Anaheim Hills parishioner Lynn Dao reaffirms her faith following her son’s devastating diagnosis.
CURSILLO: THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME
The “short course” brings a refreshing boost to the everyday Catholic’s faith.
ST. BONAVENTURE EVENING FISH FRY
The Huntington Beach parish hosts the community for a Lenten dinner.
HOLY FACE OF JESUS IMAGE COMING TO OC
The image taken from the Veil of Veronica will tour the Diocese this month. 18
SEVEN LAST WORDS JESUS TEACHES US
Christ’s last messages to us create a lasting bond to carry our faith forward.
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT
The Orange County Catholic Newspaper seeks to illuminate and animate the journey of faith for Catholics within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange – building solidarity among the faithful and inviting a deeper understanding and involvement in the mission of Christ – through the timely sharing of news, commentary and feature content in an engaging, accessible and compelling format.
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC
The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840
Publisher: The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange
Director of Custom Content: Caroline Wong, cawong@scng.com
SCNG CUSTOM CONTENT
Managing Editor: Caitlin Adams Art Director: Ryann Beveridge
Delivered weekly to parishes and homes throughout Orange County, Calif., Orange County Catholic is published by SCNG Custom Content, a division of Southern California News Group that offers content development and design expertise to businesses and nonprofit institutions. The Orange County Catholic editorial staff and editorial council are responsible for the content contained herein. Events and products advertised in Orange County Catholic do not carry the implicit endorsement of the Diocese of Orange or SCNG Custom Content.
ROSARY BEADS
COURTESY OF MARIA LOZANO
READER CALL-OUT
My Rosary is a special gift handcrafted by my daughter. The centerpiece features the Holy Family, reminding me of the love and unity within my own family. A charm representing the Holy Spirit hangs alongside it, a symbol of His presence in our lives. Each bead includes a square letter, spelling out the names of my children and my husband. As I pray with this Rosary, I ask our Blessed Mother to intercede for my family, entrusting them to her loving care.
—Maria Lozano, Our Lady of Fatima parish, San Clemente
If you would like to share a photo of your Rosary Beads with our readers, please send a photo and brief description (include your name and parish) to: editor@occatholic.com C
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
DANIEL 13:1-9, 1517, 19-30, 33-62 OR 13:41C-62; PSALM 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6; JOHN 8:12-20
“ We are one, in the one Lord of our life…”
— Pope Francis
SAINT PROFILE
JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE 1651-1719
FOUNDER OF THE INSTITUTE of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, John Baptist was the eldest of 11 children in a noble French family. His studies in Paris were interrupted by his parents' deaths; he returned to Reims, where he finished his schooling and was ordained in 1678. After settling into the comfortable life of a cathedral canon, he was challenged by a layman who had opened free schools for the poor in Rouen to do the same in Reims. This led to increasing involvement with poor children and the founding, growth and running of his order, which survived opposition and innovated classroom teaching and use of the vernacular. Canonized in 1900, he was declared the patron saint of teachers in 1950.C
TUESDAY
NUMBERS 21:4-9; PSALM 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21; JOHN 8:21-30
WEDNESDAY
DANIEL 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; DANIEL 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56; JOHN 8:31-42
THURSDAY
GENESIS 17:3-9; PSALM 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; JOHN 8:51-59
FRIDAY
JEREMIAH 20:1013; PSALM 18:23A, 3BC-4, 5-6, 7; JOHN 10:31-42
PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK
SATURDAY
EZEKIEL 37:2128; JEREMIAH 31:10, 1112ABCD, 13; JOHN 11:45-56
SUNDAY LUKE 19:28-40; ISAIAH 50:4-7; PSALM 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; PHILIPPIANS 2:6-11; LUKE 22:14—23:56
PHOTO
FAITH RESTORED
AFTER HER SON’S DEVASTATING DIAGNOSIS, LYAN DAO HAS RESTORED HER FAITH IN GOD THANKS TO ST. NORBERT CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRAYER WARRIORS
BY CATHERINE RISLING
EMMETT PHAM WAS A cheeky, rule-following 3-year-old enrolled at St. Norbert Catholic School in Orange. He was quiet but had lots of friends and loved riding tricycles and playing with the older boys.
