Learn concrete ways to attract fallen-away loved ones back to the truth and beauty of our Catholic faith
29 MARCH 2025
9 AM - 6 PM
Cost is $50 per ticket. Please bring your own sack lunch. To reserve your seat, aim your camera at the QR code or go to the following link: https://www.zeffy.com/enUS/ticketing/return-of-the-prodigal-conference www.maryscpr.org
Cyndi Peterson
Tim Staples
Fr. Mike Barry, SS.CC.
FEBRUARY 23, 2025
CONTENTS
8
12 A BLAST TO THE PAST
Sts. Simon & Jude Catholic School welcomes past students for the unveiling of Alumni Avenue.
LEADERSHIP IN OC CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
St. Edward the Confessor Parish School recognizes Jack Piazza.
14 KEEPERS OF OUR NEIGHBOR
Cain’s question to God can be answered with love.
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
READER CALL-OUT
My mother gave me a gift of money on my 40th birthday and I used it to buy this hematite Rosary. It's a natural stone that gives the Rosary a nice weight when I hold it in my hands in prayer. It has a beautiful crucifix and a central medallion with Christ on one side and Mary and the Christ child on the other. I've enjoyed it for 25 years and remember my mother whenever I hold it. I'll pass it on to my son one day.
—Arthur Dominguez, San Antonio de Padua del Cañon Parish, Anaheim Hills
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
“ As Christians, we have the Gospel, which gives meaning and hope to our lives…”
— Pope Francis
SAINT PROFILE
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
SIRACH 1:1-10; PSALM 93:1AB, 1CD-2, 5; MARK 9:14-29
TUESDAY
SIRACH 2:1-11; PSALM 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40; MARK 9:30-37
THIS DISCIPLE OF ST. JOHN the Apostle was appointed bishop of Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey), perhaps by John. Representing the Asia Minor churches, he went to Rome about 155 to discuss when to celebrate Easter. The result was that the Eastern and Western churches continued to calculate the date as before. Shortly after his return, Polycarp was arrested and urged to renounce God. He refused and was sentenced to be burned alive. When the flames did not harm him, he was killed by a sword, as recounted in an early Christian document.C
SIRACH 17:1-15; PSALM 103:1314, 15-16, 17-18; MARK 10:13-16 SUNDAY
SIRACH 27:4-7; PSALM 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; 1 C 15:54-58; LUKE 6:39-45
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTHUR DOMINGUEZ
AXIOS! NEW BISHOP INSTALLED FOR RUTHENIAN CATHOLICS IN THE WESTERN U.S.
BY RON KUZLIK
ON JAN. 28, CLERGY and the faithful proclaimed “Axios! Axios! Axios!” (Greek for “He is worthy”) as Fr. Artur Bubnevych was consecrated a bishop and enthroned as the Sixth Bishop of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix during a ceremony at Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Anaheim.
The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church (known in the United States as the Byzantine Catholic Church) is one of 23 Eastern Rite Catholic Churches. Some may be unaware that both the Eastern and Western (Latin) Rites are part of the same Catholic Church.
The ceremony of episcopal consecration and enthronement was in the presence of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, and by the laying of hands of Most Rev. William C. Skurla, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, Most. Rev. Kurt Burnette, Bishop of the Eparchy of Passaic and Apostolic Administrator of the Exarchate of Sts. Cyril and Methodius of Toronto, and Most Rev. Robert Pipta, Bishop of the Eparchy of Parma.
Also in attendance were several Eastern and Western bishops, including Bishop Kevin Vann and Bishop Timothy Freyer.
The ordination of a new bishop in the Byzantine Rite takes place during the Divine Liturgy (Mass) immediately before the epistle reading.
Bishop-elect Bubnevych was led around the altar three times by the three consecrating bishops where he kissed each of the four corners of the altar while the “Dance of Isaiah” was sung during the final pass.
This is the same text that is used at
THE SIXTH BISHOP OF THE HOLY PROTECTION OF MARY BYZANTINE CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF PHOENIX IN A CEREMONY AT ANNUNCIATION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ANAHEIM. PHOTOS BY EVERETT JOHNSON/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
every priestly ordination and during the Mystery of the Crowning (Sacrament of Marriage) — as a man is the head of his family, each ordained man shares in the image of Christ as head of the Church.
Bishop-Elect Bubnevych then knelt before the altar, placing his head on the
BISHOP-ELECT ARTUR BUBNEVYCH PRIOR TO HIS CONSECRATION AND ENTHRONEMENT AS THE SIXTH BISHOP OF THE HOLY PROTECTION OF MARY BYZANTINE CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF PHOENIX IN A CEREMONY AT ANNUNCIATION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ANAHEIM.
center. The Book of Gospels was held above him while the three consecrating bishops laid their hands on his head and recited the prayers of consecration.
