Angelus News | March 21, 2025 | Vol. 10 No. 6

ANGELUS

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AT FIVE

March 21, 2025 Vol. 10 No. 6

March 21, 2025

Vol. 10 • No. 6

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ANGELUS

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ON THE COVER

JACOB POPCAK

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic was a

transformative event for the world, changing almost

every aspect of people’s lives while causing institutions

to rethink their mission. What about the Catholic

Church? On Page 10, Ann Rodgers spoke to Catholic

leaders around the country about what’s changed —

and what hasn’t — when it comes to helping souls

meet Jesus Christ five years since the initial lockdowns

of March 2020.

THIS PAGE

VICTOR ALEMÁN

Joined by family and sponsors, nearly 2,000 catechumens

from around the Archdiocese of LA packed

the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels during two

services the afternoon of Sunday, March 9, for the

Rite of the Election with Archbishop José H. Gomez

and auxiliary bishops. The rite is the final step in the

catechumenate for those who will be received into the

Catholic Church when they are baptized at this year’s

Easter Vigil.

CONTENTS

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

16

20

24

26

28

30

Workshops educate immigrant parishioners amid deportation fears

LA Catholics pray for pontiff’s health in ‘Pope Francis With Love’ video

Smartphones are killing our spiritual life. Here’s what you can do about it

With Corpus Christi’s church gone, what really makes a parish?

Robert Brennan: ‘No Address’ and the varnishing of the homeless crisis

Joseph Joyce searches for deep meaning in this year’s Oscar speeches

Heather King on Sister Wendy’s timeless Lenten art retreat

March 21, 2025 • ANGELUS • 1

POPE WATCH

Signs of improvement

Almost a month after his Feb. 14

hospitalization for respiratory

problems, the Vatican said that a

release from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital

could finally be within sight for Pope

Francis.

While his clinical condition remained

“stable” as of March 10, the Holy See

press office reported that doctors had

lifted their “guarded” prognosis because

“the improvements recorded in previous

days have been further consolidated,

as confirmed by both blood tests

and clinical findings, as well as by the

Pope’s good response to pharmacological

therapy.”

“However,” continued the March 10

update, “given the complexity of the

Pope’s clinical picture and the severe

infection present at the time of hospitalization,

it will still be necessary to

continue pharmacological treatment in

a hospital setting for several more days.”

The announcement came amid

some signs of improvement in Francis’

condition.

Throughout the previous week, the

88-year-old pope had been continuing

his prescribed therapies, including

breathing exercises and physical

therapy. The press office reported that

Francis was using noninvasive mechanical

ventilation with a mask at night and

high-flow oxygen through a nasal tube

during the day. It also reported that the

pope had remained without fever, and

was showing improved blood oxygen

levels.

On March 9, the first Sunday of Lent,

the pope participated in Mass in a hospital

chapel and later followed the start

of the Lenten retreat for the Roman

Curia by video linkup.

Two of Francis’ top aides, Cardinal Pietro

Parolin, Vatican secretary of state,

and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the

substitute for general affairs in the secretariat,

had visited him in the hospital

at least three times to provide the pope

with updates “on some situations in the

church and the world,” according to

the press office.

While he has been hospitalized, top

members of the Roman Curia have

been presiding in his stead over the Jubilee

Masses that had been scheduled

since last year.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of

the Dicastery for Promoting Integral

Human Development, presided over

the Mass concluding the Jubilee of the

World of Volunteering in St. Peter’s

Square March 9 and read the homily

prepared by Francis.

The Vatican press office also published

a written message the pope had

prepared for the midday Angelus that

day.

In that message, he thanked those

who’d been praying for him and said

that during his “prolonged hospitalization

here, I too experience the thoughtfulness

of service and the tenderness of

care, in particular from the doctors and

healthcare workers, whom I thank from

the bottom of my heart.”

His text said he thinks of the many

people who accompany and assist those

who are ill “and who are for them a

sign of the Lord’s presence. We need

this, the ‘miracle of tenderness,’ which

accompanies those who are in adversity,

bringing a little light into the night of

pain.”

Reporting courtesy of Catholic News

Service Rome correspondent Carol

Glatz.

Papal Prayer Intention for March: Let us pray that broken

families might discover the cure for their wounds through

forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their

differences.

2 • ANGELUS • March 21, 2025

NEW WORLD OF FAITH

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ

Lent and our likeness to Jesus

As Lent began last week, I

watched an Instagram reel,

something that our LA Catholics

team produced.

It was a simple testimony from an older

woman with ashes on her forehead,

speaking in Spanish, about why Ash

Wednesday is important to her.

The woman said: “It’s important

that we never forget that we are dust

and to dust we shall return. And we

must know that throughout the year

we should visit the churches because

through the Lord, we have life, and we

have food, and we have air, and a place

to live; and we must give thanks for our

health.”

There is wisdom in these words

and they reflect the spirit of this holy

season.

The Scriptures remind us often that

our time is short. One of the psalms

says that we are like flowers that bloom

for a little while, until the wind sweeps

us away.

That same message is delivered to us

in the sign of the ashes: “Remember

that you are dust, and to dust you shall

return.”

But death does not define the limits

of our life. We may come from the dust

of the earth, but God used that dust to

create us in his own divine image.

God made us for holiness, because

he is holy and we bear his image. And

the Father sends Jesus among us, as

his only Son, to show us the wonderful

possibilities of our lives.

St. Paul said that just as we have borne

the image of the first man, Adam,

who was created from the dust of the

earth, we are destined to bear the

image of Jesus Christ, the “new man”

who came down from heaven to be “a

life-giving spirit.”

This is the journey of our lives and

the purpose of our lives: We are called

to perfect the divine image in which

we are created, to be transformed into

the image of Jesus, by his grace.

God knows this journey will take us

a lifetime, that it will mean beginning

and beginning again.

We all bear the burden of Adam’s

original sin. Our human nature has

been wounded.

We are inclined to use our freedom

to commit sins, to make bad choices,

to hurt people. We are prone to think

more about ourselves and our comfort

than we do about others. We have a

hard time trusting in God’s goodness.

We make the same confession at the

start of every Mass: “I have greatly

sinned … in what I have done and in

what I have failed to do.” In this lifetime,

there will never be a day when

that is not true.

The Church gives us the holy season

of Lent each year to help us to step

back, to slow down and take stock of

our lives.

Where are we in our journey with

Jesus? Are we living the way he wants

us to live? How can we do better?

What things in our life do we need to

change?

Lent is not a gloomy time. God never

wants us to be beating ourselves up for

our failings and weaknesses.

God knows who we are. We are

sinners who he is calling to become

saints. The Church gives us this holy

season to look honestly at ourselves,

and to help us to do the hard work of

becoming saints.

The Church proposes three disciplines

during Lent: prayer, fasting, and

almsgiving. These practices are given

to purify us, to focus us on the foundations

of our spiritual life.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are given to

purify us, to focus us on the foundations of

our spiritual life.

Prayer returns our focus to our friendship

with God and the need for us to

make this friendship our highest priority,

growing deeper in our relationship

by talking to him every day, listening

for his voice, reading his words in the

Scriptures.

Fasting reminds us that everything

we have is a gift from God and that we

should live with a spirit of thanksgiving

and sacrifice, offering our lives back to

serve God in love.

Almsgiving opens our hearts to love

our neighbor in a spirit of generous

service.

Through these Lenten practices, we

come to understand more deeply the

heart and the mind of Jesus.

And as these practices become habits

in our lives, we will find ourselves

living more and more like Jesus: loving

as he loves, seeing the world as he sees

it, treating other people as he does.

Pray for me and I will pray for you.

Let’s strive to make this the best Lent

ever, to really make progress in our

journey with Jesus.

May holy Mary, our Blessed Mother,

pray for us in this holy season, and may

she help us to grow in our likeness to

her Son.


WORLD

■ France: Reopened Notre

Dame sees record crowds

Record crowds have flocked to see

the restored Notre Dame Cathedral

in Paris three months after its historic

reopening.

The restored cathedral sees up to

29,000 visitors a day — nearly 6,000

more than before the 2019 fire that devastated

the Gothic church. This influx

has placed Notre Dame’s guest rates on

par with the Louvre Museum.

Auxiliary Bishop Emmanuel Tois of

Paris told OSV News that he’s surprised

by the number of visitors who

have approached him for confession at

the cathedral — including some who

hadn’t confessed in decades.

“The cathedral is always full, whatever

the time, and it is true that when

you enter it, you can be surprised by

the noise and tourist bustle there,” Tois

said.

■ A repeat of Rwanda’s ‘silent genocide’ in Congo?

Christian leaders are warning of a “silent genocide” in eastern Congo after

70 people were found beheaded in a Protestant church Feb. 15.

The victims — primarily women, children, and the elderly — were said to

have been taken from their homes days prior, according to the Orthodox Public

Affairs Committee. It is believed the deaths were committed by the Allied

Democratic Forces, an Islamist group aligned with the Islamic State.

Militant groups are not new to the mineral-rich African country, which has

more than 100 rebel groups in operation. Since the 1990s, an estimated 6

million people have been killed with many early deaths connected to the

1994 Rwanda

genocide.

“It is silent

genocide

that has not

been told. It

reminds of

what happened

in Rwanda

in 1994,” a

Catholic priest

told OSV News

anonymously.

“It has been

occurring for

the last 30

years, but the

international

community has

been silent.”

A pile of prayers — Drawings, votive candles, rosaries, flowers, and cards for Pope Francis cover the base of a

statue of St. Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s Gemelli Hospital March 8, the same day that doctors said Francis

was showing signs of slight improvement, while his prognosis remained “guarded” as they awaited further

developments. | CNS/PABLO ESPARZA

A child stands next to a police officer as displaced families wait for food at Rugombo

Stadium in Burundi Feb. 18, after Congolese fled from renewed clashes between M23

rebels and the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). |

OSV NEWS/EVRARD NGENDAKUMANA, REUTERS

■ Why the Vatican doesn’t

like ‘credibly accused’ lists

A new letter from the Vatican has reiterated

serious concerns about diocesan “credibly

accused” lists.

Last year, an unnamed bishop had asked

the Dicastery for Legislative Texts to clarify

the practice of publishing lists of clerics who

have been found “credibly accused” of sexual

abuse crimes by diocesan review boards.

In a response published Feb. 22, the

dicastery repeated concerns made by other

Vatican offices in recent decades that such

lists have the potential to violate fundamental

rights, starting with the presumption of

innocence.

“Such principles,” the dicastery said, “cannot

reasonably be overridden by a generic

‘right to information’ that makes any kind of

news public domain, however credibly, to

the concrete detriment and existential damage

of those personally involved, especially

if inaccurate, or even unfounded or false,

or completely useless as in what concerns

deceased persons.”