Every weekend he attended Mass with his family at San Antonio de Padua Catholic Church in Anaheim Hills. Praying for the sick always topped their list of intentions. Lyan Dao and husband Duy Pham were also blessed with daughter Emma, who is two years behind Emmett.
Last March Emmett suffered several seizures that landed him in Children’s Hospital of Orange County for two months
mett was in my class.”
Phillips and fellow preschool teacher Veronica Olmos prayed with their class every day. Parents were aware Emmett was sick but didn’t know the specifics. They, too, prayed for his recovery.
At a particularly desperate moment before a procedure, Lyan texted Phillips asking for immediate prayers. She, in turn, reached out to St. Norbert principal Joe Ciccoianni, who walked out of a church staff meeting and said a decade of the Rosary with the entire school.
“I tried to pray but it was too hard,” Lyan said.
al, speech and feeding therapy five days a week. Doctors tried medication after medication. They threw everything at the wall, Lyan said, hoping something would stick. They even tried chemotherapy-type infusions for several months and cleaning his blood cells.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
with a neurological diagnosis but no game plan. It was a rare disease, and doctors had no cure or answers. Emmett had lost his ability to eat, talk, stand or walk. You’d look into his eyes, and no one stared back. The boy who loved to sing and play with his sister and friends was now a shadow of himself.
Lyan and Duy work in the medical field, but nothing prepared them for the uncertainty and grief of losing a son who was still alive. Duy went back and forth from CHOC to his job in Los Angeles and was rarely home. It was too painful to see his healthy daughter, he’d tell his wife.
Lyan did her best to care for their daughter and be there for Emmett while watching her once laid-back husband fall silent, reluctant to talk about what was going on with their son. Emmett was showing no signs of recovery; Lyan grew angry with God and lost her desire to pray.
IN WALKS HELP
Emmett’s preschool teacher, Maria Phillips, knew CHOC’s fifth floor well. Her granddaughter, also named Emma, was born with a neurological disorder and has spent the last eight years in and out of the hospital. Lyan was keeping in contact with Phillips, who asked to stop by the hospital.
“I wasn’t afraid to visit,” Phillips said.
“I know how horrible and dark those places are. There was a reason why Em-
During that time, Phillips responded, “It’s OK you can’t pray; we’re here to pray for you.”
THE ROAD GETS LONGER
With autoimmune encephalitis, Emmett’s disease, the fatality rate can be as high as 30 percent and permanent complications can affect up to 50 percent of patients. It was a long road that looked bleak for months.
After he returned home, Emmett slept in a hospital bed in the living room. A feeding tube gave him the nutrients to survive. He remained motionless and in a catatonic-like state before showing any signs of recovery. Sister Emma brought him toys and was heartbroken that her brother wouldn’t sit up or play with her.
It had been six months before a glimmer of hope emerged. In September, Emmett was able to sit up by himself and showed interest in his toys. Emmett took his first steps in October. They weren’t straight and he wasn’t running but it was a huge victory. The next month he said his first words and began eating on his own. By December, Emmett’s cognition started to improve. He remembered things like how to pray the Hail Mary and sing his favorite song, Amazing Grace. He even visited his old classroom and got a hug from Santa during the Christmas party. In January, the feeding tube was removed, and Emmett had significantly improved to the point where he was ready to return to school. Lyan said her son is 90 percent back to his old self and is continuing physical therapy and monthly infusions at CHOC.
HEARTWARMING RETURN
Classmates made cards, St. Norbert families dropped off gift baskets and notes at their front door and Phillips continued to visit. Another St. Norbert preschool teacher, Nina Lutz, dropped by to work on Emmett’s fine motor skills and read him books. Olmos sent Lyan inspirational memes and messages daily.
Emmett went to physical, occupation-
Emmett returned to St. Norbert preschool in February, welcomed by colorful banners and chocolate chip cookies made by an eighthgrade student touched by his story. He was happy to see his friends and hug his teachers, who greeted him with tears in their eyes.
The principal paid a visit, and everyone prayed for Emmett before snack time, thankful for his first day back.
APRIL 2024 — EMMETT PHAM AT CHOC. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LYAN DAO
NOVEMBER 2024 — EMMETT PHAM CAN FINALLY STAND AND HUG SISTER AGAIN.
