventura Mission portion of the California Camino mission
trail. Siempre Adelante!
— Greg Wood is the coordinator of the St. Serra Pilgrimage (stserrapilgrimage.org)
Serra statue is where it should be
Thank you for your story on the return of the Father Serra statue in the March 8
issue.
It was with great joy that I saw the Father Serra statue returned and now in a fitting
place at Mission Basilica San Buenaventura. There were many who worked for a
peaceful resolution to the placement of this statue, and I’m glad he is at the last mission
he personally founded. As a mission docent, I can use this statue and its return
for enhancing our discussion of the California mission era and Father Serra’s vision
for the missions and his great love for the people here.
— Mary Mellein, Ventura
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Moving memories of ‘Bishop Dave’
A miter belonging to late
Auxiliary Bishop David G.
O’Connell is brought forward
at the start of a Feb. 24
memorial Mass at Mission
San Gabriel marking a year
since his death. | 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.
“What will artificial
intelligence make of the
notion of hell? Will the
robots laugh?”
~ Lance Morrow, in a March 7 Wall Street Journal
commentary on how we think about hell.
“My revenge is called love,
my shield forgiveness, my
armor mercy. I will not dwell
on obstacles, nor will I be
frightened by the darkness.”
~ Father Felice Palamara, a priest in Cessaniti, Italy,
who discovered bleach in his Communion chalice
while celebrating Mass last month. A local mafia
upset at the priest’s opposition to organized crime
is believed to be behind the poisoning attempt.
“No political party can
adequately answer to the
radical demands of the
Gospel.”
~ Jennifer Newsome Martin, new director of Notre
Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture, in a March 4
OSV News article on her becoming the first woman
to lead the center.
“It’s possible that we have
hit peak almond.”
~ Caity Peterson, associate director of the Public
Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center,
in a March 4 LA Times article on California’s
almond industry struggles.
“I learned gratitude as if it
were a math formula.”
~ Devin Kelly, in a March 7 Longreads commentary
on him learning how to ride a bike and how to drive
a car at age 32.
March 22, 2024 • ANGELUS • 7