Angelus News | December 26, 2025

ANGELUS

OUR LADY

GOES WITH US

A struggling city

embraces Guadalupe

December 26, 2025 Vol. 10 No. 26

December 26, 2025

Vol. 10 • No. 26

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Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241

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ANGELUS

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ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ

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DAVID SCOTT

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PABLO KAY

pkay@angelusnews.com

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ARACELI CHAVEZ

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HANNAH SWENSON

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ON THE COVER

ALFONSO ROMERO

“Lorena,” part of a traditional Aztec dance troupe associated with

Our Lady of the Valley Church in Canoga Park, was among the

thousands who turned out for the 94th annual procession and

Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in East Los Angeles

Dec. 7. On Page 10, a look at why LA’s “Guadalupanos” credit

“La Morenita” with helping them get through a difficult, often

frightening year for Latino immigrants.

THIS PAGE

CNS PHOTO/VATICAN MEDIA

After Mass for the Jubilee of Prisoners in

St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 14,

Pope Leo XIV blessed a crucifix made of

recycled paper and other trash by an inmate,

named only as G.C., who is currently

incarcerated in Tolmezzo, Italy.

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

Inside the California bishops’ special Mass with ICE detainees

An insider shares what he observed on Pope Leo’s first trip

Interview: Why assisted suicide in the U.S. is at a ‘tipping point’

How the prophet Daniel foretold the timing of Christmas

Grazie Christie on ‘Angelology’ and the importance of angels

The surprising soul-searching in George Clooney’s ‘Jay Kelly’

Heather King: The French artist who painted like she prayed

December 26, 2025 • ANGELUS • 1

POPE WATCH

Can we beat death?

The following is adapted from Pope

Leo XIV’s catechesis given during his

weekly General Audience on Wednesday,

Dec. 10.

Death seems to be the most natural

and at the same time most

unnatural event that exists. It is

natural, because every living being on

earth dies. It is unnatural, because the

desire for life and eternity that we all

feel for ourselves and for the people we

love makes us see death as a sentence, a

“contradiction.”

Ancient peoples developed rites and

customs linked to the cult of the dead,

to accompany and to recall those who

journeyed toward the supreme mystery.

But today we see a different trend.

Death seems to be an event to keep at

a distance; something to be spoken of

in hushed tones, to avoid disturbing

our sensibilities and our tranquility.

So what is death? Is it truly the last

word on our lives? Only human beings

ask themselves this question, because

only they know they must die. In a

certain sense it “burdens” them compared

to other living creatures. Animals

suffer, but they do not question

the meaning, purpose, and outcome

of life.

When it comes to death, we find

ourselves aware and at the same time

powerless.

In his famous work “Preparation

for Death,” St. Alphonsus Maria de’

Liguori reflects on the pedagogical

value of death, emphasizing that it

can be a great teacher of life. To know

that it exists, and above all to reflect

on it, teaches us to choose what we

really want to make of our existence.

Praying, in order to understand what

is beneficial in view of the kingdom of

heaven, and letting go of the superfluous

that instead binds us to ephemeral

things, is the secret to living authentically,

aware that our passage on earth

prepares us for eternity.

Yet many current anthropological

views promise immanent immortality,

theorize the prolongation of earthly

life through technology. This is the

transhuman scenario, which is making

its way into the horizon of the challenges

of our time. Could death really

be defeated by science? But then,

could science itself guarantee us that a

life without death is also a happy life?

The event of the resurrection of

Christ reveals to us that death is not

opposed to life, but rather is a constitutive

part of it, as the passage to eternal

life. The Pasch of Jesus gives us a foretaste,

in this time still full of suffering

and trials, of the fullness of what will

happen after death.

Only the Resurrection can illuminate

the mystery of death to its full extent.

In this light, what our heart desires

and hopes becomes true: that death

is not the end, but the passage toward

full light, toward a happy eternity.

The Risen One has gone before us in

the great trial of death, emerging victorious

thanks to the power of divine

Love. He has prepared for us the place

of eternal rest, the home where we are

awaited; he has given us the fullness of

life in which there are no longer any

shadows and contradictions.

Thanks to him, with St. Francis we

can call death our “sister.” Awaiting it

with the sure hope of the Resurrection

preserves us from the fear of disappearing

forever and prepares us for the joy

of life without end.

Papal Prayer Intention for December: Let us pray that

Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the

Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and

hope.

2 • ANGELUS • December 26, 2025

NEW WORLD OF FAITH

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ

Love is the great “why”

The ancients used to talk about

a “great chain of Being” and a

“book of nature.” They used a

word, teleology, to describe how all

of creation, and all things in creation,

have a purpose and are part of the

divine plan.

In our secularized, scientific world,

we don’t talk that way anymore, and

we are out of the habit of even thinking

that way. We think nowadays in

terms of material causes and effects,

we speak about how things function

and the way things work.

But God has not changed and his

vision presses on. The whole world

— creation and history, your life and

mine — is still part of a divine order.

All things, visible and invisible, are

moving toward his higher purpose.

Christmas is the revelation of that

purpose. In becoming man, God

lifts the veil and shows us what it all

means, and where it is all headed.

In the liturgy for Christmas day,

there is a beautiful prayer:

“O God, who wonderfully created

the dignity of human nature and still

more wonderfully restored it, grant,

we pray, that we may share in the divinity

of Christ, who humbled himself

to share in our humanity.”

Love is the great “why” of reality.

Love is the answer to the mystery of

who God is, and why the world exists,

and why each of us is created.

God is Love and love is the reason

that he calls this world into being.

God is the “key of love” who opened

his hand and brought everything into

existence, St. Thomas Aquinas said.

His love is how all things still hold

together. God is “the Love that moves

the sun and the other stars,” as the

poet Dante said.

In becoming a Child in the womb

of Mary, in humbling himself to be

born of a woman, God reveals that in

our human nature we are created with

the capacity for God. Our humanity

is destined to share in his divinity. In

his divine plan, we are made to be like

him, to partake in his divine nature,

to be taken up in the great mystery of

his love.

This is what that beautiful prayer in

the Christmas liturgy tells us. This is

the promise of Christmas.

Never forget this: You are precious to

God. He made you because he loves

you and because he wanted you to be

a part of his creation.

The first followers of Jesus were

amazed by God’s love, and we should

be, too. “We have come to know and

to believe in the love God has for us,”

they would say. And again: “We love

because he first loved us.”

In the solemn proclamation at the

start of Christmas Mass during the

night, we remember that Christmas

was an event, a moment in history,

that God became man at a specific

time and place:

“When ages beyond number had run

their course from the creation of the

world … when century upon century

had passed … in the year 752 since

the foundation of the City of Rome

… the whole world being at peace,

Jesus Christ … desiring to consecrate

the world by his most loving presence

… was born of the Virgin Mary in

Bethlehem of Judah.”

History is “his story” and you and

I are a part of his magnificent plan

of love, the history of salvation that

began at the dawn of creation and was

revealed on Christmas.

When you see the Child Jesus in the

manger, we should reflect on this.

The living God, in his love, has come

down from heaven to share your life

and be your friend. He has come to

walk with you every day and to stay

with you in every moment of your life.

It is all for love, and it is for you and

me.

This Christmas let us once again

open our hearts to remember that we

are wonderfully created and still more

wonderfully restored. We have a great

worth and dignity in God’s eyes. Each

one of us.

Let us allow Christmas to give our

lives a new sense of our purpose.

In becoming man on Christmas, God lifts the veil

and shows us what it all means, and where it is

all headed.

Everything we do now, let us do for

love, and out of thanksgiving for this

beautiful gift of his love.

We can love God and love one another

because he loved us first. And by

our love, our lives can be transformed

in the image of his love, our humanity

reflecting the image of his divinity.

Until that day when we arrive at love,

our destiny for all eternity, what the

saints call “the love that never ends.”

Merry Christmas! Keep praying for

me and I will keep praying for you.

And let us always stay close to the

Blessed Virgin Mary, in whose womb

Love was born on Christmas.


WORLD

■ Venezuela: Government

stops cardinal from leaving

country

A Venezuelan cardinal was denied permission

to leave his country and had his passport

confiscated as President Nicolás Maduro’s

regime faces increased pressure from critics.

Cardinal Baltazar Porras, 81, was unable

to board a flight to Spain Dec. 10 due to a

“violation of travel regulations,” according to

authorities. As a cardinal, Porras also holds

a Vatican passport to travel freely to Rome

when needed.

Porras, the retired archbishop of Caracas,

has been an outspoken defender of human

rights in the country. In October, he called

the situation in Venezuela “morally unacceptable”

days before the canonization of the

first two Venezuelan saints.

The increased harassment of Church leaders

and dissidents by Maduro’s government

comes as the U.S. pushes harder for regime

change in Venezuela, targeting boats near its

coast and announcing a $50 million reward

for Maduro’s arrest.

A return to remember — Schoolchildren from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Nigeria, arrive at

the Niger State Government House Dec. 8 after being freed from captivity following their abduction

by gunmen Nov. 21. As of press time, some 50 students had escaped the kidnappers and another 100

had been released, while at least 150 remained in captivity. Analysts told the Associated Press that

schoolchildren in Nigeria are a target for armed groups seeking a high ransom from the government and

communities. | OSV NEWS/MARVELLOUS DUROWAIYE, REUTERS

■ Christmas returns to Bethlehem thanks to ceasefire

Christians in Bethlehem celebrated the lighting of a Christmas tree at the site

of Christ’s birth for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Thousands attended the lighting of a 65-foot Christmas tree in Manger Square

where “Santas” handed out candied apples. Most were local residents, and the

event also drew a few pilgrims encouraged to visit the site since the Israel-Hamas

ceasefire in

Gaza.

“We are seeing

a few tourists

coming, and

we are starting

to see signs of

life after that,”

Ranya Malki

Bandak, director

of the Bethlehem

Peace Center at

Manger Square,

which organized

the lighting, told

OSV News. “We

have to light a

candle despite

everything, to

light a candle for

everyone.”

A drone view shows Palestinians attending a Christmas tree lighting outside the

Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Dec. 6. | OSV NEWS/YOSRI ALJAMAL, REUTERS

■ Vatican commission votes

no on female deacons

The idea of ordaining women as deacons

lacks historical basis, a Vatican study group

has concluded.

The special commission, established in

2020 by Pope Francis, was made up of five

men and five women to investigate the historical

roots of female deacons. Its findings

were released Dec. 4 after the commission

sent its seven-page report to Pope Leo XIV

in September.

“The ‘status quaestionis’ of historical

research and theological investigation, as

well as their mutual implications, rules out

the possibility of moving in the direction

of admitting women to the diaconate

understood as a degree of the sacrament of

Holy Orders,” read a statement, approved

seven-to-one.