FAITH RESTORED
Lyan credits an online support group of parents whose children have the same disease for helping her not give up. She feels
blessed the neurologist was patient and fought for Emmett. Most importantly, Lyan said, the St. Norbert community saved her.
“The lifeline to St. Norbert School pulled me out of my darkest place when I didn’t want to be here anymore,” Lyan said. “I grew up Catholic and I have never seen this sort of community before. We are just an ordinary family and for Emmett to get so sick and then to have all this love from his school… it touches all of us.” C
Rosary Beads
If you would like to share a photo of your Rosary Beads with our readers, please send a photo and brief description. Include your name and parish to: editor@occatholic.com
CURSILLO: THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME
BY MEG WATERS
IN 1939, AS THE Spanish Civil War drew to a close, Spain's Roman Catholic Church was recovering from three years of severe persecution, during which over 6,500 clergy were killed by the Socialist Republicans.
At the same time, the ascendant Nazi fascist regime in Germany displayed a similar hostility toward religion, especially the clergy. Understandably, the typical Catholic at that time desperately needed spiritual renewal and hope. In Mallorca, a movement began that
CONTINUES ON PAGE 7
DEACON KEVIN DURKIN, SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR OF CURSILLO ORANGE COUNTY, AND HIS WIFE MARY JO DURKIN ARE PART OF EVERY CURSILLO WEEKEND, OFFERING SPIRITUAL DIRECTION, GIVING TALKS AND ENSURING THAT THE CURSILLO CANDIDATES ARE SUPPORTED. PHOTO COURTESY OF DEACON KEVIN DURKIN
JAN 2025 — EMMETT PHAM’S FEEDING TUBE IS OUT. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LYAN DAO
EMMETT PHAM TODAY, A HAPPY LITTLE BOY.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
was more than a retreat, it was a oncein-a-lifetime course designed to renew, revive and hearten the faithful to live their faith with confidence and conviction.
Church approval.
While it has its roots as a response to a time of persecution, today, the worldwide Cursillo movement can be likened to a pick-me-up for everyday Catholics whose spiritual connections need a recharge.
Or, as in the case of Tracey Rocha of St. Martin de Porres parish in Yorba Linda, it can be life-altering.
“When I lived my Cursillo in April 2008,” she said, “my life and marriage were upside down. My good friends Bill and Billie Crawford sponsored me for a weekend, and over the three days my life started to piece together again. What changed through Cursillo was my focus. I started to go from what I wanted to discover where God was calling me. It deepened my relationship with the Church, the sacraments and understanding of my role as a lay person in the Church.”
Cursillo isn’t a retreat; it’s the start of a journey meant to last a lifetime. It can only be experienced once. Many Cursistas call it “Living my Cursillo” acknowledging that the weekend is a new beginning, learning the tools to live a life in Christ more profoundly.
To stay engaged with Cursillo, Cursistas can serve on the team for a weekend — cooking, giving talks or facilitating the experience of those in their care.
Dr. Patricia Ahearn, a physician in San Juan Capistrano, has been lay director of the Orange County Cursillo since 2022. The world was returning from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Cursillo team members had used the time to remodel and update Divine Word Retreat Center in La Sierra (near Loma Linda University).
Spirit. They must also be healthy enough to be present for the weekend and not immune compromised. There is no elevator, but there is an uphill route to the second story, and team members are always there to assist. Each weekend serves somewhere between 20 and 40 people.
The days begin with Mass and breakfast, followed by courses with lunch breaks. There is also time for Confession and personal reflection; most of the time is spent in a classroom setting enjoying talks given by the clergy or lay team members and group discussion. The weekends are either men or women only, and accommodations are dorm-like, with twin beds and shared bathroom facilities. Cellphones and electronic devices are not permitted, but there are emergency numbers for family members.
The idea is to pause the rest of the world for three days to be focused entirely on your relationship with Jesus.
The next English language men’s retreat is the weekend of April 10-13, and the women’s retreat is April 24-27. Cursillos are also given in Spanish and Vietnamese.