Then the newly consecrated bishop was vested with his episcopal vestments, notably the sakkos, a long tunic with
wide sleeves; omophorion, a long scarf worn around the neck and shoulders; the epigonation, a diamond-shaped vestment worn over the right knee; and the crown, or miter (mitra), and crozier, or staff. The Divine Liturgy then continued
BISHOP KEVIN VANN GREETS NEWLY CONSECRATED BISHOP ARTUR BUBNEVYCH FOLLOWING BUBNEVYCH'S INSTALLATION AS
until Holy Communion.
Bishop Bubnevych was then led to the throne in the sanctuary and seated. The consecrating bishops then bestowed upon him a kiss of peace. At this time, all the priests and deacons of his Eparchy welcomed him with the sign of peace and vowed obedience to their new bishop as the head of the Eparchy of Phoenix.
Bishop Bubnevych was born in Perechyn, Ukraine, which was then part of the Union Soviet of Socialist Republics (USSR). He was secretly baptized by a Byzantine Catholic priest and later entered seminary in Austria. He was later ordained to the subdiaconate following graduation in 1998.
After coming to the United States as a missionary for the Byzantine Catholic Church, he was ordained as a priest in 2014.
NEWLY CONSECRATED AND ENTHRONED BISHOP ARTUR BUBNEVYCH OF THE HOLY PROTECTION OF MARY BYZANTINE CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF PHOENIX MINGLES WITH CLERGY AND THE FAITHFUL FOLLOWING HIS INSTALLATION AS THE SIXTH BISHOP OF THE HOLY PROTECTION OF MARY BYZANTINE CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF PHOENIX IN A CEREMONY AT ANNUNCIATION BYZANTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ANAHEIM.
Fr. Bubnevych was assigned as pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Albuquerque, N.M. and concurrently served on the following commissions: Youth and Young Adults, the Vocation’s Board, Eparchial Pension Committee and Intreparchial Commission on Sacred Liturgy.
Although there are differences in liturgical practices — such as Eastern Rite Catholics refer to Mass as Divine Liturgy — they use icons instead of statues and allow priests (but not bishops) to be married before ordination. They are fully Catholic and in full communion with the Holy Father, Pope Francis.
In his 1995 encyclical Ut Unum Sint #54, Pope St. John Paul II said, “The Church must breathe with her two lungs!” in reference to the Eastern and
Western Rites.
With this, the pope implied that both the Eastern and Western traditions of the Catholic Church are equally important parts of the one Church — that is, the Body of Christ — and that there needs to be unity and dialogue between the East and the West to be completely alive and effective in its mission.
Bishop Bubnevych reflected on this special day.
“I am very grateful to God for the gift of the episcopacy,” he said. “I look forward to the challenges and responsibilities that accompany this and I’m looking forward to serving my people with the grace of God.”
For more information on the Byzantine Catholic Church and the Eparchy of Phoenix visit https://ephx.org/ C
BISHOP-ELECT ARTUR BUBNEVYCH KNEELS BEFORE THE ALTAR PRIOR TO PLACING HIS HEAD ON THE CENTER OF THE ALTAR WHERE THE BOOK OF GOSPELS IS HELD OVER HIS HEAD WHILE THE PRAYERS OF CONSECRATION ARE READ. PHOTOS BY EVERETT JOHNSON/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL CHRISTOPHE PIERRE, APOSTOLIC NUNCIO TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ADDRESSES BISHOP-ELECT ARTUR BUBNEVYCH PRIOR TO HIS CONSECRATION AND ENTHRONEMENT AS THE SIXTH BISHOP OF THE HOLY PROTECTION OF MARY BYZANTINE CATHOLIC EPARCHY OF PHOENIX.
CHRIST CATHEDRAL TO HOST “BACH-A-THON”
BY BRADLEY ZINT
THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE and Christ Cathedral music ministry are hosting 19 hours of continuous organ music by J.S. Bach starting on March 3, a marathon session on the cathedral’s Hazel Wright Organ that will go through nearly all of Bach’s prolific organ catalog.
The free concert — dubbed “Bach-athon!” — begins at the early hour of 6 a.m. on March 3 and is expected to last through 1 a.m. March 4.