The commission’s president, Italian

Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, said in the

statement that historical research alone

“does not allow us to reach any definitive

certainty” about women deacons.

“Ultimately, the question must be decided

on a doctrinal level,” he said.


NATION

■ Minneapolis: Annunciation Church restored

for worship with ‘rite of reparation’

Three months after the shooting that killed two and injured 21, Annunciation

Church in Minneapolis was restored for worship with a special “rite of reparation”

Dec. 6.

Mass had not been celebrated inside the church since Aug. 27, when the shooting

took place.

As part of the penitential liturgy for churches that have been desecrated by “serious

offenses against the dignity of the person and of society,” Archbishop Bernard Hebda

of St. Paul and Minneapolis led a Mass that included special prayers and the sprinkling

of the altar and sanctuary, the church walls, and parishioners with holy water.

The Mass also included a Eucharistic procession.

“This safe haven, this place of refuge, this foretaste of the order of the heavenly

kingdom, was disturbed by a chaos that no one could have imagined,” Hebda said

in his homily. “It’s

for that chaos that

we’ve come together

to engage in this

act of penance and

reparation this day.”

Parish Masses

have been held in

the school auditorium

since the

shooting and will

continue there

until the parish can

set a sacramental

schedule for the

church building,

an archdiocesan

spokesman said.

Parishioners and clergy gather in front of the main doors to Annunciation Church for

the Dec. 6 Rite of Reparation. | OSV NEWS/JOE RUFF, THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

■ Franciscan Media

to close after more

than 130 years

The long-running U.S. news and

media outlet belonging to the Franciscan

order is shutting down this

month.

Founded by Franciscan friars in

1893 and known as St. Anthony

Messenger until 2011, Franciscan

Media published a magazine that

once had a circulation of 300,000,

along with digital content ranging

from saint biographies to film

reviews.

“In recent years, despite strong

leadership and ongoing investment,

Franciscan Media has encountered

the same challenges facing Catholic

and Christian publishing ministries,”

read a Dec. 5 statement from the

outlet, citing “profound financial,

technological, and cultural shifts

that have reshaped how people engage

with faith-based content.”

Other Catholic media sources have

closed or cut back in recent years,

including the closure of Catholic

News Service’s domestic office in

2022 and the end of Our Sunday

Visitor’s short-lived lifestyle magazine

in October.

■ The anti-ICE Nativity

scene that won’t go quietly

A Catholic church outside of Boston defended an

anti-immigration enforcement display in its Nativity

scene after the local archdiocese asked for the display to

be removed.

St. Susanna Church in Dedham replaced the statues

of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in their outdoor creche with a

sign saying “ICE was here.” A second sign reads that the

Holy Family is “safe in the Sanctuary of our Church.”

On Dec. 5, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston

publicly called for the display, described as “divisive

political messaging,” to be removed.

“The Church’s norms prohibit the use of sacred

objects for any purpose other than the devotion of God’s

people,” the statement read. St. Susanna pastor Father

The controversial outdoor Nativity at St. Susanna Church in Dedham, Massachusetts. | OSV

NEWS/BRIAN SNYDER, REUTERS

Stephen Josoma said the church would be keeping the display until he could meet with Boston Archbishop Richard Henning.

“Any divisiveness is a reflection of our polarized society, much of which originates with the changing, unjust policies and laws

of the current United States administration, not emanating from a Nativity display outside of a church in Dedham,” Josoma

told media Dec. 8.


LOCAL

■ Archbishop Gomez

at LMU inauguration:

Help young people

find the ‘living God’

Archbishop José H. Gomez

echoed Pope Leo XIV’s vision for

Catholic education to “draw new

maps of hope” at the inauguration

of new Loyola Marymount

University President Thomas

Poon.

“It’s about helping our young

people to navigate and find the

pathway to the living God who

comes to reveal himself to us in

Jesus,” said Archbishop Gomez at

a special Dec. 9 Mass the day of

the inauguration.

The Loyola Marymount Board

of Trustees named Poon as its

17th president earlier this year in

April, and he officially took over

on June 1, replacing Timothy

Law Snyder, who had served for

a decade.

“LMU’s next chapter is not for

any one leader to write alone,”

Poon said during the event. “I

ask each of you to claim a share

of that work, boldly, generously,

and with the confidence that our

moment demands, because this

next chapter will be written by all

of us.”

■ Spanish historians visit NorCal

for Serra sainthood anniversary

A delegation from St. Junípero Serra’s home island

of Mallorca, Spain, visited California to mark 10

years since the saint’s canonization.

The group included the Consell de Mallorca (the

governing institution of the island of Mallorca), city

council members from Serra’s hometown of Petra,

and Serra historians from Spain.

While in California Nov. 29-Dec. 4, the delegation

visited San Francisco’s Cathedral of Saint Mary of

the Assumption, Carmel Mission Basilica (founded

Carrying a tune on Fifth Avenue — The marching band from Damien High School, the all-boys Catholic school in La

Verne, was selected from a nationwide group of applicants to participate in the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in

New York City Nov. 27. | ALDO GRANDA-HERNANDEZ/DAMIEN HIGH SCHOOL

■ Beverly Hills resident-turned-nun gets canonization effort

Could a onetime Beverly Hills resident who became a nun at age 50 — having been

twice divorced and raised seven children — be on the path to sainthood?

Mother Antonia Brenner, the founder of the Eudist Servants of the 11th Hour, spent

more than 30 years of her life largely serving prison inmates in Tijuana, Mexico, before

her death at age 86 in 2013.

Now, members of her community have begun working with the Center for Sainthood

Studies, a Catholic nonprofit in Menlo Park, California, to initiate her canonization cause.

Brenner fought for the dignity of prisoners of the overcrowded penitentiary, bringing

them not just spiritual solace but also physical necessities such as soap, toilet paper,

toothpaste, and medicines. Her efforts extended to prison guards as well, and outside the

penitentiary’s walls as she supported cancer and AIDS patients.

“She cared and loved so much,” said Sister Viola Lovato Ramirez, the order’s general

leader. “She loved the people of Mexico, especially. God put that in her heart.”

The Serra delegation from Mallorca with San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. |

CATALINA FONT

1770), Mission Santa Clara de Asís (1777), and Mission San Francisco de Asís (1776). The group also participated in several

discussions about Serra’s legacy and the mission system he founded.

Serra was canonized by Pope Francis in 2015. Trip organizers said they hoped that deeper study of Serra’s historical record

would “refute the misconceptions surrounding his mission.”

“It is heartening to see that the bond first forged more than 250 years ago remains strong and meaningful, resonating with

people on both sides of the Atlantic,” said David Bolton, executive director of the California Missions Foundation.


V

IN OTHER WORDS...

Letters to the Editor

‘Pluribus’ and the appeal of not thinking

I’m glad that Angelus included a review of “Pluribus” in the Dec. 12

issue, since it seems to be the most talked-about show among my real-life

and Facebook friends this year.

Amy Welborn did a nice job of analyzing the show. But as the season progresses,

I think it’s becoming clear that the show really is about AI and happiness. It’s made

me think about how today’s tech giants are basically proposing a life made easier by

AI as the key to happiness.

In other words, that we shouldn’t bother with thinking, or even learning how

to think. Pretty soon, what will we need school for? Or books? I don’t know what

scares me more, the lie of this proposal, or how quickly we’re being conditioned to

believe that lie.

— Maggie Cardenas, Manhattan Beach

Editor’s note: Holiday publishing schedule

Due to the Christmas and New Year holidays, the following issue of Angelus

(issue date Jan. 9, 2026) will be printed one week early, arriving to most subscribers

the final weekend of December. We will resume our normal publishing schedule

when the subsequent issue, dated Jan. 23, is delivered the weekend of Jan. 16.

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.

Blessings to be delivered

“I have faith in my people’s

ability to rise again.”

~ Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Anse-à-Veau-

Miragoâne, Haiti, in a Dec. 10 Vatican News

interview about his country’s turmoil. Dumas was

severely wounded in a February 2024 assassination

attempt and is recovering in the U.S.

“Dictatorships need to

pretend that the innocent

are guilty.”

~ The Wall Street Journal editorial board, on the

Dec. 15 conviction of 78-year-old Hong Kong media

tycoon and pro-Democracy activist Jimmy Lai, a

Catholic accused of violating the Chinese territory’s

national security law.

“I smile when I am happy,

and I am happy when I

know I am exactly where

God wants me.”

~ Bishop Mark O’Connell, during his installation

Mass on Dec. 5 as the new bishop in Albany, New

York.

“Well before AI slop, we

had human-generated slop.”

~ Celine Nguyen, quoted in a Dec. 9 New Yorker

commentary by Jay Caspian Kang on whether

people would turn to reading more books if they

gave up social media.

“You can’t print a

newspaper nobody reads.”

~ Alan Smolinisky, owner of the Palisadian-Post, in

a Dec. 14 New York Times article on the newspaper

shutting down largely because readership vanished

after the Palisades Fire in January.

Archbishop José H. Gomez blesses one of the boxes containing toys, food, clothes, and household items being distributed

to needy families during the Adopt-a-Family distribution event at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Dec.

13. More details and photos will be in the next issue of Angelus. | PETER LOBATO

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.

“It just feels like a hug in a

hoodie.”

~ Millie Haywood, in a Dec. 8 CBS News article

on her creating sensory-friendly hoodies for

neurodivergent people.


IN EXILE

FATHER RONALD ROLHEISER, OMI

Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father

Ronald Rolheiser is a spiritual

writer; ronrolheiser.com

Christ’s birth: Soothing or disturbing?

I’ve never been fully comfortable

with some of my friends who send

out Christmas cards with messages

like: “May the Peace of Christ

Disturb You!” Can’t we have one

day a year to be happy and celebrate

without having our already unhappy

selves shaken with more guilt?

Isn’t Christmas a time when we can

enjoy being children again? Moreover,

as Karl Rahner once said, isn’t

Christmas a time when God gives us

permission to be happy? So why not?

Well, it’s complex. Christmas is a

time when God gives us permission

to be happy, when the voice of God

says: Comfort my people. Be comforted!

Speak words of comfort!

But Christmas is also a time that

highlights the sad truth that when

God was born in our world 2,000

years ago, there wasn’t room for that

birth in all the normal homes and

places of the day. There was no room

for him at the inn. People’s busy lives

and practical concerns kept them

from offering him a place to be born.

That hasn’t changed. So, there are

also good reasons to be disturbed.

But first, the comfort: A number of

years ago, I participated in a large

diocesan synod. At one point, the

animator in charge had us divide into

small groups, and each group was

asked the question: What’s the single

most important message the Church

needs to say to the world right now?