Releasing such lists has become a frequent

practice of U.S. dioceses in recent years. The

dicastery’s clarification specifically focused

on priests found “credibly accused” according

to internal diocesan determinations.


NATION

■ Potential Eucharistic miracle investigated in Indiana

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is investigating a potential Eucharistic miracle

after images of apparently blood-stained hosts circulated social media.

Information about the purported miracle, which originated at St. Anthony of

Padua Church in Morris, Indiana, comes from Corpus Christi for Unity and

Peace (CUP), a local Catholic advocacy group.

The miracle involves two consecrated hosts that had fallen on the floor Feb. 21

and were placed in water inside the tabernacle to dissolve. A day later, an anonymous

woman saw that the hosts appeared to be stained with blood. She took

photos of the phenomena and shared them on social media, a CUP founder

told OSV News.

According to new Vatican guidelines on investigations of purported Eucharistic

miracles, the local bishop is expected to form a commission to investigate the

theological and scientific aspects of the incident.

Father Emil Kapaun in an undated portrait.

| OSV NEWS/ST. LOUIS REVIEW

■ Father Kapaun, famed

military chaplain, declared

‘venerable’

Father Emil Kapaun is one step

closer to sainthood after Pope Francis

declared him venerable Feb. 25.

Pope Francis classified the U.S. military

chaplain as venerable because

of his “offering of life,” a category the

pope introduced in 2017 to recognize

those who follow Christ in “voluntarily

and freely” serving others till death.

Ordained a priest for the Diocese

of Wichita, Kansas, Kapaun is best

known for his time spent incarcerated

in a Chinese-run prison camp during

the Korean War. Fellow prisoners

recounted how he would steal food

to bring to other prisoners and would

tend to spiritual needs in defiance

of a prohibition on prayer. He died

May 23, 1951, from malnutrition and

pneumonia.

His remains were identified in

March 2021 among 866 unknown

Korean soldiers buried at National

Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in

Honolulu.

■ Are US Catholic schools outperforming public ones?

Catholic schools outranked public schools in math and reading scores, according

to a new report.

The Nation’s Report Card by the National Assessment of Educational Progress

(NAEP) tracks national scores for fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading

based on standardized testing from the first quarter of 2024. Catholic schools

outpaced public schools by 10 points in fourth-grade math, 16 points in fourthgrade

reading, 21 points in eighth-grade math, and 20 points in eighth-grade

reading.

Steven Cheeseman, president and CEO of the National Catholic Education

Association, said in a Jan. 30 statement that the true goal of Catholic schools is

“to form saints.”

“In Catholic schools, faith and academics are seamlessly woven together, fostering

not only intellectual growth but also moral and spiritual formation.”

Sunday in Selma — Demonstrators march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to commemorate the 60th

anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, March 9. Sixty years ago, on March 7, Alabama Highway

Patrol troopers attacked civil rights demonstrators protesting white officials’ refusal to allow Black Alabamians to

register to vote and the killing days earlier of Jimmie Lee Jackson, a minister and voting rights organizer who was

beaten and fatally shot by a state trooper in nearby Marion. | OSV NEWS/ALYSSA POINTER, REUTERS


Y

LOCAL

■ Whittier students invited to

international robotics event

Middle-schoolers from St. Gregory the Great School in Whittier

won their division at the Los Angeles Regional SeaPerch Underwater

Robotics competition on March 1, earning a chance to compete at the

international competition at the University of Maryland on May 31.

St. Gregory was the only Catholic school from the LA regional invited

to the international competition. In addition to the overall win, the

students also earned trophies for Obstacle Course and Mission Course

competitions.

The event showcases underwater robotics while teaching engineering

and science concepts with a marine engineering theme. Students

must maneuver their underwater robot through various obstacles along

with answering questions about the design of their vehicles.

St. Gregory the Great previously won the middle-school division in

2016, 2017, 2018, and 2023.

A Lenten blessing — Auxiliary Bishop Albert Bahhuth of the

archdiocese’s San Fernando Pastoral Region blessed the Our

Lady of Fátima statue at St. Genevieve Church in Panorama City

and celebrated Mass on March 9, the first Sunday of Lent. | ST.

GENEVIEVE CHURCH

■ Hannon Foundation reaches

milestone in support for TACSC

A new $50,000 grant from The William H. Hannon

Foundation brought its total support for The Association

of Catholic Student Councils (TACSC) to

more than $2 million, the foundation announced.

TACSC was founded in 1982 to develop young

Catholics into moral leaders in the world, and today

supports middle and high school students in Los

Angeles and across the country.

The foundation’s grants over the last 24 years have

supported its summer leadership conferences and

scholarships.

“We are grateful to the William H. Hannon Foundation’s

transformative support over the last two

decades, which has been a major factor in expanding

our programs and reaching more students,” said

Heidi Johnson, executive director at TACSC.

Anabella Bravo, Adria Baserga, Jude Palencia, Sofia Sanchez Rivera, Eleanor Pooley, and Evelyn

Gonzalez, middle-schoolers from St. Gregory the Great School in Whittier, hold up the trophies won

at the Los Angeles Regional SeaPerch Underwater Robotics competition on March 1. | MICHAEL

OLMOS

■ Former LA Archdiocese

financial officer passes away

Jose Debasa, the first layperson to be

the chief financial officer for the Archdiocese

of Los Angeles, died peacefully

at his home on Feb. 26. He was 87.

Born and raised in Cuba, Debasa

later immigrated to the United States,

getting a master’s degree at Santa Clara

University and then working at the college

for 20 years. He became CEO of

Jose A. Debasa | SUBMITTED PHOTO

a real estate investment company before being asked by then-Archbishop

Roger Mahony to become the CFO of the archdiocese until

his retirement in 2002.

Debasa was also instrumental in soliciting donations to help build

the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, which opened in 2002.

A funeral Mass for Debasa was scheduled for March 21 at the

cathedral. He is survived by four children and five grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to The Jose A.

Debasa Endowment Scholarship Fund at Santa Clara University,

500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053, 408-554-4000.


V

IN OTHER WORDS...

Letters to the Editor

Can helping heal anything?

Since reading Heidi Johnson’s commentary in the March 7 issue titled

“The service cure,” I’ve been thinking a lot about her idea that helping

others can help us heal from our own pain.

I’ve never had to endure a tragedy like the one Johnson did or the loss of a home

or loved ones in wildfires, so it’s hard to compare my personal experience with

what she describes. But I have experiences that track with her point.

Years ago, a confessor told me that the best remedy to get out of habitual sin is to

“give my life” in whatever way possible, especially sacrificing my time, comfort,

and even money for the good of others. I can say that following that advice has

saved me countless times, although “giving my life” is a daily struggle that I have

to ask God’s help with a lot.

Thank you for the thought-provoking article!

— Claudia Mena, Las Cruces, New Mexico

The power of a prayer video

I absolutely loved the LACatholics video offering prayers for Pope Francis and

wishing him a speedy recovery. Thank you for including it in your daily e-newsletter,

Always Forward. I’m sure it will be a big hit with our Holy Father!

— Marilyn Boussaid, St. James Parish, Redondo Beach

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.

To dust you shall return

“I care enough about Jesus

to take a stand, even if it

costs me. … It’s worth it to

me because this is what I’m

called to do; it’s where my

heart is.”

~ Actor Chris Pratt, in a March 6 interview with The

Christian Post about his decision to “surrender”

his platform to God. Pratt recently joined actor

Jonathan Roumie and Father Mike Schmitz in

promoting the Catholic prayer app Hallow’s Lenten

“Pray40” challenge.

“Lending a hand to

someone in need is like

helping God himself.”

~ Dau Kieu Giang, a former atheist Communist

nurse, in a March 6 OSV News article on her plans

to be baptized on Easter in Vietnam.

“A lot of the world will have

forgotten what happened,

but these kids will not.”

~ Jennifer R. Levin, a Los Angeles-based therapist

and traumatic grief expert, in a March 6 LA Times

article on the traumatic toll recent fires are having

on children.

Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez

receives his ashes during a special Ash

Wednesday liturgy at the Cathedral of

Our Lady of the Angels on March 5, the

first day of Lent. | 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.

“I will give you four when

you win an Oscar.”

~ Actor Kieran Culkin, relaying during his Academy

Awards acceptance speech what his wife told him

when he said he wanted a fourth child.

“Comparing your timeline

to someone else’s is like

judging a fish for not being

able to climb a tree.”

~ Chris Allen, in a March 7 Relevant commentary on

not worrying if it seems like everyone else has their

life together.


IN EXILE

FATHER RONALD ROLHEISER, OMI

Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father

Ronald Rolheiser is a spiritual

writer; ronrolheiser.com

Purifying the dark nights of the heart

There are times when our world

unravels. Who hasn’t had the

feeling “I’m falling apart! This

is beyond me! My heart is broken! I

feel betrayed by everything! Nothing

makes sense anymore! Life is upside

down!”

Jesus had a cosmic image for this. In

the Gospels, he talks about how the

world as we experience it will someday

end: “The sun will be darkened,

the moon will not give forth its light,

stars will fall from heaven, and the

powers of heaven will be shaken.”

When Jesus says this, he is not talking

as much about cosmic cataclysms as

of cataclysms of the heart. Sometimes

our inner world is shaken, turned upside

down; it gets dark in the middle

of the day, there’s an earthquake in

the heart; we experience the end of

the world as we’ve known it.

However, in this upheaval, Jesus

assures us that one thing remains

sure: God’s promise of fidelity. That

doesn’t get turned upside down and,

in our disillusionment, we are given

a chance to see what really is of substance,

permanent, and worthy of our

lives. Thus, ideally at least, when our

trusted world is turned upside down,

we are given the chance to grow, to

become less selfish, and to see reality

more clearly.

Christian mystics call this “a dark

night of the soul” and they express it

as if God were actively turning our

world upside down and deliberately

causing all the heartache to purge

and cleanse us.

The great Spanish mystic St. John of

the Cross puts it this way: God gives

us seasons of fervor and then takes

them away. In our seasons of fervor,

God gives us consolation, pleasure,

and security inside our relationships,

our prayer, and our work (sometimes

with considerable passion and

intensity). This is a gift from God

and is meant to be enjoyed. But John

tells us, at a certain point, God takes

away the pleasure and consolation

and we experience a certain dark

night in that where we once felt fire,

passion, consolation, and security,

we will now feel dryness, boredom,

disillusion, and insecurity. For him,

all honeymoons eventually end.

Why? Why would God do this?

Why can’t a honeymoon last forever?

Because eventually, though not

initially, it blocks us from seeing

straight: initially, all those wonderful

feelings we feel when we first fall

in love, when we first begin to pray

deeply, and when we first begin to

find our legs in the world. These are

part of God’s plan and God’s way of

drawing us forward. The passion and

consolation we feel help lead us out

of ourselves, beyond fear and selfishness.

But, eventually, the good feelings

themselves become a problem

because we can get hung up on them

rather than on what’s behind them.