In total, organizers plan to perform around 200 Bach organ works, which range from 45 seconds long to 25 minutes. Selections include the beloved “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” “Singet dem Herrn” for double choir, “Christe eleison” from the B minor Mass, a Brandenberg Concerto arranged for organ duet, and the whirlwind “Wedge”
Prelude and Fugue in E minor.
“Bach-a-thon” is being presented in collaboration with the American Guild of Organists and will feature 40 Southern California-based organists, hailing from Ventura to San Diego. The musician lineup will also include some Crystal Cathedral alumni, as well as about 100 singers during the “best of Bach” hour starting at 7:30 p.m. with David Ball, head of the music ministry.
Commentary will be provided throughout “Bach-a-Thon” by Michael Barone, host of the nationally syndicated radio show “Pipedreams,” and Roger Sherman, owner of Gothic Records and host of “The Organ Loft.”
The concert will be livestreamed. No tickets are required.
Christ Cathedral is located at 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove.
For more information, visit ChristCathedralMusic.org C
To report sexual abuse by clergy or church personnel please call: 1 (800) 364-3064 Healing and Hope After Abortion: 1 (800) 722-4356
New Hope Peer-to-Peer Support Line | Mon - Fri 7:30 AM - 9:30 PM | Sat - Sun 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM: 1 (714) NEW-HOPE or 1 (714) 639-4673
cáo cho nhà chức trách địa phương.
CHRIST CATHEDRAL’S HAZEL WRIGHT ORGAN. PHOTO BY THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
A BLAST TO THE PAST
STS. SIMON & JUDE WELCOMES ALUMNI
BY BRITNEY ZINT
LAUGHING WITH FRIENDS and family, alumni of Sts. Simon & Jude Catholic School gathered in the newly redesigned hallway to search the dolphin-blue picture frames for photos from their pasts.
From the black-and-white shots of the ’60s and ’70s to the sepia tones of the ’80s and the color photos of today, the new Alumni Avenue was filled with history.
“I think it’s important for our students to see who has come through the hallways and where they could be,” said the school’s principal Brett Minter, “and for our community to see the tradition this school has and to know that this has been around for a long time. We are very lucky to continue the legacy that’s here, to build upon it, and make it the best for our current students.”
The Huntington Beach campus hosted a ribbon cutting and blessing by Fr. Reynold Furrell for Alumni Avenue and unveiled their newly renovated library on Jan. 28. The night also featured a performance by the Pacific Symphony’s Class Act woodwind quintet.
Sts. Simon & Jude’s alumni photos, removed from the wall years ago by past administrations, were recently unearthed by the school’s office manager, Minter said. Reaching out to parents and alumni for help, Minter asked if they would help bring the photos back to life.
The school’s vice principal Erin Watson said she hopes the new hallway shows all alumni just how important they are to the school community.
“This school has what I call legacy families, where it’s not only the first
grade, and another will be joining the Sts. Simon & Jude TK class next year, along with two nieces and three nephews. Megerdichian said she appreciated her time at the school and looks back at it with appreciation — a sentiment that doesn’t happen often in life.
“Being able to give the same opportunity I enjoyed so much to my son is really special,” she said. “It’s so cool that so many people want to come back and bring their kids here because they had such a positive experience.”
Megerdichian’s mother, Kathleen Domenici, worked at Sts. Simon & Jude for 27 years. She said it was “near and dear” to her heart to see so many alumni coming back, but she also choked up thinking about her grandchildren someday joining the hallway.
“I feel like we’re not fancy people,” Domenici said. “We’re not going to have our name on a building, but in a way we do. This place has been our home away from home since we moved here in 1980.”
One of those grandchildren, 11-yearold Maggie Geremia, was excited to show her grandmother where her own class portrait would soon be. A fifth-grader, Maggie counted over three spots to where her Class of 2028 would hang.
“I’ll be right here,” she said excitedly to her grandmother.
LIBRARY RENOVATION AND SYMPHONY
The renovated library now features two large bookcases shaped like trees with oversize green leaves overhanging some comfortable reading seats. There is flexible seating for students to sit on benches, giant foam puzzle pieces or cuddle up with a cozy rug.
generation here, but also the second and third generations that are going through this school,” Watson said. “We just love their support. We love that they keep coming back, that they want their grandchildren and great-grandchildren to come here.”
Mallory Rose Megerdichian, née Domenici, is one of those legacy families. A graduate of the class of 1999 and a third-grade teacher for 13 years, she was one of the parents who took up Minter’s call to revive the alumni photos.