The groups reported back and

each group named some important

spiritual or moral challenge: “We

need to challenge our society toward

more justice!” “We need to challenge

the world to have real faith and not

confuse God’s word with its own wishes.”

“We need to challenge our world

toward a more responsible sexual

ethos.” Wonderful, needed challenges,

all of them. But no group came

back and said, “We need to speak to

the world of God’s consolation!”

Granted, there is injustice, violence,

racism, sexism, greed, selfishness, sexual

irresponsibility, and self-serving

faith around, but most adults in our

world are also living in pain, anxiety,

disappointment, loss, depression, and

unresolved guilt. Everywhere you

look, you see heavy hearts. Moreover,

many people living with hurt and

disappointment do not see God and

the Church as an answer to their

pain, but rather as somehow part of

its cause.

So, in preaching God’s word, our

churches need to assure the world

of God’s love, God’s concern, and

God’s forgiveness. Perhaps before

doing anything else, God’s word is

meant to comfort us; indeed, to be

the ultimate source of all comfort.

Only when the world knows God’s

consolation will it be more open to

accept the concomitant challenge.

And prominent in that challenge

is to make room for Christ at the

inn, namely, to open our hearts,

our homes, and our world as places

where Christ can come and live, no

matter how inconvenient that may

be. From the safe distance of 2,000

years, we too easily make a scathing

judgment on the people at the time

of Jesus’ birth for not knowing what

Mary and Joseph were carrying and

for not making a place for Jesus to be

born. How could they be so blind?

But that same judgment can still be

made of us. We aren’t exactly making

room in our own inns.

When a new person is born into this

world, he or she takes a space where

before there was no one. Sometimes

that new person is warmly welcomed

and a loving space is created and

everyone around is happy for this

new invasion. But that isn’t always

the case; sometimes, as was the case

with Jesus, there is no space created

for the new person, and his presence

is not welcomed.

We see this today (and this will constitute

a judgment on our generation)

in the reluctance, almost all over the

world, to welcome new immigrants,

to make room for them at the inn. If

Christ is in the poor, in the stranger,

and the Gospels assure us that he is,

then Christ is surely in the immigrant.

Today, there are more than 50

million refugees in the world, people

whom no one will welcome. Why

not?

We are not bad people and are

capable most times of being wonderfully

generous. But letting this

flood of immigrants enter our lives

would disturb us. Our lives would

have to change. We would lose some

of our present comforts, some of our

old familiarities, and some of our

securities.

We are not bad people, neither were

those innkeepers 2,000 years ago

who, not knowing what they were

dealing with, in inculpable ignorance,

turned Mary and Joseph away.

I’ve always nursed a secret sympathy

for them. Maybe because I am still,

also in ignorance, doing exactly what

they did. My comfort and security often

have me say, No room at the inn.

The skewed circumstances of

Christ’s birth, if understood, cannot

but disturb. May they also bring deep

consolation.


‘SHE HEARS OUR PRAYERS’

STORY BY MIKE CISNEROS AND KIMMY CHACÓN / PHOTOGRAPHY BY REESE CUEVAS

After a tough

year for LA, local

Guadalupanos paid

tribute to Our Lady

for helping keep their

faith alive in 2025.

A woman kneels in prayer during

the 94th annual procession

and Mass honoring Our Lady

of Guadalupe on Dec. 7.

The Los Angeles area has been

besieged by heartache, fear, and

anxiety for much of the year.

Wildfires. ICE raids. Immigration

protests. Food insecurity. An unknown

future.

But for one day in East LA, and one

late night at the Cathedral of Our Lady

of the Angels, hope prevailed, thanks to

Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Instead of tears, there were smiles.

Instead of out-of-control flames, there

were candles. Instead of screams, there

were gritos (shouts) of celebration.

The love and devotion to Our Lady

compelled thousands to abandon all

their other worries and uncertainties

and come out in droves to two major

annual events: the Guadalupe procession

and Mass in East LA on Dec. 7,

and the Mañanitas celebration on the

evening of Dec. 11 — the eve of her

feast day.

“It’s keeping that faith alive that we believe

times will be better,” said Miguel

Vasquez, who attended the Mañanitas

with his wife, Priscilla, and their soonto-be

1-year-old daughter dressed in

Our Lady of Guadalupe attire.

“Most importantly, in challenging


A Danza Guadalupana dance

group performs on the cathedral’s

outdoor plaza as a

projected image of Our Lady

of Guadalupe looks on.

days, as we’ve seen through the economy,

through what we see with the government,

we must keep the faith, and

through Our Virgin of Guadalupe, you

have that hope. She hears our prayers.”

The annual Mañanitas honors Our

Lady of Guadalupe with an event that

includes a rosary, midnight Mass, and

several singers and musicians serenading

her inside the Cathedral of Our

A woman venerates in front of the pilgrim images of

Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego during

the Mañanitas celebration on Dec. 11.

Lady of the Angels. Outside, below a

giant Our Lady of Guadalupe image

projected onto the cathedral façade,

visitors enjoyed a festive atmosphere

with champurrado, tamales, pan dulce,

music, and dancing.

Hundreds more lined up to venerate

the holy pilgrim images of Our Lady of

Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego placed

near the cathedral altar.

Cathedral pastor Father David Gallardo

was encouraged by the turnout,

seeing that just as our Mother remained

faithful despite her suffering at the foot

of Jesus’ cross, so too did the multitudes

in LA.

“That is one of the reasons why she

resonates in our hearts, because those

who had to go through the tragedy of

the wildfires, and other tragedies in

their own personal lives, they know that

she empathizes with us,” Gallardo said.

“She knows what we’re going through,

and that enables us then just to hold on

to her and to continue to grow in our

relationship.”

Gabriela Sanchez came with her husband,

Gustavo, and their two children,

both dressed in Our Lady of Guadalupe

ponchos. Sanchez and the family

laid roses at the Guadalupe shrine,

offering thanks for their children after

years of having a difficult time getting

pregnant. She credits the Virgin Mary

for helping her through the lost pregnancies,

the bed rest, the diabetes, the

high blood pressure, and more.

“It was very hard,” she said. “I never

thought I was going to be a mom. Since

I was a little girl, I was so devoted to

her, my family was so devoted to her.


So I went out of my way to continue

that. And I feel like my prayers were

answered because it wasn’t easy.”

A few feet away, Sahul Santillan was

taking photos and soaking up the scene.

Just as Our Lady of Guadalupe helped

bridge the gap between the indigenous

people and Europeans, she can do the

same for the divide in our country, he

said.

“I think with her message of hope and

unity and peace and love, she could

join the different cultures,” said Santillan,

a parishioner at St. Joseph Church

in Fontana. “They could come to an

agreement. Basically, having faith in

God can help us get through anything.”

In East LA, only a mile-and-a-half

walk stood between 92-year-old Teresa

Morales and her destination, a cane in

her hand and a promise in her heart.

“Even though my knees hurt, I must

walk,” said Morales, who goes by

“Mama Coco,” as she walked down

Cesar Chavez Avenue at this year’s

94th annual Guadalupe procession

from Our Lady of Solitude Church to

East Los Angeles College Stadium, the

oldest religious procession in LA.

Morales said she attends the procession

every year out of appreciation for

Our Lady of Guadalupe, with a desire

to keep her family’s tradition alive.

The Sunday morning walk suggested

Morales was doing something

right: Wearing a traditional Mexican

vestment with her hair styled in two

braids, Morales was accompanied by

her daughter as she walked, while her

sons participated in traditional Mexican

dance nearby.

Family stories like Morales’ may help

explain why, despite fears of low turnout

related to recent immigration raids,

20,000 Catholics still turned out for this

year’s procession.

“Latinos care about their mothers and

grandmothers, so when they realize

how important Mother Mary is, she

resonates with them,” said Hiram

Romero, a catechist at Our Lady Help

of Christians in Lincoln Heights, one

of 30 parishes that brought colorful

handmade carts with framed images of

Guadalupe to the procession.

Romero has been coming to the

pilgrimage for more than 15 years. As

a child, his mother used to dress him

Parishioners at St. Dominic Savio Church

in Bellflower walk with a cart featuring a

statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Attendees at the Mass at East Los Angeles

College Stadium following the procession

wave Guadalupe-inspired Mexican flags.

up for the occasion. Now, he dresses

his own kids for it, while bringing the

parish’s confirmation class and youth

group.

“If we don’t bring them, they [will]

never get to see what it’s like to be part

of this culture because it’s a cultural

and a spiritual experience,” said

Romero.

Father Miguel Angel Ruiz, who

helped organize the procession as chair

of the archdiocese’s Guadalupano

committee, said it’s a reminder “that we

are not alone, that, as much trouble as

people face, we have a loving God that

takes care of us, and the Church that

continues to guide us.”

“We bring this message to everybody:

that Jesus is with you,” Ruiz said. “That

everybody is in each of our prayers,

especially at Mass, and to never feel

that you’re alone.”

In his homily at the Mass following

the procession, Archbishop José H.

Gomez told the faithful that now, the

Virgin Mary was inviting them on

another walk with her from Nazareth to

Bethlehem, from Advent to Christmas.

“She’s always at our side, she is our

Mother who loves us,” said Archbishop

Gomez. “So let us turn to her and put

our trust in her with great hope.”

Mike Cisneros is the associate editor of

Angelus.

Kimmy Chacón is a freelance journalist

and graduate of the Columbia

University Graduate School of Journalism.

She lives in Los Angeles and works

in education.


The rewards are great for Mañanitas

singing contest winner

For Salma Parra, 16, her chance,

her opportunity, her possible

path to singing superstardom,

was sitting somewhere in her mother’s

email inbox.

And there it stayed. And stayed. And

stayed.

When Parra finally saw the email,

congratulating her on winning the

Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ first

singing contest to serenade Our Lady

of Guadalupe, she was ecstatic.

“I was very, very excited, but I was

also very nervous, because I wanted

to be sure that we didn’t miss the opportunity,”

said Parra, a Puente Hills

resident who attends St. John Vianney

Church in Hacienda Heights.

Parra won the archdiocese’s contest

from among dozens of entries, earning

her a spot on the singing lineup for

the annual Our Lady of Guadalupe

Mañanitas celebration on Dec. 11 at

the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Other performers included Los

Primos del Este, Jacky Ibarra, Delilah,

Fabio Capri, Chelo & Yesenia Flores,

and Mariachi Ángeles.

The annual event honors Our Lady

of Guadalupe on the eve of her feast

day with a rousing tribute featuring

the singers, but also music, dancing,

food, and moments of prayer leading

up to a midnight Mass celebrated by

Archbishop José H. Gomez.