Honeymoons are wonderful; but,

on a honeymoon, too often we are

more in love with being in love and

all the wonderful energy this creates

than we are in love with the person

behind all those feelings. The same

is true for faith and prayer. When we

first begin to pray seriously, we are

often more in love with the experience

of praying and what it’s doing

for us than we are in love with God.

On any honeymoon, no matter how

intense and pure the feelings seem,

those feelings are still partly about

ourselves rather than purely about

the person we think we love. Sadly,

that is why many a warm, passionate

honeymoon eventually turns into a

cold, passionless relationship.

Until we are purified, and we are

purified precisely through dark nights

of disillusionment, we are too much

still seeking ourselves in love and

in everything else. St. Thérèse of

Lisieux used to warn, “Be careful not

to seek yourself in love, you’ll end

up with a broken heart that way!”

We’d have fewer heartaches if we

understood that. Also, before we are

purified by disillusionment, most of

the tears we shed, no matter how real

the pain or loss, often say more about

us than they say about the person or

situation we are supposedly mourning.

In all this, there’s both bad news

and good news: The bad news is that

most everything we sense as precious

will someday be taken from us.

Everything gets crucified, including

every feeling of warmth and security

we have. But the good news is that

it will all be given back again, more

deeply, more purely, and even more

passionately than before.

What dark nights of the soul,

cataclysms of the heart, do is to take

away everything that feels like solid

earth so that we end up in a free-fall,

unable to grab on to anything that

once supported us. But, in falling,

we get closer to bedrock, to God, to

reality, to truth, to love, to each other,

beyond illusions, beyond selfishness,

and beyond self-interested love that

can masquerade as altruism.

Clarity in eyesight comes after disillusionment,

purity of heart comes

after heartbreak, and real love comes

after the honeymoon has passed.


FIVE-YEAR

CHECKUP

COVID-19 wasn’t kind to religion

in America. But five years later,

the lessons learned by Catholics

are bearing surprising fruits.

BY ANN RODGERS

An outdoor Mass at Resurrection

Church in Boyle Heights in August

2020, as parishes around the

Archdiocese of LA were beginning

to gradually reopen for public

worship. | VICTOR ALEMÁN

For his July 23, 2020, ordination as

coadjutor bishop of the Diocese

of Peoria, Illinois, Bishop Louis

Tylka entered a sparsely filled cathedral,

with “X” taped on pews where masked

clergy and guests could sit 6-feet apart

during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pope Francis had appointed him that

May, when lockdown rules barred

then-Father Tylka from traveling to Peoria

from his parish in the Archdiocese of

Chicago.

“I had to sneak into Chicago and

make a video to be the announcement,”

he said.

From Peoria to the Archdiocese of Los

Angeles to the U.S. bishops’ headquarters

in Washington, D.C., the Church

experienced disruption — and new

ways to share God’s mercy. Restrictions

varied by state, county, and diocese as

pastoral leaders improvised new forms

of ministry. Online Mass went from innovative

to ubiquitous, parishes offered

drive-by confession and virtual prayer

groups.

Bishop Tylka supported such ministries,

but spiritual scars remain. Pandemic

polarization left “lasting skepticism

about institutions and people in

authority,” he said.

He believes the Church offers the way

back — if people will walk it.

“Our Church, through the sacraments

— particularly reconciliation and the

Eucharist — is a bridge that people

can use to bring healing,” he said. “You

can lead somebody to a bridge and say,

‘This is how you cross the river.’ But


Newly ordained Coadjutor Bishop Louis Tylka receives

sustained applause after being led to a chair in the sanctuary

of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria, Illinois, July 23,

2020. | CNS/JENNIFER WILLEMS, THE CATHOLIC POST

they still have to be willing to step on

the bridge and walk across.”

COVID creativity

Nationwide, Mass attendance plummeted

initially but has rebounded

nearly to 2019 levels, according to a

2023 study from the Center for Applied

Research in the Apostolate (CARA).

Few left altogether, but those who

attend Mass a few times a year grew by

6%.

Participation isn’t an issue at St. Mel

in Woodland Hills, where some Sunday

Masses are standing room only. The

parish recently launched a welcoming

ministry, Landings, “for people who

have fallen away from the Church to

have a nice, safe place to come back

to and share a meal,” said Father Steve

Davoren, the pastor.

During lockdown, he allowed individuals

to enter the church for personal

prayer. Mass and confession were

offered outdoors. For drive-by adoration,

he expected 100 people, but cars

lined up for a half-mile to pray before

the Blessed Sacrament and receive a

socially distanced blessing.

“People waited for over an hour to

come through in cars, even people who

weren’t Catholic,” he said.

Home blessings proved so popular that

they continue.

“I think the key for us is that we never

closed. We were there for them in their

time of need,” he said. “You need to

stay connected.”

After the nation’s first coronavirus

death was confirmed on Feb. 29, 2020,

near Seattle, priests there became

the first to knowingly anoint COVID

patients. Some hospitals banned clergy,

while others permitted priests outfitted

like astronauts to bring the sacraments.

“Hospital ministry didn’t fully open

up until [2023]. I felt like it was almost

one of the last things,” said Helen

McClenahan, chief communications

officer of the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Homebound ministry “shifted from

focusing on the dozen people that we

have always cared for, and was applied

to the whole parish.”

Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky,

has a mission diocese encompassing

50 counties, most in Appalachia

with pockets of deep poverty and a population

that is 3% Catholic. Kentucky

had among the highest COVID death

rates nationwide.

The Diocese of Lexington promoted

vaccination and was “pretty strict about

enforcement for employees to be vaccinated,”

Stowe said. “We took our lead

from the Holy Father and from the best

science that was available to us.”

When Stowe’s aunt died during Holy

Week 2020, he limited her funeral to

10 people.

“It was hard on everybody, and I

experienced it as both a mourner and a

pastor,” he said.

Amid ideological divisions over

vaccines, masking, and other matters,

“we tried to be as ... pastorally accessible

as possible, but also maintain the

restrictions that existed for the common

good.”

Some dioceses rented apartments

near hospitals, where priests lived in

strict isolation apart from hospital visits.

Some were supported by the U.S. bishops’

Catholic Home Missions Appeal,

which underwrote expensive protective

gear for impoverished mission dioceses.

With many grant-funded projects canceled,

the U.S. Conference of Catholic

Bishops (USCCB) gave mission

dioceses flexibility to spend the money

on emergency needs.

“Everyone became very creative, very

agile. One of the things we got out of

COVID was to realize that there isn’t

just one way to do things,” said Kevin

Day, director of Catholic Home Missions

at the USCCB.

Online parish giving platforms may

be the most significant change. Before

2020, dioceses and parishes were

skittish, fearing they could invite scams,

said Matthew Manion, a professor

of church management at Villanova

University.

“I think very few people have a fear of

that anymore,” he said.

“Many parishes have realized that

when you have online giving, the average

giving per person goes up.”

In the Archdiocese of Seattle, online

offertories often included the words,

“Don’t forget to click your link to

donate.”

“People rose to the occasion,” Mc-

Clenahan said. “In a set of unknowns,

the one known is the Church. So while

we had this significant drop in attendance,

the drop in giving didn’t nearly

match that.”

Nationwide, giving is 2-3% lower than

in 2019, though in the West and South

it is 3-5% higher, Manion said. As of

mid-2023, 16% of donors had not returned,

but budgets were sustained because

better-off parishioners increased

their gifts by an average of 24%.

“A combination of them being less

hurt and seeing a need for greater


generosity, they stepped up and gave

more,” Manion said.

What the pandemic made permanent

Prior to COVID, the Church of the

Nativity in Timonium, Maryland, was

famed for innovative evangelization,

which had catalyzed growth in attendance

and giving. The staff was on a

planning retreat for “digital discipleship”

when the lockdown hit, said Tom

Corcoran, associate to the pastor at the

parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Nativity prioritized welcome, “so that

people who are watching [Mass] online

feel part of the community and not like

they’re second-rate citizens,” he said.

Today, Nativity’s leaders encourage

in-person worship but maintain online

Mass. It’s for the homebound and for

people exploring Catholicism who

aren’t ready to come to church.

“Everybody we’re trying to reach is already

online and we’re in a digital age.

You have to use those tools,” Corcoran

said.

While Stowe initially felt awkward

preaching to a camera in an empty

chapel, “at least five people told me that

they joined the church because of those

livestream Masses, that they would have

been afraid or uncomfortable at even

entering a Catholic Church.”

Catholic schools thrived as they

typically reopened long before public

schools. Enrollment grew 3.7% in

2020-2021 and has not reversed.

“That increased enrollment was directly

a result of Catholic schools opening

safely for in-person and hybrid classes,”

said BeeJae Visitacion, communications

director of the National Catholic

Education Association.

“Catholic schools repurposed gyms,

all-purpose rooms, and outdoor spaces

to accommodate social distancing, ensuring

the health and safety of students

and staff, while maintaining a sense of

normalcy.”

At St. John the Baptist Parish in Baldwin

Park, whose 10,000 families make

it the largest bilingual parish in the

archdiocese, ministry “has changed dramatically

since the COVID pandemic,”

said Father Ismael Robles, the pastor.

“People came back to church with a

greater zeal and dedication to service

and ministry,” reported Robles.

His parish now has more ministries,

higher Sunday Mass attendance, and

Priests heard confessions

using protective measures at

St. John the Baptist Catholic

Church in Baldwin Park

during the early months of

the pandemic in 2020. |

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Chaplain Bill Simpson of Shawnee,

Oklahoma, prays with a patient

undergoing testing for coronavirus

at SSM Health St. Anthony

Hospital April 23, 2020. | CNS/

NICK OXFORD, REUTERS

“significantly increased” Sunday Mass

collection numbers compared to

pre-COVID.

After the initial total lockdown, the

parish had gradually reopened under

archdiocesan guidance. But as parishioners

begged to know why they

couldn’t gather for Mass with masks

when restaurants were serving large

numbers of unmasked people, Robles

decided to resume all ministries on

their previous schedules.

Parishioners responded joyfully, with

500 attending weekly classes in the

Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

“I know that as a Church we talk a lot

about evangelization possibilities, but

sometimes it is as simple as opening the

doors,” Robles said.

“Sometimes in life we have to be bold

and make important decisions. If those

are from God he will honor them and

we will see the fruits. We as a Church

should not let ourselves be guided by

fear, but instead by faith, hope, and

love.”

How the Church looks different

Locally, most dioceses still see an

impact from COVID, and new issues

are arising.

As government COVID subsidies

ended, “some of the housing ministries,

like St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic

Housing Services have seen upticks in

demand, and sometimes an inability to

meet that demand,” McClenahan said.

Liturgically, the sign of peace has

largely shifted away from the handshake


due to concerns about germs. The chalice

is still not offered at some parishes.