The best way to participate is to contact the Cursillo representative at your parish, or if your parish doesn’t have a rep, a nearby parish will. They will help you find a sponsor to prepare you for the retreat and drive you to and from Divine Word. The suggested donation for the weekend is $200. However, people are encouraged to attend regardless of their ability to pay.
The Cursillo, or “short course” in Spanish, had such a powerful impact on participants in the spiritual revitalization and encouraging “Cursistas” to be more Christ-centered and Christ-like, that in 1963 Pope Paul VI gave Cursillo formal
“I think that Cursillo is an amazing opportunity to feel that unconditional love of God through the community and become closer to Christ,” said Ahearn. “It is a way of supercharging our spirituality and faith and can be life changing. It’s an opportunity to take your faith to the next level and grow in relationship with Jesus.”
Candidates must be baptized Catholics, not necessarily practicing Catholics, but should be open to receiving the
One of the best aspects of Cursillo is what is called “Grouping.” Cursistas are encouraged to find four to six friends willing to meet every week, either at a restaurant for a meal or at home to share how they have lived their Cursillo the previous week. It becomes a form of spiritual direction and a close-knit group of like-minded friends who hold each other in Christ’s arms through life’s ups and downs. Many groups have been together for 20 years or more.
To learn more visit https://www. natl-cursillo.org/ C
TRACEY ROCHA (PICTURED WITH LOUIE SUNIGA) HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE CURSILLO MOVEMENT SINCE 2008. PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACEY ROCHA
HOW ST. JOSEPH SAVED THE MISSION
BY MEG WATERS
ASICKLY PRIEST FROM Kentucky, a little gray songbird and St. Joseph saved the once-crumbling Mission San Juan Capistrano, one of Orange County’s most revered historical landmarks. More than a century later, the Mission still celebrates how God can work miracles even through His most humble creatures.
In July 1910, Fr. John O’Sullivan made his last stop on a long trek through the Southwest to find a place to minister in a climate conducive to someone with Tuberculosis, a deadly respiratory disease. As a last resort, he was told to go to the Mission San Juan Capistrano, which was so decrepit that it was not even considered a parish. But he pitched his tent and began rebuilding the ruins.
A kindly man, Fr. O’Sullivan, noticed shopkeepers smashing the mud nests that little swallows had built in the eaves of roofs. The story goes that Fr. O’Sullivan invited the birds to nest in the eaves of the crumbling Mission, which they did in droves. Much to his delight, he learned that the birds were migratory and left to winter below the equator, returning yearly around St. Joseph’s feast day, March 19. That happened to also be Fr. O’Sullivan’s birthday.
Fr. O’Sullivan put St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters and his birthday together and devised a way to raise money — he threw a birthday party on St. Joseph’s feast day to fund the preservation. He charged visitors 10 cents to view the grounds. The Mission began to come back one adobe brick at a time. People also came back, along with the swallows, and soon, the Diocese of Monterrey-Los Angeles made the Mission an official parish.
One hundred and fifteen years later, the party has become an annual festival. Under the leadership of Mechelle Law-
rence Adams, executive director of the Mission, the Preservation Commission has made great strides toward completing Fr. O’Sullivan’s work.
“I was hired as a preservationist 22 years ago to put us on a path to bring the history to life through education programs celebrating the Indigenous community and their contribution to building the Mission,” said Lawrence Adams.
Since then, the foundation has spent more than 20 million dollars to restore the structure and enhance the gardens.
“We are trying to stabilize the columns now, and the perimeter walls,” she said. “We have a painting collection that needs conservation that we need to finish.”
But the swallows and the kids are the main attraction on March 19, St. Joseph’s Day.
After Mass, the Mission’s historic bells ring in the opening of the St. Joseph’s Day & Return of the Swallows Celebration, followed by mariachi bands. The event also includes a lavish St. Joseph’s table hosted by foundation board member Vicky Carabini. The table features a traditional Italian assortment of foods for purchase. Proceeds are part of an ecumenical effort to feed those in need locally.
Dr. Charles R. Brown, an expert on Cliff Swallows, presented a lecture on these famous little creatures. Visitors could also tour the St. Junipero Serra exhibits and those on the Indigenous people, their lives and their contributions.