When it was her turn to sing, Parra

— decked out in a pink and white

gown — strode up and stood in front

of the pilgrim images of Our Lady of

Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego on the

cathedral altar, and sang two songs

backed by mariachis: “Amor Eterno”

and “Te Lo Pido por Favor.”

Parra remembered attending the

Mañanitas event with her grandmother

when she was little, but singing at

the celebration was her first time back

in many years.

In fact, she has her grandmothers to

thank for helping get her here in the

first place.

One grandmother works at one of

Salma Parra, 16, a

parishioner at St. John

Vianney Church in

Hacienda Heights, poses

with Archbishop José

H. Gomez during the

Mañanitas event.

the archdiocese’s Catholic cemeteries

and saw a flyer for the singing contest.

She sent it to Parra, who decided to

audition despite having never sung

any of the pre-selected songs. It took

her about four days to learn her audition

song, “Paloma Blanca” — first

the rhythm and melody of it, then the

words and finding the emotion.

“It was a good experience, just having

to learn something on the spot in

a certain amount of time,” Parra said.

“It’s good practice.”

Another grandmother, who died a

few years ago, was the one who gave

Parra her connection to Our Lady of

Guadalupe.

“She was my grandma’s favorite ever

since I was a little girl,” Parra said.

“She kind of just put that into my

head that she’s the Virgencita. We love

her. We pray to her. And just the love

that my grandma had for her, especially

now that she’s not here with us,

is something that I can find through

the La Virgencita, for sure, just like

remembering my grandma.”

She’d like in the future to be a professional

singer, some of her favorites

being Juan Gabriel and Rocío Dúrcal,

or songs such as “Los Laureles” and

“La Farsante.”

Is a singing career in her future?

Only God knows, Parra said.

“The things that he throws at me,

whether they’re good or bad, he’s doing

it for a reason,” she said. “I know

that it’s just a part of my journey. All

these things that he’s giving me, the

opportunities, the struggles, the challenges,

are going to help shape me as

the person that I’m going to become

in the future. And I’m really excited to

see where this journey can take me.”

— Mike Cisneros


San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas

was the main celebrant of the special

Dec. 10 Mass at the ICE Processing

Center in Adelanto. | CALIFORNIA

CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

GRACE BEYOND THE FENCE

A group of California

bishops brought the

Eucharist — and a

special message — to

ICE detainees at a

High Desert facility.

BY NATALIE ROMANO

With Communion bowls in

hand, a group of California

bishops walked through the

barbed wire gates of the ICE Processing

Center and offered Jesus to the men

locked inside.

This moment of the Mass, held Dec.

10 outside the town of Adelanto in the

Mojave Desert, was deeply emotional

for both the bishops and the roughly

300 detainees present.

“To see their faces, to see how they

were impacted, was very powerful for

me,” said Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop

Brian Nunes. “So many times we think

of migrants, refugees as a category.

And a category is very impersonal, but

seeing them one by one with faces,

with voices, that are very memorable, is

something that I’ll take with me.”

A total of seven bishops were on

hand to celebrate the Mass, which

sought to bring faith and hope to the

undocumented immigrants awaiting

legal proceedings. The outdoor service,

organized by the California Catholic

Conference (CCC) and the Diocese of

San Bernardino, was the first major religious

event at the High Desert facility

since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The visit was inspired by the “special

message” on immigration issued

by the U.S. bishops in November. It

criticized the Trump administration’s

policy of mass deportations and called

for humane treatment at detention

facilities, while acknowledging the right

of nations to protect their borders.


Main celebrant Bishop Alberto Rojas

from the Diocese of San Bernardino,

which includes Adelanto, was also

joined by Emeritus Bishop Gerald

Barnes of San Bernardino, Bishop

Oscar Cantú of San Jose, and Auxiliary

Bishop Rey Bersabal of Sacramento.

The other participants from the Archdiocese

of Los Angeles were Auxiliary

Bishops Matt Elshoff and Marc

Trudeau.

Bishop Cantú preached to the detainees

as they watched from guarded,

fenced recreational areas on either side

of the altar. During the homily, given

in both English and Spanish, the bishop

assured them that God’s grace can

reach them even here.

“No matter where we are, if we’re on

this side of the fence or on that side of

the fence, for God there are no barriers,

there are no fences, there are no walls,”

proclaimed Cantú, who currently

serves as president of the CCC. “His

love penetrates everywhere and anywhere

in the world where the human

heart is open to his love.”

The west wing of the facility houses

some 1,600 men who were taken into

custody not just locally, but throughout

the U.S. Their countries of origin range

from Mexico to Turkey to China. At

the start of Mass, Rojas told the detainees

that the Church had not forgotten

them.

“You are not alone,” said Rojas, who

was recently appointed to the United

States Conference of Catholic Bishops’

(USCCB) Committee on Migration.

“We support you, we pray for you and

your families. We want to see how you

are doing.”

His comments were met with a loud

“Muchas gracias!” from one of the detainees.

The bishop smiled and shouted

back, “De nada!

Throughout the service, detainees

continued to be talkative and demonstrative,

giving one another and the

bishops gestures of peace. But they

turned quiet when the bishops crossed

the heavy metal barriers and entered

their yards, the only time interaction

was permitted. The men mostly took

Communion on the tongue, and some

asked for their Bibles or rosaries to be

blessed. After receiving the Eucharist,

detainees returned to the fence line

and dropped to their knees in prayer,


several laying on the ground prostrate.

Bersabal said he wanted to be a strong

presence for the detainees but struggled

to contain his own emotions.

“After looking into the faces of the

first five men, I had to take a breath

and fight for my composure,” recalled

Bersabal. “You could see how much

Communion meant to them.”

Barnes, who celebrated Mass here

multiple times during his 25 years

leading the Diocese of San Bernardino,

was touched by the men’s gratitude

demonstrated by their clapping at both

the beginning and end of Mass.

“The applause that they shared with

us moved me so much,” said Barnes.

“In a sense, it said, ‘We’re not alone,

thank you for being here.’ Human

beings, brothers, with their own stories.”

The California bishops said they’ll

continue to engage with detainees

and lead prayers, as they did the night

before, when dozens of parishes across

the state marked the feast day of St.

Juan Diego by holding a special Holy

Hour in the presence of the Blessed

Sacrament to pray for immigrants

affected by recent raids. In Los Angeles,

for example, five parishes in each of the

archdiocese’s pastoral regions took part.

At a press conference following the

Mass at Adelanto’s Christ the Good

Shepherd Church nearby, the bishops

said that while the visit was “pastoral”

in nature, it was important to insist on

comprehensive immigration reform

that recognizes the dignity of the

human person. Cantú called out both

Congressional Republicans and Democrats

for not fixing the “broken” system

“that fails families.”

“No matter who they are, no matter

what their color is, and no matter what

mistakes they have made, justice must

always be tempered with mercy and

mercy must always be tempered with

justice,” said Elshoff. “That comes from

the heart of our loving God.”

The bishops also fielded questions

about detainee treatment since GEO

Group, the private company contracted

to operate the facility, has been accused

of not providing adequate care. Cantú

noted that while they did not tour the

entire building, what they saw was

clean. He also said the new warden and

the staff chaplain were welcoming.

Trudeau said the visit reminded him

of Pope Leo XIV’s call in his recent Apostolic

Exhortation, “Dilexi te” (“I have

loved you”), for the Catholic Church

to embrace the vulnerable, including

migrants.

‘What the world sees as threats, the

Church sees [as] God’s children,” said

Trudeau, paraphrasing the pontiff. “It’s

not a political thing here. It’s about

God’s people … they’re our family.”

Natalie Romano is a freelance writer

for Angelus and the Inland Catholic

Byte, the news website of the Diocese of

San Bernardino.

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Matt

Elshoff offers Communion to a

detainee during the rare Mass at the

Adelanto ICE center. | CALIFORNIA

CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

DISCOVERING

LEO’S LANGUAGE

Pope Leo XIV speaks to journalists during a

news conference aboard his flight from Turkey

to Lebanon Nov. 30. | CNS/LOLA GOMEZ

A Vatican

correspondent gives

an inside account of

Pope Leo XIV’s first

international trip.

BY JOVEL ÁLVAREZ

This trip was necessary. This trip

was essential.

Six months into his pontificate,

the global press was still trying to decipher

the personality of Pope Leo XIV.

Those of us who cover the Vatican were

starting to resign ourselves to the fact

that this pope had no interest in making

headlines — which would make our

job increasingly difficult.

Many of us hoped that the Jubilee of

Youth in early August would be his triumphant

debut. We saw flashes of one

during a surprise appearance to greet

thousands of youth in St. Peter’s Square

in English, Spanish, and Italian — but

then struck a sober tone at an outdoor

vigil and Mass outside of Rome with a

million young people.

These months have shown how

effective the Vatican “machine” is at

surrounding a pope, a system that in

seeking to “Italianize” him, loses sight

of the fact that the Catholic Church

needs a pontiff capable of speaking to

the world in a language it can understand.

The Holy Spirit seemed to agree,

giving us a Holy Father who speaks

English and Spanish fluently.

However, improvisations or interven-


Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch

Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the spiritual

leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church,

participate in an ecumenical prayer service

near the archaeological excavations of the

ancient Basilica of St. Neophytos, during his

first apostolic journey, in Iznik, Turkey, Nov.

28. | OSV NEWS/YARA NARDI, REUTERS

tions in those languages — in which he

is more likely to reveal his true personality

— are rare: Speeches are usually

prepared for him only in Italian.

To us journalists, there was one hope

left: the new pope’s first trip. Originally

conceived by Pope Francis as an

ecumenical pilgrimage to mark the

1,700th anniversary of the Council of

Nicea, the voyage was strengthened by

Leo’s decision to add Lebanon to the

itinerary, a country that seems to be

once again on the brink of war.

Everything was a mystery: Will he

speak to journalists? Will he return to

press conferences on the way there, like

Popes John Paul II or Benedict XVI, or

will he continue to hold them on the

way back? Will he allow spontaneous

questions like Pope Francis, or will they

have to be approved in advance? Will

he stop by to greet journalists, or will

he see us as unwanted companions?

Everything remained to be seen.

When he showed up in our section

of the papal plane wearing his glasses

and in visibly good spirits, our anxieties

dissipated. He graciously received a

Byzantine-style icon of the Virgin of

Guadalupe from the dean of the Vatican

press, Valentina Alazraki of Televisa

Univisión, “to guide the steps of an

American pope, American by birth,

South American at heart.”

After the welcome, the pope took the

floor and, in English (surprise!) wished

us a Happy Thanksgiving and thanked

us for the service we as journalists do

“to the Vatican, to the Holy See, to me

personally, and to the whole world.”