Many longtime extraordinary ministers

of holy Communion are elderly and

fear constant face-to-face interactions,

Tylka said. He tells pastors that, “It’s incumbent

on you to invite young people

— and older people — to serve.”

The key to spiritual growth during

COVID was that “people were really

hungry for community and a faith

experience,” said Michel Therrien,

president and CEO of Preambula, a

Pittsburgh-area ministry to lead Catholics

deeper into discipleship. In March

2020 he was preparing to welcome

participants to Preambula’s newly renovated

headquarters.

“So, the lockdowns hit and we went to

Zoom, which was a new thing,” he said.

Catholics registered from across the

country.

“People were isolated and wanted to

be with other disciples that they could

pray with and share their faith with

during this very difficult time,” Therrien

said.

When the lockdowns lifted, “our

online registrations came to a screeching

halt. We stopped doing it because

people wanted to be in person again.”

He believes that Catholics who

vanished from Mass had found their

parishes dry before COVID.

“People long to have a sense of community

and connection around their

faith, specifically faith sharing, not just

donuts and coffee,” he said. “They want

to come together to be able to share

and talk with other disciples about what

is pressing hard into their life and hear

how they experience God.”

The missing had probably been

“semi-regulars,” who attended a few

times annually, said Manion, the

church management professor. Parishes

should contact them, he wrote in a

paper on COVID recovery in churches:

“Personalized, individual outreach is

time-consuming and labor intensive,

yet it is also the fundamental evangelizing

work of missionary discipleship to

which we are called.”

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 USCCB’s

COVID surprises

The COVID-19 lockdowns transformed two initiatives of the U.S.

Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The launch of a yearlong, parish-based outreach to women

with crisis pregnancies was set for the 25th anniversary of St. Pope

John Paul II’s pro-life encyclical, “Evangelium Vitae” (“The Gospel of

Life”): March 25, 2020.

With many dioceses too overwhelmed to organize new ministries, the

one-year initiative became permanent.

“People are starting ‘Walking with Moms In Need’ every day,” said Kat

Talalas, assistant director for pro-life communications at the USCCB.

“It’s going to be an ongoing ministry of the Church that will bear fruit

long into the future.”

The USCCB’s Journeying Together initiative was intended to be one

cross-cultural gathering of young adults at Cleveland’s John Carroll

University in March 2020. It called for “a dialogue about their joys and

sorrows and what the Church can do to minister better to them,” said

Mar Muñoz-Visoso, executive director of the bishops’ Secretariat for

Cultural Diversity in the Church.

Zoom provided two years of deep conversations among and between

young Catholics of many cultural groups. Virtual dialogue drew far

more young people than originally planned, along with more than 50

bishops who came to listen to them.

The in-person gathering that finally occurred in 2022 was far richer

after two years of dialogue. The entire initiative was so successful that

the USCCB is creating materials for dioceses to replicate it.

— Ann Rodgers

Participants are seen in the third “Journeying Together” intercultural dialogue led by the Asian and

Pacific Island cultural group in March 2021. | CNS/COURTESY MAR MUÑOZ-VISOSO


An assembly gathers at an Archdiocese of Los

Angeles parish for an immigration-related workshop

put on by Catholic Charities of Los Angeles.

ANSWERS AND ASSURANCES

Amid fears about fast-changing White House policies,

parish workshops and online resources are

helping immigrants stay informed.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KIMMY CHACÓN

When Miguel and his wife,

Esperanza, think about their

situation, their first thought

is their 14-year-old child.

The couple has lived in the Los

Angeles area without legal status for

more than 20 years, working, raising a

family, and practicing their Catholic

faith at a West LA parish.

They have adult children, too, but if

something were to happen to them,

who would take care of their 14-yearold?

Since Inauguration Day, the U.S.

has not yet seen the kind of large-scale

mass deportation operation feared by

some as the new Trump administration

moves to toughen immigration

laws, ramp up deportations, and even

create a registry of people living in

the country illegally. But the rhetoric

coming from the White House and

reports of local immigration raids have

families like Miguel and Esperanza’s

on edge — and asking tough questions.

To find answers, hundreds of families

like theirs have attended workshops

around the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

in recent weeks hosted by organizations

such as Catholic Charities of Los

Angeles.

The meetings, along with online

resources, are about helping immigrants

know their rights, find answers

to legal questions, and live in these

precarious times with faith, according

to organizers.

“If people have questions or concerns,

they can receive assistance and

we’ll point them out to organizations

like Catholic Charities and give referrals

to trusted attorneys,” said Isaac

Cuevas, the archdiocese’s director of

Immigration and Public Affairs.

With federal funding in doubt and

plans always in flux, the workshops

and resources are even more important

to keep the public educated.

“With the [Trump] administration,

we understand changes can happen

on short notice, and we try to adapt

as quickly as possible, sharing truthful

and honest information with the

community,” Cuevas said.

“We know things will change. So,

we’re doing as much as we can now.”

At a recent workshop hosted at an LA

Catholic parish, Miguel and Esperanza

learned about what they should do


— and not do — if contacted by U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

(ICE) agents.

“I fear that ICE will come for us,” Esperanza

said. “But that’s why we came

to this workshop — to get informed

and prepare our little one on how to

handle ICE agents if they show up [at

our house].

“Organizations like these help us

believe that we’re not alone in this.”

After the session ended, Esperanza

kneeled before the Lord in front of the

tabernacle and took a moment to pray.

“As Catholics, we must give him

thanks,” she said. “He provides for us,

with faith and trust in him. Only he

has power over us. We can’t fully place

our trust in a man, but ultimately, in

God.”

Nineteen-year-old college student

Sandra was raised by immigrant parents.

At the workshop, she volunteered

to take care of young children whose

parents were attending. Though she

wasn’t present at the session, she

experienced a sense of déjà vu and felt

a little overwhelmed.

“In 2016, I was in middle school, and

we feared talking about immigration,”

Sandra said. “It was like a hush-hush

situation. Now, we’re able to lean on

one another and find comfort in our

faith.”

With today’s generation, Sandra feels

more empowered. She feels like her

“community is rising” and people

are coming together in her church.

But her faith is what gives her the

most comfort when people ask, “Why

would God allow this to happen?”

A workshop attendee carries a “Know

Your Rights” packet explaining how

undocumented immigrants should

encounter immigration authorities.

“He’ll always look out for us; we’re all

his children,” Sandra said. “It’s a scary

moment in this day and age, but we

need to lean on our faith and educate

ourselves.”

The purpose of these resources is to

empower undocumented families by

preparing them for potential encounters

with immigration authorities, said

Jacqueline, a program coordinator for

Catholic Charities who helped put on

the workshop.

While she presented key points from

the “Know Your Rights” slide, people

took notes, others reviewed their

packets, and some took pictures of the

presentation slides.

Jacqueline said the main concern of

families who attended the immigration

workshop was family separation.

Many families asked her how they

could prepare for deportation if it happens

and where their children would

end up.

By the end of the workshop, some

hope filled the church, with those in

attendance at least feeling a spirit of

solidarity and that they weren’t alone.

“Being in an assembly and hearing

other people ask questions had a

greater impact on me,” said a man at

the workshop, in Spanish. “It felt more

real.”

Kimmy Chacón is a freelance journalist

and graduate of the Columbia University

Graduate School of Journalism.

She lives in Los Angeles.

Immigration Resources

Here are some selected assistance given by the SoCal

Immigration Task Force, which the Archdiocese of

Los Angeles is a part of. Visit lacatholics.org/immigration

for additional immigration-related resources.

• Those who have lived in the United States for more

than two years should carry proof (an old bill showing

residential address or old pay stub)

• Get a passport or identification document

• Get a U.S. passport for any children or family members

born in the United States

• If parents are deported, will children stay in the U.S.? If

so, prepare a legal guardian

• If children go, make sure they have U.S. passports so

they could return if needed

• Make copies of all important documents and give one

copy to a designated emergency contact person

• Those stopped by officers have the right to refuse

consent to their body or home being searched without a

warrant signed by a judge

• Detained persons have the right to request to speak to

an attorney


‘TO POPE FRANCIS

WITH LOVE’

How a spontaneous outpouring of prayers for Pope

Francis from LA Catholics got the Vatican’s attention.

BY ANGELUS STAFF

A screenshot featuring a collection

of videos and messages from

the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’

compilation titled, “To Pope

Francis With Love,” which shares

messages from LA Catholics

praying for the pope’s health. |

YOUTUBE/@LACATHOLICS

What began as a spontaneous online call for prayers

from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles ended up becoming

part of the Vatican’s own coverage of Pope

Francis’ long hospitalization.

It was Feb. 25 when the archdiocese’s social media channels

first invited followers to reply with videos expressing prayerful

support for the pope. Chief Digital Officer Sarah Yaklic

wasn’t expecting such a quick response.

“Within two minutes, we had our first video,” Yaklic told Angelus.

“It showed the true outpouring of the faithful wanting

to pray together as a community for the pope.”

The ensuing flood of videos, text messages, and prayers

submitted by well-wishers at parishes and schools throughout

the archdiocese (as well as a few outside of California) was

compiled into a five-minute long video titled “To Pope Francis

With Love” that was published March 3.

A few days after the video was first shared on YouTube, Facebook,

and X, it became the subject of a news story in Vatican

News, the Holy See’s online news portal with content in

more than 40 languages.

“After he prayed for them, Los Angeles is praying for him”

read the headline on Vatican News’ English home page

Friday, March 7. The article was also the lead story in Vatican

News’ English email newsletter that day.

The article noted that in one sense, LA was almost returning

a favor to Pope Francis, who had made a point of praying


publicly multiple times in January for those affected by the

devastating Southern California wildfires that month.

Weeks later, as the Holy Father was hospitalized with serious

respiratory issues, Angelenos joined Catholics around the

world in fervent prayer for the pope’s physical and spiritual

health. Prayers for Francis took center stage at the recent

Religious Education Congress, while parishes and schools

across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles held special Masses

and prayer services with the pope in mind.

The Vatican News article noted that the video came about

“after Archbishop Gomez and the archdiocese posted a

simple call for prayers for Pope Francis

during his hospitalization” and “prayers

for the Holy Father’s health and betterment

began to pour in.”

The video begins, “Dear Pope Francis,

in your time of need, we wanted to let

you know …” followed by a group of

students from St. Monica Preparatory

in Santa Monica shouting, “We hope

you feel better. We love you, Pope

Francis!”

From there, a string of videos and messages

offer personal pledges of prayer

and support.

“Thank you for always being there for

us, and praying for us. I pray for you

now in this moment that you may be

better soon,” said a female student from

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in

Downey.

A March 7 news story on

VaticanNews.va about

the LA Catholics prayer

video compilation for

Pope Francis.