Megerdichian has one son in first
“They love it,” Watson said. “They love the tree. They think it’s really cool to sit under it, and they love the seating, because now they get to lay down on these really fuzzy rugs. You see them with just their hands in the rugs as they
FR. REYNOLD FURRELL AND BRETT MINTER CUT THE CEREMONIAL RIBBON TO STS. SIMON & JUDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL’S NEWLY RENOVATED LIBRARY. PHOTOS BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
STS. SIMON & JUDE ALUMNI GATHER IN THE SCHOOL’S NEWLY REDESIGNED HALLWAY TO SEARCH FOR PHOTOS FROM THEIR TIME THERE.
are reading.”
The old library needed some “love and care,” Watson said. The tables were too big for the littlest learners. The books were well-loved, but outdated, she added.
The $20,000 renovation was funded through donations from the school gala two years ago, administrators said.
For second-grader student Austin Castro, 7, the update has been a big change with more books he likes.
“It’s really good,” he said. “It’s one of the coolest places in the school because you can sit down on carpets and stuff.”
The Class Act performance featured music by Beethoven. Sts. Simon & Jude is one of 13 schools to receive a partnership spot with the Pacific Symphony, which seeks to increase awareness and involvement of classical music. The school will be attending a concert featuring the entire orchestra in May. C
ALUMNI HAVE FUN SEARCHING FOR OLD PHOTOS LINING THE WALLS OF STS. SIMON & JUDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL.
KEEPING THE SCIENCE AND THE FAITH AT PAX CHRISTI SCHOOLS
BY MEG WATERS
DESPITE SOLID CATHOLIC religious instruction, many parents are disappointed to find that when their child enters college, their faith falls apart like a broken Rosary.
According to Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, founder of the Magis Institute for Reason and Faith — the seeds of doubt begin much earlier, by age 13 or before. Fr. Spitzer doesn’t want to wait until senior year to provide Catholic high schoolers with the tools they need to step out into a world hostile to faith.
Fr. Spitzer has dedicated the past 20
years to the Magis Institute’s efforts to prove to high school and college students the connection and interdependence of Scientific reason and Faith in God.
“The number one reason children abandon their faith is that they believe that faith conflicts with science and reason,” he said.
Now, Fr. Spitzer is bringing reason and faith to middle school, where children start to question everything, including the existence of God. Pax Christi Academies, a newly formed collaborative group of five Catholic K-8 schools serving neighborhoods in north and central Orange County, is collaborating with Fr. Spitzer to implement the curriculum for its middle
school students.
“In our studies,” he shared,” we have learned that among high school seniors, 83% of students can hold onto their faith when they leave home if they take our course in reason and faith. We are now taking this to the middle school students because a 13-year-old doesn’t believe until you have enough evidence to increase their belief.”
According to Pax Christi’s president Dr. Christina Arellano, Ed. D, “Pax Christi is choosing Fr. Spitzer’s curriculum’s holistic approach that integrates faith, science and philosophy in a way that resonates with Catholic teaching.”
Pax Christi Academies that will soon incorporate this specialized curriculum for grades six to eight are La Purísima, Orange; St. Justin Martyr, Anaheim; and in Santa Ana, St. Anne, St. Barbara and St. Joseph.
La Purísima is launching this curriculum in the spring and all five schools will be launching it next year.
The course covers four categories. The first is to integrate faith and science. It is commonly thought that to be a scientist is to reject theism. But the facts don’t bear this out. While 51% of scientists are
FR. ROBERT SPITZER SPEAKS ABOUT HIS COLLABORATION WITH PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES FOR ITS MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM. PHOTOS BY THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MS. CLAUDIA GARCIA, HEAD OF CURRICULUM, PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES; MRS. CLAUDIA DANZER, PRINCIPAL, ST. BARBARA SCHOOL; FR. SPITZER, DR. CHRISTINA ARELLANO, PRESIDENT, PAX CHRISTI ACADEMIES.
atheists, the next generation of young scientists, 66%, are more inclined to be believers. Of the 30 most influential scientists in history, 22 were believers in God.
Fr. Spitzer points out that physics and cosmology align with Catholic teaching. They are complementary, not contradictory.
The second category is moral and ethical formation, which focuses on the big questions in life, purpose and the universe using intellectual rigor. This begins with the scientific and historical evidence of Jesus Christ and, by implication, the truth of who He was and what He taught. Fr. Spitzer draws on recent scientific evidence that debunked findings in the 1970s and ‘80s on the veracity of the Shroud of Turin.
In a scholarly paper on the magis. com website, Fr. Spitzer offers a lengthy description of the serious flaws in early testing and new evidence supporting the veracity of the image.