Leo wanted to convey a message with

this visit, and he was counting on the

80 journalists traveling in his plane to

help him.

He greeted each of us individually.

When he reached my seat, I decided to

speak my mind.

“Holy Father, Catholics and the media

love it when you speak in Spanish. I

hope you will do so more often.” The

pope smiled affably. In reality, I was

just verbalizing the desperate cry of the

Vatican press.

In Turkey, the pope’s message focused

on ecumenical issues. In the capital

city of Ankara, he was given a state

welcome and delivered a speech to

civil authorities emphasizing Turkey’s

role as a bridge between two worlds.

He also made a call to care for creation

and emphasized the role of women in

all aspects of society — a courageous

message in a Muslim country.

But the high point of this leg of the

pope’s trip came the next day in Iznik,

a small town on the edge of a beautiful

lake where ancient Nicaea once stood.

Standing before the ruins of the

fourth-century Basilica of St. Neophytos

— where scholars believe the

famous Council was actually held —

the pope, the Ecumenical Patriarch

Bartholomew I, and representatives of

other Christian rites and confessions

stood together, calling for unity and

professing the Nicene-Constantinopolitan

Creed together. The visuals made

for a powerful scene.

In his remarks, Leo called on those

present to “overcome the scandal of the

divisions that, unfortunately, still exist”

and to “nourish the desire for unity for

which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave

his life.”

He would focus his efforts along these

lines throughout the trip. Particularly

significant was the fact that on the feast

day of St. Andrew, brother of St. Peter,

the successors of both apostles met at

the Divine Liturgy to deliver a message

oriented toward reconciliation.

Even Patriarch Bartholomew said

that the theological issues separating

Catholics and Orthodox Christians (the

disagreement over the “filioque” clause

in the Nicene Creed and the doctrine

of papal infallibility) are being studied

in search of solutions that would lead

to a reunification of both churches.

Meanwhile, there was no significant

news regarding a long-awaited joint

Easter date.

After the ecumenical apostolic

blessing from the balcony of the

patriarchate, we headed to the airport

and — surprise! — the pope decided

to hold a small press conference on the

flight between Istanbul and Beirut. He

answered two questions from Turkish

colleagues before revealing that the

ecumenical leaders had discussed a

large-scale event in 2033 to mark the

2,000 years since the resurrection of

Jesus Christ.

“The idea has been accepted, but

we have not yet issued the invitation,”

said Leo. “The possibility would be

to celebrate this great event of the


Resurrection, for example, in Jerusalem

in 2033. We still have several years to

prepare for it.”

Upon arriving in Beirut, a very different

scenario awaited us. This was a

country with multitudes of Christians

ready to welcome the pope. Lebanon

overwhelmed us with its affection and

enthusiasm for Leo.

The visually spectacular welcome prepared

for the pope at the Presidential

Palace gave way to the sobering, dramatic

reality of Lebanese society today:

a country which, after wars, insurgencies,

an economic crash, and tragedies

like the 2020 Beirut harbor explosion,

seems to see no future ahead.

The pope, aware of the impending

“brain drain” caused by these conditions,

asked the authorities, “What

can be done so that young people in

particular do not feel compelled to

leave their homeland and emigrate?

. . . Christians and Muslims, together

with all religious and civil sectors of

Lebanese society, are called upon to

make their own contribution and to

commit themselves to raising awareness

of this issue among the international

community.”

To the young people, he said, “Blessed

are the young people who stay or

return, so that Lebanon may remain a

land full of life.”

The pope’s call on Lebanon’s young

people not to leave their country stood

out during the visit, along with more

familiar messages of peace and coexistence.

During the flight back to Rome, the

pope again visited the journalists’ cabin

and, after answering the more political

questions, shared a few anecdotes and

showed a side of his personality that we

had been waiting months to discover.

We saw Leo smiling, carefree, and

spontaneous. He answered questions in

the language in which they were asked.

He confirmed that he is at his best in

English and Spanish. The pope seems

to be understanding that his ministry

must be open to the world — a world

that does not understand Italian.

Jovel Álvarez is a Rome-based correspondent

who reports for various

Spanish-language outlets. Originally

from Costa Rica, he spent years living

and working in the Holy Land.

A prescription to

save Lebanon

Standing amid the rubble and with

the loved ones of people killed

behind him, Pope Leo XIV prays at a

memorial marking the site of a deadly

explosion in 2020 at the port in Beirut

Dec. 2. | CNS/VATICAN MEDIA

Pope Leo XIV’s first international voyage saved one of its most

powerful moments for last.

Hours before boarding a plane from Lebanon back to Rome, the

Holy Father celebrated an outdoor Mass on the Beirut waterfront, near

the site of the August 2020 warehouse explosion that killed 218 people

and injured more than 7,000.

Addressing a crowd of around 150,000 people, Leo recalled the country’s

illustrious legacy dating back to the Old Testament, which speaks

of its rich garments and elegant cedar trees as “the glory of Lebanon.”

“This beauty, however, is overshadowed by poverty and suffering, the

wounds that have marked your history,” Leo said, apparently referring

to the country’s devastated economy and recent clashes between Hezbollah

and Israel.

But even in a society weighed down by so many tribulations, Leo said,

it’s important to recognize the work of Christian schools, parishes,

congregations, and movements that are “small shoots that sprout forth

and small seeds planted in the arid garden in this era of history.”

“The reason Jesus gives thanks to the Father [in the Gospel] is not for

his extraordinary works, but because he reveals his greatness specifically

to the little ones and to the humble, to those who do not attract

attention and seemingly count for little or nothing and have no voice.”

The pope called on the Lebanese people to “disarm” their hearts in

order for Lebanon to “return to its former glory.”

“Let us cast off the armor of our ethnic and political divisions, open

our religious confessions to mutual encounter and reawaken in our

hearts the dream of a united Lebanon,” said Leo.

— Angelus Staff


DEVALUED TO DEATH

A leading advocate believes the push to abolish assisted

suicide in the US is at a ‘major tipping point.’ Here’s why.

BY PABLO KAY

Matt Vallière, executive director

of the Patients Rights Action

Fund, speaks at a 2017 press

conference in the Rayburn

House Office Building in

Washington, D.C. | COURTESY

PATIENT RIGHTS ACTION FUND

The push to legalize assisted

suicide in the United States

appears to have serious momentum

on its side. Since Oregon became

the first state to allow adults to choose

to end their own lives (in certain cases)

in 1997, nine other states, including

California and the District of Columbia,

have followed.

Other states are proposing similar

legislation. Religious and cultural

opposition to the practice is in decline.

Sooner or later, one might figure,

assisted suicide will become common

and legal.

But is this outcome inevitable? Matt

Vallière doesn’t think so.

As executive director of the Patients

Rights Action Fund (PRAF), Vallière

has spearheaded attempts to block

assisted suicide laws in several states,

including Colorado and California.

This month, PRAF announced a

lawsuit challenging the constitutionality

of Delaware’s new assisted suicide

law, which it warns will allow assisted

suicide for people with “non-terminal

conditions” like spinal cord injuries

and anorexia.

Vallière believes there’s a good reason

to hope that assisted suicide could be

declared unconstitutional by the U.S.

Supreme Court.

“The courts are a great equalizer,”

Vallière told Angelus. “And if justice

is meted out, we have a real chance of

overturning assisted suicide in places

like California and across the country.”

Vallière sees signs that the momentum

may be shifting. Grotesque news

reports involving assisted suicide are

emerging in places like Canada and

Europe.

In the States, coalitions including

Catholic bishops and secular political

figures are doing more to spread awareness

and build opposition. Recently,

two anonymous donors committed to

match donations to PRAF and its sister

organization, The Institute for Patients’

Rights, up to $1 million to support its


litigation efforts nationwide.

The cause is also personal for Vallière,

who has relatives with disabilities and

whose father and sister worked for

people with developmental disabilities

while he was growing up.

“People are being devalued to death,”

said Vallière. “They’re almost always

people with disabilities, or they are

older adults, or both. These areas are

near and dear to me.”

Vallière spoke with Angelus about

what’s changing in the fight against

assisted suicide and why he thinks the

issue faces a genuine “tipping point” in

the U.S.

Where do you see the movement

to ban assisted suicide in the U.S. at

right now?

We’re at a major tipping point. Things

could go one way or the other. In the

next five to 10 years, you’ll either see

assisted suicide be legalized in a critical

mass of states, or you’ll see our efforts

in the courts to overturn these laws be

successful.

It’s not going to be this eternal struggle

where some of the states are yes,

and some of the states are no.

These lawsuits are about showing the

public that the legalization of assisted

suicide laws flies in the face of equal

human dignity and in the face of the

human rights that are established both

in the Constitution and by federal antidiscrimination

law, like the Americans

with Disabilities Act.

Interestingly, the states legalizing

assisted suicide lately have not done so

by large margins. Delaware’s legislature

recently legalized it by a single vote.

When California legalized, it was also

by a slim margin.

We’re in a situation where the singular

vote of one assemblyperson can

change the course of human history.

Because once it’s legalized, people

become used to the idea.

We’ve filed lawsuits in Delaware,

Colorado, and California. What’s clear

is that the courts are a great equalizer,

and if justice is meted out, we have

a real chance of overturning assisted

suicide in places like California and

across the country.

If those three lawsuits you mentioned

succeed in overturning those

assisted suicide laws, what are the

next steps?

We aim to have a lawsuit in every

circuit court in which there’s a legal

jurisdiction, with the hope of getting

this to the Supreme Court, which can

make a final decision about whether

or not assisted suicide really can stand

or cannot stand in the face of federal

anti-discrimination law and the Constitution.

Once the court makes a determination

like that, it is — as far as I can

tell — impossible to pass an assisted

suicide law that would get around it

without being discriminatory in nature.

What are you seeing in terms of public

opinion on assisted suicide?

If you look only at the first main question

in polling, it shows that a small

majority of Americans are in support of

legalizing assisted suicide or euthanasia.

But diving deeper into polling also

shows that when people understand

the implications of these laws or experience

them, that support drops off.

I think the reason why support

has gone down is in part due to our

reframing of this issue away from this

false idea that assisted suicide laws add

to autonomy and prevent suffering at

the end of life. It’s about showing them

for what they really are, which is a discriminatory

framework and a eugenic

result that only people with disabilities

get, while everyone else gets suicide

prevention.

Look at Canada, just north of us. This

is not a faraway place like Europe. In

Canada, they’re killing people because

they’re poor or because they have disabilities.

Any physical disability qualifies

you for lethal drugs. This is unconscionable,

and we as Americans have to

ask ourselves some hard questions.