A screenshot from the video highlights a youth

ministry group at St. Gertrude the Great Church

in Bell Gardens praying for Pope Francis. | YOU-

TUBE/@LACATHOLICS

“We’re praying for you, Pope Francis,”

said a youth ministry group at St.

Gertrude the Great Church in Bell

Gardens.

There are even prayers from those

outside the area, including a group

from Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Carbondale, Pennsylvania,

a priest from Queen of Peace Church in Waterloo,

Iowa, and a priest and parishioners from St. James the Great

Church in the Philippines.

The video concludes: “Get well soon, Pope Francis! From

LA Catholics ... and a few friends.”

The archdiocese’s Digital Team has previously helped

produce three videos for Francis’ monthly prayer intentions

in collaboration with the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network,

including one from July 2024 in which Francis reflected on

the importance of the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.

Yaklic explained how that collaboration helped lay the

groundwork for the spontaneous video’s viral success.

“Since our Digital Team produced videos to help Pope

Francis invite the global community to pray for his monthly

intentions, we thought it would be fitting to invite our

community and friends to submit video messages for the

Holy Father during this time,” said Yaklic. “We hope that we

will inspire more faithful to share their well-wishes with Pope

Francis and unite in prayer with Catholics around the world

in praying for the Holy Father, especially those who have

been praying daily in St. Peter’s Square.”

On March 6, Francis offered a response of his own to the

global outpouring of prayers with a 27-second audio message

recorded earlier that day thanking people for their prayers.

The message was played during the nightly prayer vigil for

the pope’s health in St. Peter’s Square led by Vatican cardinals.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers

for my health from the square; I accompany you from here,”

said Francis in Spanish with labored breathing. “May God

bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.”

Watch the video at lacatholics.org/pray-for-pope-francis.


A LEGACY IN A HURRY

For 12 years, Pope Francis has sought to reform the Church inside out.

His health struggles have only made the mission more urgent.

BY ELISE ANN ALLEN

ROME — From the start of his

pontificate, Pope Francis conveyed

a certain sense of urgency

as he moved to roll out a series of

reforms in Church governance.

Soon after his March 2013 election,

he launched commissions dedicated to

studying Vatican finances, child protection

efforts, and the Vatican’s communications

efforts. He also formed a

special committee of nine cardinals to

advise him regularly on reform plans.

In addition to structural changes,

Francis also made gestures, statements,

and leadership appointments suggesting

a new pastoral approach to Catholics

considered to be on the “margins,”

including migrants, divorced and

remarried couples, members who

identify as “LGBT,” and women.

The major teaching documents of

those years spelled out a vision for a

more missionary church, more aware

of local realities, less focused on rules,

and more flexible in applying the rules

to people’s concrete circumstances.

Observers have debated how successful

these and other reforms have been

in implementing Francis’ vision. But

there is no doubt that Francis came

with a clear vision in mind, and has

spent the past 12 years trying to implement

and secure it.

But as age and physical illness have

taken their toll in recent years, the

urgency to cement that vision has

intensified, with many close observers

of his pontificate noting a particular

change after the pope’s hospitalization

with bronchitis in March 2023.

That July, Francis named a large

group of new cardinals that seemed to

confirm that sense of urgency, among

them his friend and ghostwriter Victor

Manuel Fernandez (named prefect of

the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine

of the Faith); Jose Cobo Cano of

Madrid; Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin

patriarch of Jerusalem; and Christophe

Pierre, the current apostolic nuncio to

the United States.

A woman joins in reciting the rosary

for Pope Francis in St. Peter’s

Square at the Vatican March 8. |

CNS/PABLO ESPARZA


Pope Francis greets Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life after an evening prayer

service in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 1. | CNS/VATICAN MEDIA

All of these appointments were seen

as moves intended to ensure that Francis’

reforms far outlasted him.

Beyond personnel, Francis’ 2021-

2024 Synod of Bishops on Synodality

proposed a more collaborative style

of leadership and decision-making at

every level of the Church.

The initiative could be interpreted

as Francis’ response not necessarily to

the Church of today, but of tomorrow,

given the downward trend of religious

vocations and the increase of laypeople

assuming greater roles of leadership.

He has also made several appointments

inside the Roman Curia aimed

at shaking up its internal culture and

cementing his vision for Church governance

that is more diverse, less prone

to clericalism, and better represented

by both women and laity.

Women’s leadership has been a consistent

priority for the pope, who took

the unprecedented step of naming Italian

laywoman Barbara Jatta as director

of the Vatican Museums in 2017.

Since then, he has appointed women

to posts on the International Theological

Commission, the Secretariat

for the Economy, the Council for the

Economy, and even the board vetting

candidates for the episcopacy in the

Dicastery for Bishops.

Most recently, he has studied how to

promote women and better include

them in meaningful leadership roles

without opening the door to women’s

priestly ordination or to the female

diaconate.

But as his health struggles have intensified

in recent months, his reformist

moves have gotten bolder, too.

Earlier this year, he appointed Italian

Sister Simona Brambilla as the first

woman prefect of a Vatican department,

naming her head of the Dicastery

for Religious in January.

In January he announced plans to

appoint another Italian nun, Sister Raffaella

Petrini, as head of the Governorate

of Vatican City State, on March 1.

But shortly after being admitted to

Rome’s Gemelli Hospital Feb. 14,

Francis made the appointment official

two weeks ahead of the planned

March 1 date, as if to signal his intent

to make sure it went through.

The appointments of Brambilla and

Petrini ruffled feathers internally in the

Roman Curia, especially among those

who believe that it is inappropriate

for Brambilla, in particular, to hold a

position in which she makes canonically

binding decisions regarding Holy

Orders.

To sidestep this debate, the pope

named Spanish Cardinal Ángel

Fernández Artime as pro-prefect of the

department serving under Brambilla,

essentially making a cardinal an errand

boy who officializes the edicts of his

female superior.

Pope Francis in recent years has

sought to separate roles of decision-making

and authority from

Holy Orders, with this being a major

aspect of his constitution reforming

the Roman Curia in 2022, “Predicate

Evangelium” (“Preach the Gospel”).

His decision to appoint Brambilla and

Petrini was a message to the Curia, and

to the Church at large that whether

they liked it or not, things were changing,

and it was time for them to make

their peace with it.

Widely considered to be an incredibly

sharp and cunning strategist, Francis

has used different means over the last

12 years to cement his legacy as he is

defining it, and the last few months

have been no exception.

Elise Ann Allen is a senior correspondent

for Crux in Rome, covering the

Vatican and the global Church.


Smartphones:

Enemies of the soul?

SHUTTERSTOCK

The growing problem

of screen addiction

risks making us too

distracted for God —

and even nonreligious

experts are worried.

BY ELISE URENECK

I

regret the day I decided to buy a

smartphone.

It was 2010, and I was at the Philadelphia

International Airport heading

to visit my goddaughter. When I got to

my gate, I saw that my plane’s departure

was delayed by a few hours. I turned

and walked through the terminal in

search of a magazine and a meal.

After an hour, I headed back to the

gate, planning to wait the remainder

of the time there. To my surprise, the

plane was nearly boarded, the crew

preparing to close the door. I ran to the

attendant to have my ticket scanned.

“What happened?” I asked.

“We emailed everyone that the departure

was moved back up,” she said.

“Didn’t you get it?”

“No,” I said. “I don’t have email on

my phone.” She shrugged and let me

know I was lucky to have boarded.

Ready or not, the world was moving

to smartphones. I went to the Verizon

store when I got back from my trip,

vowing not to miss any future flights.

As a millennial, I belong to a cohort

who likes to boast of having grown up

in a device-free world, as if we have

control over our phones because we

remember a time without them. My

weekly screen time notification keeps

my pride in check. At 40, I’ve now lived

nearly half of my life with a smartphone.

It has changed the way I live,

and I don’t like it.

I’m not alone. Pope Francis, for one,

has grown increasingly cautious about

social media and technologies that

distract and divide us.

In fact, he decreed that Catholics can

receive a plenary indulgence during the

2025 Jubilee of Hope by “abstaining, in

a spirit of penance, at least for one day

of the week from futile distractions (real

but also virtual distractions, for example,

the use of the media and/or social

networks).”


Many people might not experience

that as penitential. Social scientists have

discovered that a majority of Gen Z,

the generation that came of age with

smartphones and tablets, wishes that

social media sites like TikTok and X

were never invented. Some are voicing

their desire to raise their own children

without tablets, and others are migrating

back to flip phones.

By now the data is clear: our phones

are as addictive as drugs; social media

sites ravage mental health; 24-hour

news media fuels collective, continuous

outrage; and our employers, schools,

friends, and family members expect us

to be on call every waking moment.

Our phones are our maps, newspapers,

and wallets.

While we are beginning to wake

up to the psychological and physical

effects of our device-saturated lifestyles

— evidenced by a wave of educators

banning them from classrooms and

the emergence of life coaches helping

individuals through digital detoxes — a

growing chorus of voices are also sounding

the alarm about how they affect the

spiritual life.

Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist at

New York University’s Stern School of

Business and author of “The Anxious

Generation: How the Great Rewiring

of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic

of Mental Illness” (Penguin Press, $30),

puts it succinctly: smartphones are

religious and spirituality blockers.

Though he self-identifies as a Jewish

atheist, Haidt explores the topic at

length in his book. Recognizing that

CNS/PABLO SANHUEZA, REUTERS

everyone has a “God-shaped hole,”

Haidt says that smartphones interrupt

our ability to seek communion with

God and other people. As a social scientist,

he attributes this to how much time

smartphones demand of us.

“There are many ways a phone-based

life is not going to leave you time to go

to church,” he explained on an episode

of the “Holy Post” podcast.

Haidt theorized that if one’s phone is

vibrating up to 20 times an hour, and

they feel compelled to respond to every

message, call, email, or notification,

people simply don’t feel they can manage

their digital life, let alone find time

for in-person community.

“The day you give your kids a smartphone

is the day you cut down by 70%

everything else in life: books, hobbies,

time in nature, time talking with

friends,” he relayed. “I would think

that thoughts about God, a sense of

communion, feelings of compassion

— all of this stuff is going to be greatly

reduced.”

Haidt laments the societal decrease in

religious participation given the benefit

that religion plays in providing people

with community and a space for silence

and contemplation.

But he’s also concerned about something

less practical and more pressing.

Recent data overwhelmingly reveals

that teens and young adults feel their

life has no meaning or purpose. While

those phrases are often thought to indicate

depression, he thinks they are signs

of hopelessness — something more

spiritual than clinical.

Charles Camosy, a professor of

Medical Humanities at the Creighton

University School of Medicine, shared

on the Tucker Carlson Show that he

is seeing more students interested in

ditching a digitally saturated life.

“They [Gen Z] have a sense of this

being foisted on them,” he shared.

“Interestingly, when my colleagues

teach a class that involves a ‘technology

fast,’ those classes are totally full. People

want an excuse to get out of it.”