But the highlight is the chil-
VISITORS PAY THEIR RESPECTS AT THE ST. JOSEPH TABLE DURING THE ANNUAL ST. JOSEPH’S DAY AND RETURN OF THE SWALLOWS CELEBRATION.
OFFICIAL BELL RINGERS MICHAEL GASTELUM, RIGHT, AND NATHAN BANDA, MEMBERS OF THE ACJACHEMEN PEOPLE, RING THE HISTORIC BELLS IN HONOR OF ST. JOSEPH AND THE SWALLOWS’ RETURN DURING ST. JOSEPH DAY AND RETURN OF THE SWALLOWS FESTIVAL ON MARCH 19. PHOTOS BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
THEIR CLASSMATES DURING THE ANNUAL ST. JOSEPH’S DAY AND RETURN OF THE SWALLOWS FESTIVAL. PHOTOS BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
dren. With the bells ringing, the children of the Mission Basilica School and San Juan Elementary School kindergarten and TK parade into the courtyard in costume to perform traditional songs and dances. The younger students steal the show in their colorful swallows costumes and dance “The Chicken Song” (not precisely traditional music, but cute as can be). First-grade “monks” follow them in brown robes. Each class up through eighth grade participates.
Since they first came to the Mission Basilica school, eighth graders Mykaela Clerkin and Jocelyn Wood have participated in St Joseph’s Day events. This
year, they dressed in traditional Mexican dress. Their teacher, Karen Prukop, enjoys teaching in an environment steeped in California history.
“The students don’t realize it now,” she said. “But it’s in the air they breathe, and they will come back one day and realize how much of a gift it was to go to school in a place like this. They will return and remember today and how blessed they were to be here.”
Lawrence Adams added, “It’s fascinating to me, the number of people I have met coming to the St. Joseph’s Day celebration because it’s on their ‘bucket list’. They have told me, ‘I want to be here on this day.’ Maybe it’s their birthday,
too, or their name is Joseph. They have heard about the swallows returning to Capistrano, many of which are from the famous 1940s song. But regardless of the reason, they leave with so much more. Some might call it inspiration, hope, education, respect or reverence. But St. Joseph’s Day is the day to put this Mission in the spotlight and serve the community something special.”
Fr. John O’Sullivan succumbed to his disease in 1933 and is buried on the Mission grounds, not far from the festivities. Sometimes he is called a saint but has not been officially canonized. However, it is easy to picture him surrounded by St. Francis of Assisi, St. Junipero Serra and most of all, St. Joseph — singing “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano.” C
BÁO CÁO LẠM DỤNG TÌNH DỤC Nếu bạn là nạn nhân bị lạm dụng tình dục bởi một linh mục/ tu sĩ hay một thành viên trong Giáo Hội gây ra, xin hãy gọi và báo cáo cho Giáo phận ở số điện thoại miễn phí sau đây: 1-800-364-3064, và đồng thời báo cáo cho nhà chức trách địa phương.
MISSION BASILICA SCHOOL 8TH GRADERS MUKAELA CLERKIN, LEFT, AND JOCELYN WOOD, SHOW OFF THEIR ELABORATE DRESSES BEFORE PERFORMING WITH
OF
HISTORIC BELLS DURING THE ANNUAL ST. JOSEPH’S DAY AND RETURN OF THE SWALLOWS FESTIVAL AT THE MISSION.
ELLEN SUE OLIVARES, PATRICIA DIXON AND HEIDI LUCERO, MEMBERS OF THE ACJACHEMEN PEOPLE, SHOW VARIOUS NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS TO VISITORS OF MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO.
ST. BONAVENTURE PARISH FRIDAY EVENING FISH FRY
BY MIKE ZINN
THROUGHOUT ITS 60-YEAR history, St. Bonaventure parish has guided its flock by proclaiming the ideals of Jesus Christ to all people through word, sacrament, service and community life. These ideals were never more evident than on Friday evening, March 21, when the parish hosted its ever-popular Friday Night Fish Fry.
Similar to most parish events, many people are needed to host an event as significant as a Lenten Fish Fry. For event co-director Dan Kane, this event doesn’t just magically happen on Friday evening. For the St. Bonaventure team, planning always starts with its ever-present “binder,” which details all of the functions of the event, including the recipe for the fish batter. The binder, along with the many volunteers, keeps this “well-oiled machine” serving the parishioners of this Huntington Beach parish.