We’ve seen news of assisted suicide

being offered in cases of autism and

anorexia. Are you seeing signs of

social resistance or outrage that give

you hope?

Yes, there are signs that at least give

little glimmers of hope.

Gallup polling shows that support

for assisted suicide and euthanasia are

both down 3% from recent high-water

marks. You’re seeing major progressive

newspapers like the Chicago Tribune

coming out in opposition to the

assisted suicide bill in Illinois, which

was passed by a singular vote at 3 a.m.

This is in a deep blue, progressive state!

(The bill was signed into law by the

governor of Illinois on Dec. 12.)

Similarly, in New York, an assisted suicide

bill passed by a very slim margin.

Brand-name Democrat governors are

wringing their hands, having serious

and deep conflict over whether or not

to sign such a thing. That to me is

hope.

Why? Because if this was just a

foregone conclusion, there wouldn’t be

any handwringing, there wouldn’t be

any conflict. There wouldn’t be close

votes.

People attend a candlelight vigil outside the Sen. John

H. Hughes Office Building in downtown Syracuse, New

York, Dec. 4, to speak out against a controversial bill that,

should it become law, would allow physicians to assist

terminally ill adults as young as age 18 to die by suicide. |

OSV NEWS/TAMI S. SCOTT, THE CATHOLIC SUN


There are also some areas of society

where people are really asking themselves

hard questions. There are stories

like Jane Allen’s, a 28-year-old who

found herself coming out of a morphine

induced stupor in an inpatient

hospice setting with lethal drugs at her

disposal and a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate

order) on file. If that’s not patient

abandonment, I’m not sure what is.

People were shocked that this person

was prescribed assisted suicide. They’re

shocked that the doctor effectively

said, “Your case is hopeless.” And they

should be. Is that enough shock for

these governors to veto these bills?

We’ll see.

Also, this issue doesn’t cut down the

traditional lines of party or worldview.

The fact that we have a growing and

diverse coalition opposing these laws is

also a great hope to me that we have a

real chance at total victory on assisted

suicide.

On abortion, the Supreme Court’s

Dobbs decision three years ago gave

pro-life advocates what they’d worked

toward for years. But changing hearts

and minds on abortion remains a big

challenge. Similarly, even if state-assisted

suicide laws get overturned,

aren’t you still dealing with a similar

problem?

Although the issues are very different,

legally speaking, we’ve actually been in

a “Dobbs moment” for almost 30 years.

Back in the late 1990s, proponents

of assisted suicide tried to make a case

that would have established a right in

the Constitution to assisted suicide,

a move they hoped would produce a

similar outcome to what Roe v. Wade

did for abortion. They lost 9-0 in a case

called Washington v. Glucksberg. That

was a Dobbs-like loss for proponents of

assisted suicide laws.

Our organization takes no position on

issues like abortion. The two issues vary

dramatically and people have different

positions on them.

There are 10 states and the District of

Columbia that have legalized assisted

suicide. But it’s been a very slow uptake

on assisted suicide because not all of

the same factors are at play.

We’re not asking the Supreme Court

to overturn a previous ruling. We are

trying to prove that the assisted suicide

laws in fact violate anti-discrimination

laws and the Constitution, so that

through a decision, it can declare assisted

suicide laws null and void. If it were

successful, it would effectively abolish

assisted suicide in this country for our

grandchildren’s lifetimes.

Now states could try to legalize a

different form of assisted suicide that

would somehow get around the ruling.

But in the end, the only way around

our hoped-for ruling is that you have

assisted suicide for everybody, otherwise,

it must be for nobody.

I don’t think that our society is ready

to give lethal drugs to an 18-year-old

with a messy breakup. We’re just not

there. But there are a lot of other

battles to fight on the human dignity

front. There are a lot of policies in both

medical practice and in public policy

that devalue people to death.

Pablo Kay is the editor-in-chief of

Angelus.

Ahead of his time

Mosaic of the prophet Daniel

on the facade of the Basilica of

Saint Paul Outside the Walls in

Rome, Italy. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Through the prophet

Daniel, God foretold

the precise timing of

Christmas — and a

few other key details.

BY MIKE AQUILINA

In the lead-up to Christmas, Angelus

has been looking at three Old Testament

prophets who anticipated the story

of Christ’s birth. The following is Part

Three of our three-part series.

The prophet Daniel is not usually

the first Old Testament figure

people think of during Christmas.

The Church’s hymns and prayers

spotlight Isaiah, who foretold the

virginal conception of the Messiah

(Isaiah 7:14). They speak of Micah,

who pinpointed the location of his

birth (Micah 5:2).

Yet the Book of Daniel powerfully

shaped the Church’s imagination for

both Advent and Christmas. In fact,

though Daniel had lived and died

hundreds of years before Christ, it was

he who roused expectation during the

reign of King Herod the Great that the

time of the Messiah had arrived.

Daniel lived in a time of crisis for

God’s chosen people. In 605 B.C., the

armies of Babylon, led by King Nebuchadnezzar

II, laid siege to Jerusalem

and then took it captive. They returned

home with treasures from the kingdom

of Judah and from its Temple. They

also seized as captives the best and

brightest men of the young generation,

and among them was Daniel.

He was among the first of the Jews to

be taken into exile, and in Babylon he

served the king with loyalty and skill.

Daniel proved himself in virtue and

earned the respect of his captors. He

also received supernatural gifts from

God. He had the ability to interpret


dreams. He saw visions of future

events. His prayers were efficacious.

On behalf of his people, Daniel

sought answers from God. In prayer

he learned that Jerusalem would be

desolate for 70 years, and he sought to

make reparation for the sins of his fellow

Jews. An angel told him, however,

that the holy city would not be fully

restored for “seventy weeks of years”

(Daniel 9:24) — that is, seventy times

seven years. From the time of the exile

until the restoration and rebuilding,

490 years would pass, and then would

come “an anointed one, a prince”

(9:25). In Hebrew the word for anointed

is Mashiach (Messiah); in Greek it

is Christos.

What else did Daniel say about

the Christ? He would be “one like a

Son of Man” coming on the clouds,

receiving dominion and kingship

from the Ancient of Days (7:13–14).

Not merely earthly, he would exercise

divine authority. His kingdom would

be eternal — “not made by human

hands” (2:34–35). It would encompass

the whole world and destroy its idols.

The oracles of Daniel were preserved

in the Book of Daniel, which was

revered among the sacred books of the

Jews. It brought a measure of hope and

peace. The exile was a just punishment

for the sins of Judah, but it would not

be everlasting or indefinite. Daniel’s

prophecy created a chronological

“The Nativity,” by

Lorenzo Monaco,

1370-1425, Italian. |

THE METROPOLITAN

MUSEUM OF ART

expectation. There would be a measurable

period between the captivity and

the appearance of the Messiah.

So, for almost half a millennium, the

people counted down the years.

The prophecy helps to explain why

the reign of King Herod the Great was

marked by expectation of the Messiah’s

arrival. Those were the last years we

recognize as “B.C.” — before Christ.

By the time of Jesus’ birth, many Jews

believed the prophetic clock had

almost run down.

This helps explain why the Magi were

alert to a royal birth (Matthew 2:1–2)

and why “all Jerusalem” was agitated

by news of a newborn king (Matthew

2:3).

It also explains why messianic movements

were erupting throughout Judea.

The Jewish historian Josephus mentions

several figures who claimed to

be the Messiah in the years just before

Jesus’ birth. There was Athronges the

Shepherd and Simon of Peraea; and

there was Judas of Galilee, mentioned

in Acts 5:37, who led a revolt around

the time of Jesus’ birth and was later

joined by his son Menachem.

The birth of Jesus occurred in this atmosphere

created by Daniel’s timeline.

Jesus was born in a moment when

Israel knew the prophetic timetable

was nearly up.

Hope ran high because Daniel’s

promises for the Messiah’s reign were

extravagant. He said the 70 weeks

would end with God “finishing transgression,”

“putting an end to sin,” and

“bringing everlasting righteousness”

(Daniel 9:24).

Daniel’s prophecy helps to explain why the reign

of King Herod the Great was marked by expectation

of the Messiah’s arrival.

Advent’s great desire — “O come, O

come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive

Israel” — draws directly from this

vision. And Christmas answers it: the

Child is born to destroy sin and restore

righteousness.

The early Christians saw the “weeks

of years” as fulfilled in Jesus. The prophetic

timetable became part of the

early Church’s argument that Jesus’

coming was not accidental or random

but divinely scheduled.

St. Irenaeus of Lyon highlights it in

the second century, as do St. Hippolytus

in Rome and Origen in Egypt

in the third century. In the fourth

century the witnesses are too numerous

to mention, and they

are geographically dispersed

throughout the Christian

world.

The message is universal,

and it bears good news:

There is an end to all current

sorrows, and that ending is

the Christ. God arranged for

human fulfillment to appear,

and it arrived precisely on

time.

Now redemption awaits only

the love and consent of those

who would be redeemed.

Mike Aquilina is a contributing

editor to Angelus

and author of many books,

including “History’s Queen:

Exploring Mary’s Pivotal Role

from Age to Age” (Ave Maria

Press, $16.95).


WITH GRACE

DR. GRAZIE POZO CHRISTIE

A scholar’s case for angels

In a world obsessed with what we can touch, see, measure,

and record, beauty and truth are less important than ever

to modern man. His outlook is largely horizontal, and

having a spiritual outlook on life is harder than ever.

But even so, as the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins

once put it, the natural “world is charged with the grandeur

of God.” The narrowest contemporary mind can’t help but

be moved by the glints of that grandeur “shining like shook

foil” when for a moment it looks up from the pavement at

the glimmering sky.

By looking up, man can start to experience that there’s

something even grander than our flattened, human world: a

spiritual world in which our souls are engaged in an important

battle, unseen but not unfelt, in which immortal forces

are fighting either on our behalf or against us.

In other words, believing in angels matters.

Even though angels color the traditions and narratives of

several major religions, modern theology has persistently

trivialized them, dismissing them as psychological symbols

and cultural metaphors.

That’s why a new book from Cambridge Prof. Michael D.

Hurley titled “Angels and Monotheism”

(Cambridge University

Press, $22) comes at an important

moment.

The professor’s book is an attempt

to reinvigorate the discipline of

“The Creation of Adam,” by

Michelangelo Buonarroti is

pictured in the Sistine Chapel

in the Vatican Museums in

this Feb. 21, 2020, file photo. |

CNS/PAUL HARING

“Angelology.” I confess this is a strange and unexpected

word, but the concept — that angels exist and their position

and function within the Divine Order is something to study

and digest — is sound. If God has in fact provided powerful

assistants for each of us in our daily spiritual struggle, it

would be madness to disregard them or sentimentalize them

into insignificance.