Camosy said that the addictive nature

of smartphones prompted him to ask

bigger philosophical questions.

“How do we live with this? What is the

good way that we live with [phones]?

It’s difficult for me to imagine, but I

think one of the solutions is to have a

Students at St. Joseph Academy in Brownsville,

Texas, check their smartphones during lunch in

2016. | CNS/TYLER ORSBURN


community of people around you who

can hold you accountable.”

Father Christopher Seith, a formator at

St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington,

D.C., and author of “Rekindling

Wonder: Touching Heaven in a Screen

Saturated World” (Enroute, $15.20),

believes that the problem is one of

spiritual sickness — and that only the

Church really understands its root.

That malady is acedia, or a sadness for

being made in the image and likeness

of God. The Desert Fathers called it the

“noonday devil” — evil which makes

things dull.

“The soul wishes he were less than

human so as to avoid the challenging

adventure inherent in his humanity —

to radiate the self-giving love of God

revealed in Jesus Christ,” Seith writes.

“Saddened by what he is, man’s life

becomes, quite simply, boring.”

Friendship with God is demanding,

and reliance on God feels risky. In

short, it is easier to be bored than bold.

Seith argues that our digital devices

play right into the devil’s hand. As

much as technology might make life

more convenient, it does not make it

more human.

“As much information as our devices

may communicate, if they do not foster

love for what we are seeing, they will

actually damage our ability to experience

reality. Our eyes do not see as well

when they are void of love,” he argues.

So what’s the solution? How do we

live with something that makes us less

patient, turns us in on ourselves, and

distracts us from the things that signal

our longing for God — emotions,

relationships, and desires?

Seith suggests building a plan.

First, we should make sure our devices

are not allowed to enter every aspect of

our lives. We should designate specific

times and places that are “intentionally

device-free.” Even though we’re

encouraged to rest or decompress with

screens, we should “waste time” with

loved ones or in solitude, as both are

better medicine for our souls.

Second, we should use our devices for

the reason we reached for it, and then

put it away. He adds that we should

remove apps that distract us from our

purpose, “even if that means being

less aware of what is happening in the

world.”

Third, we should frequent the liturgy,

not because it requires that we silence

our phones, but because it directs our

eyes upward toward Jesus Christ.

“People in chronic pain are relieved

to know the cause of their pain,” Seith

notes. “How relieving it is to name the

despairing indifference that hovers like

a fog over modern man.”

It’s hard to say how long I might have

put off getting a smartphone after nearly

missing that flight years ago. Like many

others, I wish for a world in which it’s

easier to be present to the people we

love, to spend time in silence, and

above all, to be in close relationship

with Jesus.

But the good news is that he’s still

there, begging us to look up. And in

this Jubilee Year of Hope, letting our

cellphones go dark could usher in some

light.

Elise Ureneck is a communications

consultant writing from Rhode Island.



What makes a parish?

The inside of the destroyed

Corpus Christi Church in

Pacific Palisades on Jan. 15. |

OSV NEWS/BOB ROLLER

I’ve belonged to Corpus Christi Church

for 45 years. Thankfully, the Palisades Fire

couldn’t take what matters most.

BY JUSTINE BLOOMINGDALE

On Jan. 7, Corpus Christi

Church was destroyed in the

horrific Palisades Fire in Pacific

Palisades. I was out of town at the time,

and no matter how many photos I saw

of the devastation, nothing could prepare

me for the sight in person. Corpus

Christi had been my parish for 45 years.

It was where my three children made

their first Communions and where my

eldest was confirmed.

The church had burned once before,

in the early 1960s, and was rebuilt to

be “fireproof” — a parabola of brick,

steel and glass. Yet it still succumbed to

the apocalyptic blaze, just yards from

Palisades Fire Station 69. As I begin to

process all that has been lost, I find this

loss the hardest to accept. It has led me

to reflect on what a parish is and what it

truly means to those who belong.

What is a parish? What defines it? Is

it just a building? Or is it the people —

the priests, the Masses, the collective

memory of parishioners and staff? Is

it the ascetic precision of Msgr. John

Mihan, our former pastor, or the Irish

joy and compassionate sincerity of our

current leader, Msgr. Liam Kidney? Is

it the shy smile of Cindy Reece as she

completes another successful first Communion

class, or the quiet satisfaction

of Jane Richardson when confirmation

students remember their catechism

responses?

Or perhaps it’s the ever-upbeat emails

from Lorraine Hartman, sharing messages

from people across the country

about the news of the church’s destruction

— and the miraculous news

that the tabernacle, holy oils, and all


14 stained-glass stations of the cross

survived the fire?

As a member of Corpus Christi, I

have deposited countless worries and

prayers in the seventh pew to the right,

just in front of the first pillar. When

someone else seemed to stake a claim

to that spot, I thought, “Well, I’ve worn

out that place with my kneeling needs

— perhaps he needs it now more than

I do.”

The real question is: “How much is

my sense of the sacred tied to the physical

space of my parish church?” A fire is

a good opportunity to find out. Which

ashes matter more as we move forward

— the ones traced on our foreheads on

Ash Wednesday, or those now scattered

among the broken glass and shattered

pews that remain?

I’ve often felt like my car drove itself

to Corpus Christi, guided by my

“holy longing.” The continuity of the

Mass, the idea that people have been

experiencing

the redemptive

power of

the Mass for

more than

2,000 years,

is something

I’ve always felt

connected to.

I know the

urge to attend

church isn’t

just about

a building

— it’s about

connecting

to something

greater than

myself.

I think a parish

is a place

where we

grow comfortable

with the

idea of death

— especially

our own. I had

always felt at peace knowing I would be

buried from there. I was even comforted

by it.

I was also comforted by the way

Corpus Christi marked All Souls’ Day.

An entire pew was set aside for photos

of loved ones lost in the past year, and

their names were memorialized on two

banners hanging in the church. During

Mass, we sang each name aloud, followed

by the chorus, “We Remember,”

striking just the right balance between

reverence and familiarity. “All you holy

men and women, we remember,” we

sang, and I felt blessed to think that one

day, my name would be among those

voices lifted in prayer.

I was delighted when Kidney joined

our parish — I remembered him from

St. Martin of Tours in Brentwood,

which I used to attend with my beloved

uncle. Kidney is an outstanding pastor.

He even manages to make one of the

least engaging duties of a priest — the

annual appeal — seem effortless.

When my mother-in-law passed away,

he stepped up in a way that meant

everything to our family. Her longtime

priest and dear friend of 50 years had

already passed, and the other priest she

knew was in a care facility. (She was 93,

to be fair.) Kidney arranged a private

family Mass and helped us lay her to

rest with his characteristic compassion

and faithfulness, lifting the burden

from our shoulders.

During COVID-19, I deeply missed

attending Mass and I missed my

church community. The awkwardness

of a Zoom Mass did little to ease the

isolation. So when we were finally able

to gather for an open-air Mass — sitting

carefully spaced apart on the patio — it

seemed like heaven. We could actually

see one another again.

I always looked forward to the Thanksgiving

Day Mass — it just seemed like

the perfect day to express our gratitude

in church. I can’t count the number

of times I dutifully brought my bread

and wine for dinner to be blessed, only

to realize later, as I sat in the car, that I

had left them in the church.

There were so many drop-offs in the

driveway and at the front of the church

— food for St. Joseph’s Center, clothes

and bedding for the homeless shelter

— but my favorite was always the

Christmas toy drive. I especially looked

forward to seeing Carol Sanborn’s

warm smile as I drove up to unload my

loot.

So, we return to my original question:

What is a parish? What makes up a

parish?

Sometime

Teens are pictured during

Eucharistic adoration at

Corpus Christi Church

in Pacific Palisades in this

2020 file photo. | IMAGE

VIA FACEBOOK

after the fire, I

had a fleeting,

practical

thought:

“Now I should

cancel my

auto payments

to Faith

Direct.” But

then another

realization

hit me: “Who

am I kidding?

We’re going to

need donations

more

than ever now

to rebuild.”

That’s it,

right there

— the use of

the collective

pronoun we.

I was thinking

we, and that’s

exactly what each member of Corpus

Christi must do if we are ever going to

consider ourselves a we again.

One small, two-letter word: we. This is

the true meaning of a parish.

Reprinted with permission from the

National Catholic Register.


AD REM

ROBERT BRENNAN

Choosing our homeless

A homeless woman in Los Angeles is pictured

in this file photo. | VICTOR ALEMÁN

As someone who works in a

homeless shelter, I found the

newly released film “No Address”

to be an earnest, praiseworthy

attempt to put a human face on the

social catastrophe known as homelessness.

I see the human face of homelessness

on a daily basis. Sometimes, that face

is not so pleasant. It makes it hard to

raise money to keep the lights on. That

explains why there is a sameness to the

messaging that all homeless services

organizations use, and that “No Address”

drives home.

Phrases like “Anyone is just one disaster

away from homelessness,” or an

emphasis on victimhood are the coin

of the realm in reaching out to donors.

That is not to say that there are not

legions of victims — especially women

— living on our streets who are there

due to a series of unfortunate circumstances

outside of their control.

An array of dire circumstances

coexists in this film. The film starts

with a little girl making cookies with

her mom. The mom has a seizure and

dies in front of her. We fast forward

years later to that girl returning from

her high school graduation, diploma

in hand, only to discover she has been

locked out of her house because she

has also “graduated” out of the foster

care system.

Then we meet a young man who

cannot live at home due to an abusive

father. When that same young man

loses his menial job, his circumstances

turn even darker.

Other characters populate the

homeless universe of “No Address,”

like a mentally damaged older woman

and her partner, who does not seem to

have any issues other than he lives in

a vacant lot. Finally, we meet a greedy

real estate developer, played by actor

William Baldwin. He lives with his

wife and kids in a nice home that is

actually beyond his means to support.

Baldwin moves the plot along by

hiring thugs right out of central casting

from a 1970s TV movie of the week

until he loses his job, his family, his

home, and winds up living on that

same vacant lot as the other homeless

characters we have met.

It is a noble thing to cast light on

a problem that results in more than

70,000 individuals living on the streets

of Los Angeles County. I understand

why the film chose to portray its

homeless characters as victims of their

circumstances. But many times, the

reality is much grimmer — and just

like in the movie, people who work


Robert Brennan writes from Los Angeles, where

he has worked in the entertainment industry,

Catholic journalism, and the nonprofit sector.

with the homeless every day and try to

raise money to keep a shelter open just

do not talk about the darker side.

Just like moviegoers, people who

donate to homeless shelters want characters

they can like. But what if some

of our characters are not likable? What

if they are not victims, but victimizers?

The shelter where I work has both.

As with everything, Jesus is the

answer, and he gave me my answer a

few Sundays ago at Mass in the Gospel

of Luke: “And if you do good to those

who do good to you, what credit is that

to you? Even sinners do the same”

(Luke 6 32:33).