Kane represents the Knights of Columbus, and his co-director, Tom Huston, represents the St. Bonaventure Men’s Club in their leadership of the Fish Fry. The duties for the week can start as early as Sunday for the upcoming Friday event. Shopping for the best food items may take Kane to multiple stores as the week's preparation unfolds. In addition to members of the Knights of Columbus and Men’s Club, 50 volunteers are needed to execute the various event tasks. This group is responsible for setting up the parish hall, breaking down the chairs and tables, cleaning the hall and assisting with cooking, among other tasks. These volunteers represent a cross-section of the parish, and the number of volunteer slots required are always filled.
“Somehow, it always works out, even though it does add some stress,” Kane said. “God provides!”
Many others are part of this effort to
serve an average of 380 meals at each Fish Fry. John Coughlin has the critical job of kitchen management and has been working the Fish Fries for 20 years. Joe Hreish, affectionately known as “Big Joe,” a Special Olympics ambassador and a Knights of Columbus member, works in various capacities to make this event a special night for all attendees. Reid Babin has volunteered with this event for 15 years and has been involved in the Fish Fry finances since his time as financial secretary for the Knights of Columbus. The Ladies Auxiliary plays a crucial role in organizing and
CONTINUES ON PAGE 12
REID BABIN AND DAN KANE (BACK ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT) POSE WITH SOME OF THE BOY SCOUT VOLUNTEERS HELPING AT THE ST. BONAVENTURE FISH FRY HELD ON MARCH 21. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
(LEFT TO RIGHT) JIM KISIAH, BARBARA ELAM AND COLLIN PAUL POSE FOR A PHOTO IN THE KITCHEN ON MARCH 21.
JACE TRIPOLI SERVES FISH TO GUESTS AT THE ST. BONAVENTURE LENTEN FISH FRY.
ST. JOHN’S SEMINARY CAMARILLO, CALIFORNIA
ST. JOHN’S SEMINARY NOW OFFERS AN ONLINE M.A. IN PASTORAL MINISTRY PROGRAM FOR THE LAITY
This program will help lay ministers increase their knowledge of the Catholic intellectual tradition and improve their ministerial skills for the life of the Church. Students will be prepared to work in different areas of ministry and make professional and personal connections with others of the same mind and spirit.
For more information
Email: mapm@stjohnsem.edu or visit www.stjohnsem.edu
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managing the dessert table. With donated desserts and desserts purchased from stores, this group raises funds for many of its charities through these sales, including Mary’s Path, Horizon Pregnancy Clinic and both St. Bonaventure and St. Vincent de Paul parishes. Last but not least are the Boy Scouts, who, in complete uniform, work at the Fish Fries, clearing tables and assisting guests.
Events held at parishes throughout the Diocese are significant aspects of community building.
“Fish Fries are all about the parish community rallying together in the grace of God,” said Huston. C
STEVE FALZON (RIGHT), ONE OF THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, SERVES CLAM CHOWDER TO GUESTS OF ST. BONAVENTURE PARISH’S FISH FRY
BRYNN BOVA (LEFT) AND BARBARA GONZALES SHOW OFF DESSERTS AT THE LADIES AUXILIARY BAKE SALE TABLE. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
(LEFT TO RIGHT) ALI CAFFERTY, DOMINIC RIEBLI, JIM ACCORUERO, DAN ORAZEO AND NEAL GRAY WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO PREPARE FOOD FOR THE FISH FRY.
EVAN CAELI SERVES FOOD AT THE ST. BONAVENTURE FISH FRY ON MARCH 21.
BREAKING GROUND AT ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
BY BRITNEY ZINT
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST Catholic School recently broke ground on a long-awaited gymnasium, with a ceremonial shovel gifted to a parishioner and alumni mom who spent the last 20 years fundraising for it.
The Costa Mesa school brought together its students, staff, families and community on March 17 to a dirt yard that will become the home of its first-ever gym, a facility that will provide indoor recreation opportunities and gathering spaces. The site of the future gym, which will also host performing arts, was blessed by Bishop Thanh Thai Nyugen, St. John the Baptist’s Fr. Pascal Nguyen, O.Praem, and the school’s rector Fr. Damien Giap, O.Praem.