Hurley, a professor of theology and literature, explains some

of the difficulties contemporary theologians have when it

comes to angels. Many are caught between faith and their

desire for scholarly respectability in a world in which faith

and reason are considered antagonists.

He refutes the leading attacks against angels as being mere

extra-scriptural speculation, the poetic effusions of the

human imagination, or a piece of knowledge relying for


Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie is a mother of five

who practices radiology in the Miami area.

legitimacy on Divine Revelation. He shows that the existence

of demons and angels may not be the very heart of the

Christian faith, but it is certainly an objective truth, within

the order of revealed truths that all Christians are bound to

believe.

If bound to believe, then we are bound to understand. We

face the difficulty that human comprehension is limited

when it comes to supernatural realities, but the game is

worth the candle. One place to start is to remember that our

current conception of angels as chubby infants floating in

the clouds is a gross reduction of their scriptural manifestation

as powerful beings waging war on our behalf.

Angelology is also a bridge to the mind of God. It tells us

that our Creator God thought enough of us to provide us

with their divine assistance, and that we would do well to

turn to them. Angels can be understood as a midway point

between God and man, sharing something with each. Comparing

man with angels, then, “reveals what is distinctive

about the Supreme Being believed to have created both.”

Angelology also provides knowledge that is necessary for

understanding Scripture. For instance, to misunderstand

the Archangel Gabriel is to fail to grasp the meaning of the

events, like the Incarnation, in which he acts.

In my favorite section, Hurley explores the practical implications

of the study of angels for our moral and spiritual lives.

Angels teach us to be attentive to creation, looking without

distraction at the inner form of things. Hurley suggests an

“Angelic Pause” — a 60-second contemplation of some ordinary

thing, like a leaf, to see it as an angel does, as it exists

in God.

The angels who chose obedience so decisively are models

of resistance to temptation. Our guardian angels, we learn,

assist us by giving us clarity in moral dilemmas, consoling us

in our distress, and nudging us providentially each day, if we

are open to them.

There is also, of course, the angel at our death bed who

is our last teacher. Hurley gives us a lovely Memento Mori

prayer of his own composition: “Angel of my ending, teach

me now what I must learn then: that all is gift, all is grace, all

is God.”

With his book, you can put away modernity’s insistence

that angels are only symbols that tell us about human needs.

Instead, we can rely confidently on the help of these unembodied

beings that mediate between us and God, fight the

powers of darkness on our behalf, and tenderly watch over

our children as they sleep.


NOW PLAYING JAY KELLY

A MAN VERSUS

HIS MYTH

This Christmas, George Clooney and Adam Sandler

team up for a rare Hollywood reflection on the price

of fame and the meaning of life.

George Clooney as Jay Kelly

in the Netflix film “Jay Kelly.”

| PETER MOUNTAIN © 2025

NETFLIX INC. VIA IMDB

BY ROBERT INCHAUSTI

The renowned film director

Martin Scorsese once said that

Alfred Hitchcock did not make

suspense movies; he made movies

about sin, guilt, and the search for

redemption.

Something similar could be said

about “Jay Kelly” (released in some

theaters last month, and on Netflix

Dec. 4), which stars George Clooney

as a movie star on a soul-searching

trip. It is not a film about a movie star,

but rather a two-hour meditation on

the words of Christ in the Gospel of

Mark: “What does it profit a man if

he gains the whole world but loses his

soul?”

Thanks to a brilliantly written

screenplay and impressive acting, “Jay

Kelly” may qualify as one of the great

examinations of conscience in world

cinema — right up there with Fellini’s

“8 1/2,” Sorrentino’s “The Great

Beauty,” and Zinnemann’s “A Man for

All Seasons.” It is an inner adventure

movie, a Dante-esque epic — episodic

in form, pastoral in intention, and

Catholic in its universality and cosmic

reach.

Yet it also manages to be a very personal

film about a soul under duress

and at mortal risk — just like us.

Jay is a popular Hollywood star

deciding whether to continue performing

in the fanciful myth he has

made of his life and career, or finally

become a real person by getting rid

of all the inner clutter: the artifice,

presumptions, projections, and denials

that come with being a Hollywood

movie star. He must decide if he has

the courage to face up to who he

has become, and in the words of the

writer James Baldwin, find the guts to

“smell his own stink.”

It’s not an easy thing for any of us

to do, but it’s the only way to break

free from the half-truths and excuses

we are constantly telling ourselves

and inflicting upon others. One of

the reasons Jay’s moral crises hit us so


hard is that he (like George Clooney,

himself) is the kind of person we

would like to be, a rich and handsome

person who lives a pleasant and exemplary

life. Or at least it seems that way,

until we begin to take a long, hard

look at his life.

Once that happens to Clooney’s

character, the movie takes off into

unexplored territory. We begin to see

Jay’s struggle to break free from the

celebrity success myth that has swallowed

him whole.

In almost every scene a lie is told,

a humble brag is exposed, a deceit

revealed, or a self-serving half-truth

repeated. We see broken relationships

and shattered lives, the neglected

children and the lovers left behind,

friends turned into acquaintances and

all the failed marriages.

Fame, it turns out, is every bit of the

nightmare it’s been said to be. Fame

makes it more difficult to discern reality

from illusion, and so in our culture

of hype, hustle, and constant self-promotion,

it’s very hard for any of us to

really be honest people — whether we

work in the entertainment industry or

not.

At one point, Jay’s manager (played

by Adam Sandler) tells Jay that “we

are all Jay Kellys at one time or another,

and in one form or another.”

He could have added: “Or we work

for him. Or we were once married to

him. Jay is everywhere. He is the ubiquitous

American everyman, the rich

and famous version of Willy Lowman,

our shadow and our brother. And

we are his hypocrite audience, his

witnesses, enablers, collaborators, and

sometimes, even his soul’s assassins.”

This love/hate relationship between

the star and his fans is illustrated

during Jay’s trip to Tuscany on the

train from Paris. After he improvises a

charming meet-and-greet with all the

passengers in the train car, one of the

passengers asks a companion, “What

is the secret to his charm?”

“He has the permission to be human

that was taken away from the rest of us

years ago,” the companion answers.

It is a telling observation in a film

with many telling observations. But

this one cuts to a profound source of

Jay’s problems: Jay may have succeeded

in being loved and desired by

others, but he never learned to love

other people back. Thomas Merton

once wrote that “a saint is not a

person who is famous for being holy

but an unknown person who sees

the holiness in everyone else.” Given

this definition, Jay gets saintlier as his

career implodes.

As he looks back on his life’s choices,

Jay is forced to admit to himself

that at every significant crossroad, he

chose self-interest over self-sacrifice,

ambition over friendship, and fame

over family.

As he does, his heart begins to break

and his soul begins to soften, offering

the audience a chance to suffer his

regrets with him and remember our

own regrets, perhaps breaking our

own hearts, too.

At the climax of the film, Jay’s Italian

hosts project a highlight reel of his

greatest performances on the stage of

a beautiful opera house. He has come

to some sober conclusions about

himself by now, and here we see every

joy, loss, guilt, and grace he’s ever

experienced play across the features

of George Clooney’s silent face. It is

a privileged cinematic moment, only

this time the sentimentality is muted

by a richer, deeper knowledge of what

it took to get here.

I had the privilege to watch “Jay

Kelly” at a small theater screening in

November, so I worry this sequence

may not register on your home TV

screen with the same power. But I suggest

you give it the chance.

Robert Inchausti is professor emeritus,

Department of English at Cal Poly

San Luis Obispo. He holds a Ph.D

in English from the University of

Chicago, and is the author of several

books, including “The Way of Thomas

Merton: A prayer journey through

Lent” (SPCK Publishing, $13.99)

and “Subversive Orthodoxy: Outlaws,

Revolutionaries, and Other Christians

in Disguise” (Besito Books, $14.95).


DESIRE LINES

HEATHER KING

The artist who painted as she prayed

“L’arbre de vie” (“The tree of life”), by Séraphine Louis,

1864-1942, French. | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Séraphine Louis, better known as

Séraphine de Senlis (1864-1942),

a French “outsider artist,” worked

as a convent maid before her work

was discovered, and by many accounts

died in an insane asylum.

Séraphine was born to a peasant

family in the village of Arsy in northern

France. She was orphaned by the

age of 6. Her eldest sister cared for

her during one period. She supported

herself for a time as a shepherdess.

By 1881, when she was 17, she was

engaged as a domestic worker at the

Sisters of Providence convent in Clermont,

Oise.

From 1901 on, she worked as a

charwoman for middle-class families

in the nearby town of Senlis.

In 1912, German art collector Wilhelm

Uhde was visiting Senlis when

he chanced to see a still life of apples

at the home of his host and learned

that the artist was the man’s housecleaner,

Séraphine.

There were many more such paintings,

Uhde was astonished to discover,

of exuberant flowers, fruits and trees:

“The Lord’s Garden,” Séraphine

summed up this celestial heaven.

A fervent Catholic, she was inspired

by the fields and woods through

which she had loved to walk since

childhood. She made her own paints

from a secret recipe that may have

included oil from the tapers burned

in church, moss, clay, and blood. She

worked by candlelight, with an image

of the Blessed Virgin Mary gazing

down upon her.

Uhde, an early collector of Cubist

works, was also a champion of such

well-known painters as Rousseau,

Picasso, and Braque. Of Séraphine, he

observed: “An extraordinary passion, a

sacred fervor, a medieval ardor.”

“What can I tell you, sir?” she

remarked to Uhde. “I paint as I pray.

There’s no difference. I always say

that I do all this for the Virgin Mary.

I paint above all at night when the

town is asleep. My still lifes are like

gifts for the Good Lord and the Holy

Mother. Necklaces of pearls and

precious stones that I thread so they’ll

be pleased with me. So I’ll go to

Paradise.”

Uhde supplied Séraphine with


Heather King (heather-king.com) writes memoirs, leads workshops,

and posts on Substack at “Desire Lines: Books, Culture, Art.”

painting materials, encouraged and

supported her in every way, and saw

to it that she was included among the

“naïve artists,” as such unschooled

painters were called, who flourished

between the two World Wars.

Uhde was forced to flee France at

the outbreak of World War I. When

he returned in 1927, he assumed

Séraphine had died, and was amazed

instead to find her work featured in a

local exhibit.

He also proceeded to collect many

of her paintings and was responsible

for launching a 1929 exhibit called

“Painters of the Sacred Heart.”

Always an eccentric, however,

Séraphine had become ever more

prone to visions and states of near-ecstasy.

Poverty and ill-treatment she

could deal with. It was perhaps even a

small measure of success that sent her

over the edge.