There are donors I have met who

stop donating because they see the issue

as insurmountable, and many people

have told me the homeless have

done this to themselves. They are not

entirely wrong. People who financially

back movies and homeless shelters

want the same thing — a return on

investment. But the ROI Jesus talks

about in Luke’s Gospel is something

I’m sure very few people at the time

wanted to hear. They still don’t.

If the script of “No Address” told the

real story about homelessness, the

movie would have never been made.

We want our characters to be likable.

Jesus said the opposite.

The thing to keep in mind, which

“No Address” gets in the way of, is

that even in awfulness, there is always

hope.

St. Dismas is the name given to the

“good thief” crucified next to Jesus. I

imagine his life was not a pretty picture

— unlike Jesus, he was actually

getting what he deserved. The thief

two crosses over was also at the bottom

of his spiritual pit. That thief continued

to dig, Dismas asked for forgiveness,

and even in his awfulness, Jesus

only saw his true humanity.

It is not easy to love the unlovable,

but Jesus never said things would be

easy. Does it make a homeless person

less human than I am? It makes him

just as human as I am.

Showing the reality of brokenness

and sin may not be good at the box

office, but it is the script written in

the four Gospels, and the one we are

obliged to learn by heart.

TALK OF

THE TOWN

Ranking a Hollywood ritual:

This year’s Oscar speeches ranged

from pathetic to deeply personal.

BY JOSEPH JOYCE

Kieran Culkin gestures his desired number

of children as he accepts the Oscar® for

Actor in a Supporting Role during the 97th

Oscars® telecast at the Dolby® Theatre at

Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2. |

TRAE PATTON/THE ACADEMY ©A.M.P.A.S.

What is the ultimate purpose of

the Academy Awards?

Opinions are usually divided

between two camps. The more romantic

and/or freshly graduated believe

it champions the art form of cinema,

while the more cynical-minded think

it a horse race cooked up by producers

to pat themselves on the back. But

whatever divides these two camps, they

share something important: that they

are lying to themselves.

In reality, what the Oscars are truly all

about is the speech.

For two glorious minutes, an industry

engineered to make you watch them is

forced to watch you instead. Winners

gaze out upon a sea of their peers and

closest friends as they hiss obscenities

through rictus smiles.

There is a timeless, even immutable

ritual to the Oscar speech. You must

first thank God, so to muddy the waters

of whatever blood oath you made with

Satan to get there. You then squander

the opening half of your allotted time

thanking a flurry of anonymous agents,

managers, and other dark minions. The

second half is spent glancing nervously

to the orchestra pit, bows drawn and

waiting for the first interesting sentence

to play them off.

I consider myself a scholar on the

subject, having watched most Academy

Award broadcasts and daily rehearsing

my own Oscar speech to the bathroom

mirror. I believe this gives me

the authority to rank the recent Oscar

speeches to my own obscure metric,

from least to most fulfilled.

6. Peter Straughan for Best Adapted

Screenplay, “Conclave”

Befitting this category, this speech

felt adapted from a thousand speeches

before. Not quite befitting the source

material, the speech was also as liturgically

traditional as incense and altar

rails. Straughan was gracious, thanked

his management and his daughter, and

was in and out like a demon’s whisper.


5. Mikey Madison for Best Actress,

“Anora”

What could be mistaken for a gust of

wind was actually the collective gasp

of relief in the theater as Madison won

over Karla Sofía Gascón. Gascón, who

transitioned from man to woman and

their foot into their mouth, was the

frontrunner until a number of their

older controversial tweets resurfaced.

That speech would have been far too

interesting, which is the last thing the

Academy wants.

Madison provided the necessary

corrective and was endearingly banal.

Continents away from the brassy character

that won her the Oscar, she nervously

prattled through her thank yous

in a way that reminded us she is only

25, which in turn reminded me how

little I’ve accomplished in life. I did

enjoy her line about how despite living

in Los Angeles, Hollywood feels all the

more distant despite the proximity. You

and me both, sister.

4. Zoe Saldaña for Best Supporting

Actress, “Emilia Perez”

As opposed to the rattled ingenue before

her, Saldaña is 46 and has spent 20

more years in the fighting pits sharpening

her teeth, waiting for her moment

to bite. Having won most other awards

this year and thus able to rehearse, her

impeccably delivered speech focused

mainly on her pride at being the first

Dominican-American to win an Oscar.

All good stuff, though I admit I was

most moved at her bursting into tears

upon spotting her mother in the crowd,

the only really spontaneous gesture of

her night.

3. Sean Baker for Best Original

Screenplay/Director/Picture, “Anora”

Baker’s highly successful night gave

him the luxury of three speeches,

and he had a confidence bordering

on arrogance as he turned them into

something of a triptych. His first speech

was dedicated to sex workers, a frequent

subject of his films. Someone

unfamiliar with his work might have

mistook him for the rare Hollywood

player honest about his peccadillos. His

second, more admirable speech defended

the theatrical experience, made

more poignant by Netflix leading the

nominations but taking home almost

none of them.

He let his producers have their moment

after winning Best Picture, but

came in with a capstone championing

independent film in general. Individually

none of these stand alone, but all

together you have to at least admire the

exertion. I place him third, for each of

his speeches.

2. Adrien Brody for Best Actor,

“The Brutalist”

Brody had the most controversial

speech of the night, which is just

another way of saying the longest. In

his defense, “The Brutalist” was the

length of two films, so he deserves the

length of two speeches. Brody thanked

God, but with a gratitude that suggested

true sincerity and no secret compact

with Old Nick. He then mused on the

rollercoaster arc of his career, the years

in the direct-to-DVD wilderness since

his last win some 22 years prior. It’s a

wonderful speech that then persists for

another four minutes.

He plays chicken with the orchestra

and they back down first, leaving

nothing but open field ahead of him

to deliver the sort of platitudes that feel

moralistic yet with no scrutable morals.

I loved all six excruciating minutes of

it. This is what the Oscars are all about,

getting held hostage by a theater kid,

cornered at a party you weren’t even

invited to. This is why we play the

game.

1. Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting

Actor, “A Real Pain”

At least once every ceremony there

is a speech that is well and truly good,

and not merely for its class or my ironic

amusement. Culkin has made his

brand out of glib self-effacement, but

it didn’t feel insincere here. If Brody

thinks acting is his gift to the public,

Culkin seems to think acting is his gift

to his family.

In a speech directed almost entirely

to his wife, he reminds her that after

his pleading she agreed to a third child

when he won an Emmy, and sarcastically

promised a fourth only if he won

an Oscar.

Days after being introduced to Elon

Musk and his IVF harem, this felt like

the truly positive natalism we needed.

To see a man on the biggest stage of his

career, the world watching, publicly

exclaim not the necessity of children

but the joy of them, felt radical in a

way many Oscar speeches attempt and

stumble upon dismount. It warmed

this cold heart, and quite possibly

nudged me into the romantic camp.

Joseph Joyce is a screenwriter and freelance

critic based in Sherman Oaks.

Sean Baker poses backstage with his Oscars®

during the 97th Oscars® telecast at Dolby® Theatre

at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2. |

ETIENNE LAURENT/THE ACADEMY ©A.M.P.A.S.


DESIRE LINES

HEATHER KING

Lent on a canvas

Sister Wendy Beckett (1930-2018),

a contemplative nun and consecrated

virgin, delighted audiences

worldwide during the 1990s with her

BBC documentaries on the history of

art.

Born in Johannesburg, she moved as

a child to Scotland; in 1946 she joined

the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur,

“Crucifixion,” by Craigie Aitchison, 1926-2009,

Scottish. | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

a teaching order, and earned a degree

in English Literature at Oxford.

She then returned to South Africa

and in spite of her “constant longing

to pray,” lived an active life of teaching

from 1954 to 1970. When she began

to have stress-induced heart trouble

and epileptic seizures, she was given

permission to return to England.

There, in solitude and silence, she

found her true vocation.

She stayed for decades on the property

of the Carmelite Monastery in

Quidenham, praying for seven hours

a day. Though she never became a

member of the order, she signed over

all her earnings to them.

With permission from the Church,

she began to study art history, mostly

from books and postcards. She published

her first book, “Contemporary

Women Artists” (Universe Pub, $7), in

1988.

She went on to host her own television

shows — “Sister Wendy’s

Odyssey” and “Sister Wendy’s Grand

Tour” among them — insisting upon

a clause in her contracts that allowed

her to attend daily Mass while traveling.

Hands clasped in joy, face framed

by a wimple, she could with equal

élan propose that Dutch Golden Age

painter Gerard ter Borch’s “The Paternal

Admonition” (1654) is actually

a brothel scene, or suggest thinking of

abstract artist Mark Rothko’s rectangles

of color as “religious paintings without

religion.”

Art critics sniffed at her “naïve”

commentary. “I’m not a critic. I am

an appreciator,” she responded with

a smile. “I think great art opens us

not just to the truth as an artist sees it,

but to our own truth. ... You’re being

invited to enter into the reality of what

it means to be human.”

That point of view permeates “The

Art of Lent: A Painting a Day from Ash

Wednesday to Easter” (IVP, $9.89),

one of her 30 books.

Approximately 6 by 5 inches and a

compact 98 pages, the little volume is

a delight to hold: portable enough to

keep in your prayer corner, take on a


Heather King is an award-winning

author, speaker, and workshop leader.

stroll, or open on a park bench. The

cover is of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s

“The Tower of Babel” (1563), all

ocher stone and turquoise sea, and the

color plates for each day of Lent are

vivid and clear.

For the four days from Ash Wednesday

through Saturday, she considers

repentance (Japanese painter

Hokusai’s “The Great Wave,” 1831);

forgiveness (“The Return of the Prodigal

Son,” c. 1661-69, Rembrandt); humility

(“Self-portrait with Dr. Arrieta,”

1820, Goya); and purification (“The

Harvest is the End of the World and

the Reapers are Angels,” 1989, Roger

Wagner).

Her selections range similarly wide

for weeks one through six of Lent, for

which the themes are, respectively,

silence, contemplation, peace, joy,

confidence, and love.

She doesn’t talk much about the

painting itself: process, technique,

school. She talks about the feelings,

emotions, and insights that the work

evokes.

Her overarching point is that art

can open a window or door onto the

transcendent. The short commentaries

invite silent reflection, not argument

or noisy thought.

In Rogier van der Weyden’s “The

Magdalen Reading,” c. 1445, Mary

Magdalene sits pensively over a

page of Scripture, her sumptuous

parrot-green robe a symbol of new,

ever-replenishing, inner life.

Rembrandt’s well-known “The Jewish

Bride,” 1665-67, prompts Wendy to

reflect that both the husband and the

wife “are surrendering freedom, but

willingly so, thus facing the truth that

we cannot have everything. If we love,

we make a delimiting choice.”