“The work we are beginning today should enliven our faith and make us grateful,” said Fr. Pascal during the blessing. “We know the familiar words of the Psalm, ‘If the Lord does not build the house, in vain does its builders labor.’ Whenever we look to the interests of our neighbor or the community and serve them, we are, in a sense, God’s own coworkers.”
The school community has been talking about building a gym for more than 40 years, said its principal, Paula Viles, who started there in 1983. The long-envisioned facility will host volleyball and basketball, which are currently outside and have to be cancelled when it rains. It will also allow for P.E. to be held indoors during rain or excessive heat.
The gym will also have a stage for plays.
“It’s going to be great for these students, it’s going to be great for the fellowship of people here, it’s going to bring the community more together,” said Colin McCarthy, chairman of the St. John the Baptist parish and school finance committee and a parent of two at the school. “It’s going to be a great resource for everyone.”
A ceremonial groundbreaking shovel was awarded to Judith “Jude” Kelly in honor of all the work she did to keep the idea of building a gym alive. Kelly and her husband moved to the area in 1968 with three baby boys. Those sons, and the three daughters who came later, all went to St. John the Baptist and played “everything in season,” Kelly said.
It was in 2002, when the Norbertine religious order took over the church administration, that Kelly came up with her idea to start fundraising for a gym. Without asking anyone, she wrote “SJB Gym Fund” on an empty jar and set it on a table where she was selling jelly.
“People started coming up to buy the jellies and they go, ‘Oh, are we having a gym?’” Kelly recalled.
She eventually got official permission CONTINUES ON PAGE 16
FR. DAMIEN GIAP, SCHOOL RECTOR AT ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC SCHOOL, POSES WITH A CEREMONIAL SHOVEL. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
A PARISHIONER AND FR. BRENDAN HANKINS, PAROCHIAL VICAR AT ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH, ADMIRE AN ARTISTIC RENDERING OF THE NEW GYMNASIUM.
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to fundraise for the gym. An empty jar on a table turned into rummage sales on Sundays. These efforts have raised more than $150,000, according to Viles.
“She’s been working on the gym for all that time,” Viles said. “We thank her for that. We thank her for being the backbone of the fundraising effort.”
It was more than the money Kelly brought in, but the fact that she never gave up, McCarthy noted.
“What her efforts did made people
never lose sight of the fact that we are going to get a gym,” he added. “If she had stopped, people would have said the gym’s never going to happen, but the fact is she kept going and going and going.”
The conviction to persist for more than 20 years was fueled by her love of her parish, which Kelly called a “haven.”
“This, the people, everything,” Kelly said. “The holiness of the priests, the teachers, everybody — it’s all about God, and it’s not like that in the world. It’s just awesome. It’s like an oasis.” C
HOLY FACE OF JESUS IMAGE COMING TO OC
BY BRADLEY ZINT
AN IMAGE OF THE HOLY Face of Jesus, similar to the Veil of Veronica housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, will be touring in the Diocese of Orange on April 12 and 14. The image, created in 1905, was laid upon the true image of the Veil of Veronica, touched to the True Cross of Christ and the point of the spear (both of which are also housed at St. Peter’s) that was thrust into the side of Christ.
This tour is sponsored by the Diocese’s Office of Ecumenism and Inter-religion and organized by Cynthia and Gary Micaletti, owners of JMJ Catholic
Store in Placentia. The replica is safeguarded by Vicki Schreiner of Oklahoma City, whose family has had it for more than a century. It received a papal certificate of authenticity from Pope St. Pius X in 1905.
On April 12, St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon will be hosting the Holy Image for veneration from 9 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. It then goes to JMJ’s Catholic Store, 310 E. Orangethorpe Ave. Suite A, Placentia, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. To end the day, it will be at Our Lady of Guadalupe La Habra for veneration from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
On April 14, it will be on display in Garden Grove at the Christ Cathedral campus in the St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. At 8:30 a.m. Vikki Schreiner will give a presentation on the Image after the 8 a.m. Mass in the St. Callistus Chapel.