Observed art historian Edith Hoffman

in 1964: “Some of her flowers

look as if they belonged to the

flesh-consuming kind. Flame-like

or hairy and prickly, they cover her

canvases like growths that cannot

be stopped, and malicious eyes are

hidden among the leaves. The colours

are often murky, and sometimes there

is no composition but uncontrolled

accumulation. Among flower-pieces

these paintings are unique, for

they express fierceness rather than a

lyrical temperament. Undoubtedly

Séraphine had reached the borderline

of insanity when she painted them.”

Others saw, and continue to see, very

different qualities. Wrote a blogger

named Messy Nessy in a 2023 post:

“Séraphine’s paintings are characterized

by a strong use of blues,

greens, and violets, and she often used

a limited palette of complementary

colors to create a sense of harmony

and movement in her compositions.

She also used thick impasto, which is

a technique of building up the paint

on the canvas to create a sense of

depth and texture in her paintings.

Her thick impasto gave her paintings a

distinctive, sculptural quality and added

to the sense of movement in her

compositions. Her technique was also

unusual in that she would use both oil

and watercolors in her paintings. …

This combination created beautiful

and lively effects in her paintings, and

helped to give them a sense of movement

and spontaneity.”

In 1932, Séraphine was admitted to

the lunatic asylum at Clermont. The

diagnosis was chronic psychosis. By all

accounts, she never painted again.

The date of her death is disputed.

Uhde maintained that she ended her

days at the Clermont asylum in 1934.

Others say she breathed her last on

Dec. 11, 1942, in a Villers-sous-Erquery

hospital in northern France.

What’s undisputed is that she died

penniless and alone, and was buried

in a common grave.

“Séraphine,” a 2008 French-Belgian

biopic directed by Martin Provost,

won the 2009 César Award for Best

Film.

Her paintings are today exhibited in

the Musée d’art de Senlis, the Musée

d’art naïf in Nice, and the Musée

d’Art moderne Lille Métropole in

Villeneuve-d’Ascq.

And in Paradise at last, may she sit

at the Virgin’s knee: still singing the

praises of creation, still painting her

numinous and mysterious flowers.


LETTER AND SPIRIT

SCOTT HAHN

Scott Hahn is founder of the

St. Paul Center for Biblical

Theology; stpaulcenter.com.

Shepherds, why this jubilee?

It’s unlikely that King Herod would have been as impressed

with the testimony of shepherds as he was with the

opinions of the Magi. Shepherds had little money, and

they smelled like their sheep. The Bethlehem shepherds may

have had a bit more prestige, since they bred lambs for sacrifice

in the Jerusalem Temple. But Herod had little regard for

the priests there; he’d have had no time for shepherds.

Maybe it would have been different in King David’s time.

After all, he was a shepherd. He continued to tend his father’s

flocks even as he rose in the ranks of the military (1 Samuel

17:15). When David was about to be crowned King, the Lord

said to him: “You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and

you shall be prince over Israel” (2 Samuel 5:2).

David never forgot his origins; and, in his most famous song,

he praised God as a shepherd: “The LORD is my shepherd,

I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1–3). David describes God as the

divine shepherd — who leads, feeds, tends, restores, protects,

refreshes, and provides for the people he has chosen as his

“sheep.” Salvation, for David, was

wrapped up in God’s shepherding:

“O save your people, and bless your

heritage; be their shepherd, and

carry them for ever” (Psalm 28:9).

The Hebrews were herdsmen from

their origin. Abraham wandered

with his flocks. And even before

Abraham, at the dawn of humanity,

Abel the herdsman was the righteous

man of his generation.

Jacob was mingling with shepherds

when he spied Rachel, his beloved

(Genesis 29:3). Noble Joseph, the

patriarch and dreamer, was named

as a shepherd (Genesis 37:2). The

Hebrews’ identity as shepherds even

protected them, for a while, from

the Egyptians, who had a horror

of the trade (Genesis 32–34). The

Book of Genesis ends with the Patriarch

Jacob’s blessing upon his sons,

in which he refers to God as “the

Shepherd” (Genesis 49:24).

Moses was tending flocks when

he was called to be deliverer to his

people (Exodus 3:1). The Exodus

“Adoration of the Shepherds,” by Jan

Steen, 1625/1626-1679, Dutch. |

WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

journey itself is defined by shepherding, as God tells Israel:

“your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty

years” (Numbers 14:33).

This identity would be enduring, and the flocks provide the

dominant metaphors for Israel’s self-understanding. When

the people sin, they “go astray” (Psalm 119:67), as sheep do,

and are “scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no

shepherd” (1 Kings 22:17). Leaders are discussed as good or

bad “shepherds.” David appears, then, as the archetype of the

“good shepherd” of his people. Long after David’s death, the

Prophet Ezekiel foretold that the definitive Good Shepherd

would be born from the House of David (Ezekiel 37:24).

Thus the study of Israel’s shepherds is a genealogy of its redeemers:

Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David. All had

their flaws and foreshadowed the Messiah still to come.

It should come as no surprise, then, for us to find shepherds

at the birth of Jesus. All through history, God had shown

them favor.


■ FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19

Handel’s “Messiah,” by Dream Orchestra, Opera Chorus

of Los Angeles, and Cathedral Choirs. Cathedral of Our

Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 7 p.m.

Tickets required. Visit olacathedral.org.

■ SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21

Homeless Persons’ Interreligious Memorial. Cathedral of

Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 5

p.m. Gathering to honor lives lost to homelessness and to

strengthen our shared response. Visit lacatholics.org/events.

■ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23

Penance Service. St. Andrew Church, 311 N. Raymond

Ave., Pasadena, 7:15 p.m. Many priests will be available to

hear confessions. Visit saintandrewpasadena.org or call

626-792-4183.

■ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25

Free Christmas Meals. St. Agatha Church, 2646 S. Mansfield

Ave, Los Angeles, 1-3 p.m. S.H.A.R.E. Ministry will be

distributing free hot takeout meals in the grotto parking lot.

Call 323-935-8127.

■ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30

New Year’s Retreat: Recovering the Image and Likeness.

Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 1 p.m.-

Thurs., Jan. 1, 11 a.m. With Sister Chris Machado, SSS, and

Michael O’Palko. Visit hsrcenter.com or call 818-784-4515.

■ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7

Organ Concert Series: Patricia Wang. Cathedral of Our

Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 1 p.m.

Visit olacathedral.org.

Solemn Vespers. Our Mother of Good Counsel Church,

2060 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, 7 p.m. OMGC will

hold Solemn Vespers services with choir and organ, chants,

hymns, psalms, and canticles on the first and third Wednesdays

of each month. The first Wednesday will include

Benediction. Call 323-664-2111 or visit omgcla.org.

■ THURSDAY, JANUARY 8

St. Padre Pio Mass. St. Anne Church, 340 10th St., Seal

Beach, 1 p.m. Celebrant: Father Al Baca. For more information,

call 562-537-4526.

■ SATURDAY, JANUARY 10

New Year Silent Saturday Centering Prayer. Holy Spirit

Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. With

Sister Chris Machado, SSS, and the Centering Prayer Team.

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

■ SUNDAY, JANUARY 11

Virtual Diaconate Formation Information Day. Zoom, 2-4

p.m. Presentation available in Spanish. Email NGDubon@

la-archdiocese.org.

■ TUESDAY, JANUARY 13

Memorial Mass. San Fernando Mission, 15151 San Fernando

Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, 11 a.m. Mass is open to the

public. Limited seating. RSVP to outreach@catholiccm.org

or call 213-637-7810. Livestream available at CathoicCM.

org or Facebook.com/lacatholics.


Marriage Preparation Session. Sacred Heart Church, 344

W. Workman St., Covina, 8:45 a.m.-5 p.m. Two sessions

available per month, one in English and one in Spanish. Engaged

couples and those already in a civil union are welcome

to attend. All sessions require in-person attendance of both

bride and groom for the full eight-hour session. Cost: $150/

couple. Visit familylife.lacatholics.org.

Methodology in Catechesis and Faith Development.

Zoom, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. With Prof. Douglas Leal, MA Pastoral

Ministry. The session introduces participants to the major

theories of human development, faith development, and

the method of Shared Christian Praxis. Cost: $50/person.

Breaks and lunchtime included. Visit lacatholics.org/events.

■ SUNDAY, JANUARY 18

Feast of Santo Niño. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels,

555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, Sinulog, 2 p.m. at the plaza,

pre-liturgy, 3 p.m., Mass 3:30 p.m. Principal celebrant:

Father Crespo A. Lape, MJ. Bring Santo Niño statues for

a special blessing. Call Romy Esturas at 213-393-9405 or

email romyesturas@hotmail.com.


Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop. Holy Spirit

Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

With Sister Chris Machado, SSS, and the Centering Prayer

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

OneLife LA. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555

W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 1:30-6 p.m. Day includes a

gathering at the Cathedral plaza, inspiring talks and live

music, walk for life, and the Requiem Mass for the Unborn

celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez. Visit onelifela.org.

‘Hastening the Kingdom’: Catholic Bible Institute Talk

Series. Zoom, 7-8:30 p.m. Presenter: Chris Seeman, Ph.D.,

professor of theology at Walsh University. What does it

mean to look forward to the resurrection of the dead and

the life of the world to come? Visit lacatholics.org/events.

■ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28

Ethical Leadership Lunch. Cathedral of Our Lady of the

Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Catholic leaders from the business world are invited to

discuss how ethical business practices can positively impact

our community. Visit lacatholics.org/events.

■ FRIDAY, JANUARY 30

Journey Through Grief Weekend Retreat. Holy Spirit

Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 5 p.m.-Sun., Feb.

1, 1 p.m. With Cathy Narvaez. Visit hsrcenter.com or call

818-784-4515.


Women’s Discernment Retreat. Our Lady of the Angels

Center, 5435 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free

retreat hosted by Called LA, led by the Inter-Congregational

Vocations Ministry, for women ages 18-39. Hospitality and

lunch included. Contact Jillian Cooke with questions or

RSVP at 213-751-4778 or email calledla@la-archdiocese.

org.

■ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4

Organ Concert Series: Juhee Lee. Cathedral of Our Lady

of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 1 p.m. Visit

olacathedral.org.

Solemn Vespers. Our Mother of Good Counsel Church,

2060 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, 7 p.m. OMGC will

hold Solemn Vespers services with choir and organ, chants,

hymns, psalms, and canticles, on the first and third Wednesdays

of each month. The first Wednesday will include

Benediction. Call 323-664-2111 or visit omgcla.org.

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 | December 26, 2025 | Vol.10 No. 26

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Angelus News | December 26, 2025 | Vol.10 No. 26

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