Manet’s achingly gorgeous “White

Lilac,” 1882-83, was painted the year

before he died. The “singleness of

being” of this vase of simple flowers

“must have moved him and perhaps

consoled him amid the anxieties and

anguishes of his own pain-filled days.”

But she hardly confines herself to

the medieval, the Renaissance, or the

French Impressionists.

Of contemporary painter Yuko

Shiraishi’s at-first-glance monotonous

“Three Greys,” 1987, she observes: “Its

beauty, like much else we see, reveals

itself only in time.”

For Good Friday, she chooses “Crucifixion,”

2008, by Craigie Aitchison, in

which Christ on the cross is depicted

as “a luminous body blazing with the

fire of love,” the Holy Ghost appears

as “a skeletal outline,” and Aitchison’s

beloved Bedlington Terrier gambols

on “a strip of living green” below.

Aitchison is showing us, avers Wendy,

“not what the crucifixion looked like,

but what it truly meant.”

What the crucifixion truly meant is

worthy of a lifetime of pondering, and

a question we especially ask during

Lent.

Wendy once wrote: “How do you

know you are weak and unloving?

Only because the strength and love of

Jesus so press upon you that, like the

sun shining from behind, you see the

shadow. … Either we see all in the

light of him, and primarily self, or we

see only him and all else is dark. …

But it is up to you to accept his grace;

only you can thank him for it, and let

it draw you, as it is meant, to long constantly

and trustfully for his purifying

love.”


LETTER AND SPIRIT

SCOTT HAHN

Scott Hahn is founder of the

St. Paul Center for Biblical

Theology; stpaulcenter.com.

The everyday Annunciation

“The Annunciation,” by Hans Memling, 1433-1494, German-Flemish. | WIKIMEDIA

COMMONS

The feast of the Annunciation,

March

25, is upon us —

and it is a day we should

celebrate. We can even

suspend our Lenten fast for

the sake of the solemnity.

(Or not.)

The Annunciation is

one of those few mysteries

of Jesus’ life that many

Catholics celebrate every

single day. We remember

it when we say the Hail

Mary, which is drawn from

St. Luke’s account of the

event.

We can remember it also

in a slightly longer prayer,

the Angelus, which Catholics

traditionally say at

noon. If you’re not already

saying the Angelus every

day, think about giving it

a try. There are so many

good reasons to do it.

It’s probably the boost

you need at midday. Think

about it. Remember the

scene when Moses was

very old and Israel was

battling the Amelekites?

Moses watched the battle

from a hill nearby. “Whenever

Moses held up his hand” — in a gesture of humble

prayer — “Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his

hand, Amalek prevailed” (Exodus 17:11). Midway through

the battle, Moses’ arms grew weary and began to fall. So his

brother Aaron and friend Hur flanked him and supported

his hands, so that they were steady until the end of the

battle. Israel was, of course, victorious.

We who don’t have Moses’ greatness can also grow weary

halfway through our daily struggles. That’s why we pray the

Angelus.

Angelus means “angel” and is the first word of the prayer

in Latin. You can look up

the whole prayer online.

Its verses and responses are

scriptural, drawn from the

story of Jesus’ conception,

as told in the Gospels of

Luke (1:26–28 and 1:38)

and John (1:14). Thus, at

the turning point of our

day, we remember the turning

point of human history:

the moment when an angel

appeared to a young woman

named Mary and told

her of God’s plan to send

the Messiah to the world as

her child. All subsequent

history, and all of creation,

turned on her consent.

Christians have always

paused for prayer at the

noon hour. In apostolic

times, it was called the

prayer of the “sixth hour,”

counting from sunrise.

St. Peter was praying the

noontime prayers when he

received a revelation from

the Lord (Acts 10:9).

It was also at the sixth

hour that Jesus was crucified

(Luke 23:44), his arms

outstretched as Moses’ arms

were, on yet another hilltop.

In prayer he persevered and prevailed, even over death.

The early Christians remembered these biblical events and

precedents as they offered their customary midday prayers,

which Tertullian recorded as early as the second century.

If we are growing weak or weary at midday, or irritable

with our co-workers or family, if we are discouraged because

the odds are against us, we can look to Mary and know that

we, too, can rely on the help of angels and the providence

of God, who has a plan for us. Like Moses, we can renew

our prayer, with supernatural help, and witness the victory

of God in our hearts through the rest of the day.


■ FRIDAY, MARCH 14

St. Clare Fish Fry. St. Clare of Assisi Church, 19606 Calla

Way, Santa Clarita, 4:30-8 p.m. The fish fry runs Fridays in

Lent. April 11 is drive-thru only. Menu: 2- or 3-piece dinner

of beer-battered cod, coleslaw, fries, and dinner rolls,

ceviche. Dessert, beverages, and family pack available for

purchase. Cost: $16/2-piece dinner, $18/3-piece dinner.

Proceeds benefit wildfire victims. Visit st-clare.org.

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

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

Council 4919, the fish fry runs Fridays in Lent. Menu:

Baked or deep fried fish, baked potato or fries, coleslaw,

roll, and cake. Cost: $15/adults, $10/seniors, $8/children

under 12. 50/50 raffle as time permits. Indoor seating and

takeout service available.

St. Barnabas Lenten Friday and Fish Fry. St. Barnabas

Church, 3955 Orange Ave., Long Beach, 5:30 p.m.

Stations of the Cross, 6 p.m. Mass, 6:15-8:30 p.m. fish fry

dinner. Runs every Friday in Lent. First Fridays include 5

p.m. adoration. Visit stbarnabaslb.org.

Taize Prayer. Holy Spirit Retreat Center Chapel, 4316

Lanai Rd., Encino, 7 p.m. Held on March 14, 21, and 28.

Led by Sister Chris Machado, SSS, and Sister Marie Lindemann,

SSS. Visit hsrcenter.com or call 818-784-4515.

Guest Speaker Series: Sister Hosea Rupprecht. St. Bede

the Venerable Church, 215 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada

Flintridge, 7-8:30 p.m. Visit bede.org.

Taize Reflections on the Stations of the Cross. St. James

Church, 415 Vincent St., Redondo Beach, 7:30 p.m.

■ SATURDAY, MARCH 15

Eschatology and Mary and the Saints: AMS Theology.

Zoom, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., includes breaks and lunchtime.

Class led by Father Leo Ortega, Ph.D., will examine the

role and significance of Mary in the New Testament and

the aspects of one of Mary’s manifestations as the Virgin

of Guadalupe and her continued relevance to Christians

today. Cost: $50/person. Class is eligible for ongoing

formation. Visit lacatholics.org/events.

The Amazing Grace of Celtic Spirituality and its

Relevance for Our World Today. Loyola Institute for

Spirituality, 434 S. Batavia, Orange, 9 a.m. The workshop

explores the inner process and deepens listening for “the

whispers of God.” Presenter: Deirdre ni Chinnéide. Email

ebeall@csjorange.org.

Christian Coaching: Prospering the Body, Soul, and

Spirit. Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road,

Encino, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. With Bola Shasanmi. Visit

hsrcenter.com or call 818-784-4515.

The Healing Power of the Passion of Jesus Christ. St.

Finbar Church, 2010 W. Olive Ave., Burbank, 9:30 a.m.-4

p.m. With Father Bill Delaney, SJ, Kay Murdy, Jeff Steffon,

LMFT, Maria Velasquez, LMFT, and Dominic Berardino.

Topics include: The Wood of the Cross Heals Our Own

Tree of Life and Hope: Lessons in Hard Times. Register at

events.scrc.org. Text 818-771-1361.

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner and Party. St. Margaret Mary

Church, 25511 Eshelman Ave., Lomita, 5 p.m. social hour,

6 p.m. dinner. Menu: Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes,

bread, and dessert. Pizza, chips, and drinks available for

children. Includes gala with raffle, entertainment, and

singing. Cost: $20/adults, $17/seniors, $15/children.

Presale tickets are $3 less. Call Pat Shea at 310-534-2970

or Linda Cline at 310-539-4106.

■ SUNDAY, MARCH 16

Stations of the Cross. Calvary Cemetery, 4201 Whittier

Blvd., Los Angeles, 2 p.m. Runs every Sunday in Lent. Special

reenactment of the passion of Christ on Sunday, April

13, presented by Resurrection Church. Visit catholiccm.

org/stations or call 323-261-3106.

■ TUESDAY, MARCH 18

Encounter Night: God is Forgiveness. St. Bede the Venerable

Church, 215 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge,

7 p.m. The night includes adoration and benediction with

contemplative music and meditation. Visit bede.org.

■ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19

Soup & Cinema: “Scarlet and the Black.” St. Bede

the Venerable Church, 215 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada

Flintridge, 6 p.m. potluck dinner, 6:30 p.m. movie. Visit

bede.org.

■ THURSDAY, MARCH 20

Magis Meeting: The Cry of the Poor. St. Bede the Venerable

Church, 215 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge, 7

p.m. Visit bede.org.

Spring Equinox Labyrinth Walk. Holy Spirit Retreat

Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 7-9 p.m. Visit hsrcenter.

com or call 818-784-4515.

■ FRIDAY, MARCH 21

Hispanic Culture Night and Fish Fry. St. Clare of Assisi

Church, 19606 Calla Way, Santa Clarita, 4:30-8 p.m. Includes

folklorico and mariachi. Wear cultural attire. Menu:

2- or 3-piece dinner of beer-battered cod, coleslaw, fries,

and dinner rolls, ceviche. Dessert, beverages, and family

pack available for purchase. Cost: $16/2-piece dinner,

$18/3-piece dinner. Proceeds benefit wildfire victims.

Visit st-clare.org.

Guest Speaker Series: Father Edward Broom, OMV. St.

Bede the Venerable Church, 215 Foothill Blvd., La Cañada

Flintridge, 7-8:30 p.m. Visit bede.org.

■ SATURDAY, MARCH 22

Lenten Hope: The Church as a Light to the Nations.

Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 3175 Telegraph Rd.,

Ventura, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The workshop will focus on

how the Church is the People of God, the Body of Christ,

and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Presenters: Andrew

Heath, director of music at St. Kateri Church, and Stuart

Squires, Ph.D. in historical and systematic theology. Free

event. Visit lacatholics.org/events.

Sacred Collage: Soft and Strong, Like Sprouts Reaching

the Sun, We Rise Rooted. Holy Spirit Retreat Center,

4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. With Chantel

Zimmerman. Visit hsrcenter.com or call 818-784-4515.

“Blooming Spring: Tending the Garden of Your Life.”

Mary and Joseph Retreat Center, 5300 Crest Rd., Rancho

Palos Verdes. Join retreat participants in the garden to

learn how to make life bloom spiritually, socially, and

physically. Includes real gardening tips. Email MarkMitchellSpeaks@gmail.com.

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 | March 21, 2025 | Vol. 10 No. 6

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