The Vatican’s Veil of Veronica, kept at St. Peter’s Basilica, is said to date to AD 33, when a woman named Veronica (now known as St. Veronica) encountered Jesus when He carried His cross while on route to His Crucifixion. Jesus wiped His bleeding face on the veil and return it to Veronica, who saw a miraculous image of His face on the veil.
The Vatican’s veil is traditionally only shown to the public for veneration on the Fifth Sunday of Lent (April 6 in 2025). C
JUDITH KELLY, WHO INITIATED THE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN FOR THE NEW GYM, PREPARES TO BREAK GROUND WITH THE FIRST SHOVEL ALONGSIDE FR. PASCAL NGUYEN. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
THIRD GRADE STUDENTS POSE FOR A PHOTO AT THE FUTURE SITE OF THEIR SCHOOL’S GYMNASIUM.
SEVEN LAST WORDS JESUS TEACHES US
BY JOAN PATTEN, AO
THE CATECHISM OF THE Catholic Church teaches that “when Jesus prays, He is already teaching us how to pray...Like a wise teacher, He takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively toward the Father” (CCC #2607).
Throughout the Scriptures, Jesus unveils His Heart before His disciples, revealing His desire for them to know the Father sent Him. Before raising Lazarus from the dead, He prayed, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd here, I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me” (Jn. 11:41-42).
The disciples witnessed Jesus praying aloud during the Last Supper (cf. Jn. 14-18) and in the garden of Gethsemane (cf. Mark 14:36). Throughout these moments, Jesus reveals His Heart as the Beloved Son who always loves the Father. He desires to draw all His disciples, including us today, into the intimate communion of the Trinity through the power of His Holy Spirit.
As we enter into Holy Week, the Church invites us to reverently listen to the last seven words of Jesus, knowing that each syllable cost Him greatly. Jesus struggled to breathe as He died on the cross, yet He pulled Himself up against the nails and spoke to His mother, His beloved disciple John, the good thief and to His Heavenly Father. We, His disciples, are invited to witness Jesus’ prayer to His Father and be drawn into His prayer so that it becomes the prayer of our hearts. When we hear the last words of Jesus, how does our hearts respond? What do we want to say to Jesus in return?
again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be” (Jn. 14:3).
“Woman, behold your son...Behold, your mother” (Jn. 19:26-27). Jesus then sought the security of some of His most treasured relationships on earth: His mother and the beloved disciple, John. As His disciples, we are also invited to take Mary into our lives and trust her to love us as her dear children.
“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34). Jesus prays for us by asking the Father to forgive us for rejecting His love. There is no good reason to sin and turn away from God’s love, and Jesus advocates that surely, we do not know Who we are rejecting. His petition for mercy moved the “good thief” crucified with Him to seek the forgiveness Jesus prayed for.
“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43). Jesus offered these words to the repentant thief and promised him what is available to all His disciples: a place in Eternity. Earlier that evening, during the Last Supper, Jesus revealed this promise, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
(Mk. 15:34) For many, this is the most disturbing prayer of Jesus, for it appears that the Father has abandoned Him.
However, Jesus prays the beginning of Psalm 22 on our behalf and shows us that praying with the Psalms can assist us in great moments of trial and distress.
“I thirst” (Jn. 19:28). Despite great physical suffering, Jesus seeks more than water to quench His thirst. Jesus’ thirst invites us to be attentive to His searing desire for our love is meant to awaken a total response of love for Him in return.
“It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). Jesus freely offered His sacrifice to the Father for the redemption of all people by completely pouring Himself out on the cross. This is a revelation of His love, which is trustworthy, as He holds nothing back when He gives Himself.
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk. 23:46). The final words of
Jesus are a prayer of surrender. Amid great suffering and desolation, Jesus prays for the Father to receive His completed offering and trusts the Father will receive Him as He dies upon the cross. By freely entering into death and rising from the dead, Jesus secured our resurrection and assured us that we are not alone in suffering and do not need to be afraid of death. C
OC Catholic Afar
Ron Kuzlik stands with a recent issue of OC Catholic in front of Elizabeth Tower, perhaps London’s most iconic landmark. The 316-ft. tower is often colloquially referred to as Big Ben, but Big Ben is actually the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster. It weighs 16 tons and was cast in 1856.
—Ron is a contributing writer for OC Catholic
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