“The bottom line is that science has shown the image on the cloth is an ‘impossible’ image — one that cannot be replicated. One of the main reasons is, as scientists have now confirmed, the image on the Shroud had to be caused by a mysterious burst of light — that is, electromagnetic radiation.”
If Jesus, both human and divine, existed then the truth of His life and teachings, as C.S. Lewis put it, is of infinite importance. It cannot be only moderately important.
The third category introduces intellectual depth by encouraging deep thinking and critical analysis of the big questions in life. Students learn that science and faith explain the same phenomena – that the beginning of physical reality implies a creator.
Fr. Spitzer states, “Prior to a beginning, physical reality would not exist. Nothing can become something by itself. Essentially, a transcendent creator had to create something to light the fuse on the Big Bang.”
Finally, the course applies the previous lessons to the proper formation of character and virtue. The course explains how the Catholic seven virtues — chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience and humility are keys to a joyful life and not a list of “thou shalt not’s.”
Striving for virtue results in a wellformed Catholic with the foundation to
accept and thrive through life’s challenges.
Fr. Spitzer and Dr. Arellano hope these courses will be so successful that all Catholic schools in Orange County — and perhaps beyond — will incorporate them into their educational programs.
In the meantime, middle school science students will be able to understand that their faith teaches them to put on the
armor of God by embracing the science behind his perfect universe. And what emerging scientist doesn’t want to stand tall with the likes of Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrodinger, Arthur Eddington, Fred Hoyle, Kurt Godel, Albert Einstein and, most importantly, Jesus Christ. C
FR. ROBERT SPITZER (WITH DR. CHRISTINA ARELLANO) GREETS A GUEST FOLLOWING A SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT ON OCT. 3. PHOTO BY THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
WHY I TEACH AT A CATHOLIC SCHOOL
BY
IF YOU HAVE SPENT any time around children and teenagers, there are a couple of things that seem to be true: their first or one of their favorite words is “no” and one of the most common questions they get asked is “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
Ironically, no was not my first word, but it was the answer I always gave when people asked if I wanted to be a teacher like my mom, who dedicated many years to Catholic education. Mom, I love you and hopefully you and Dad are laughing at me sitting in the same seat in church you sat in every week at Saturday evening Mass.
That’s the fantastic part about lifeGod doesn’t give up when you say no, He perseveres and gives us opportunities to see our no as a chance to experience something that will bring us closer to God and the strength to say yes like so many of our predecessors in the Bible.
I was blessed to be sitting in a mini retreat this month by one of the Presentation Sisters, which is the order that founded St. Irenaeus. I was reading through some of Nano Nagle’s many sayings and one stood out:
“We must think the Almighty permits everything for the best.”
My journey to becoming a teacher and returning to teaching has not always been easy, but reflection reminds me that God has always had a plan and I need to remember that it is not in my control.
After spending time working in corporate America and trying to figure out what I wanted to do, my heart kept calling me back to working with kids. I wanted to make a difference
LEADERSHIP IN ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
SPOTLIGHT ON: JACK PIAZZA, ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR PARISH SCHOOL
BY MIKE ZINN
AT THE END OF HIS seventh-grade year at St. Edward the Confessor Parish School in Dana Point, Jack Piazza pondered the option of running for student council president. Until then, he had not even run for a class position on the council. He decided that he wanted to make eighth grade special, so he went for it. That decision has paved the way for quite a special academic year thus far.
and be a model of character, compassion and values in the world. I wanted to give the gift that had been given to me by the teachers I had in Catholic school. I became the person I am today because of my experience as a Catholic and attending Catholic school. It isn’t just about the books or knowledge, it’s the community you belong to, it’s being able to talk about God, and it’s that feeling of coming home.
No one person can change the world, but by saying Yes to God, I decided to make a difference daily. I pray each day that my students and my own children and family will see that they are loved and safe. This love and safety come from the grace of God that we all have and can share with others. Sometimes our journey can be tough, but the trials and tribulations are just another chance to say yes to God. I am grateful my yes to being a Catholic school teacher led me to St. Irenaeus, what a blessing God bestowed upon me. Every day, I get to teach my students that in order to achieve greatness, they not only have to do better in school, but be better people by saying yes to God. C
Both St. Edward’s principal Suzanne Edwards and Upper School assistant principal Ashleigh Vachon shared the positive leadership traits that Piazza demonstrates.
Edwards added: “He has great initiative, a confident presence and is respectful and responsible.”
Vachon, who oversees the student council and works closely with Piazza, said, “he has a strong moral compass and does the right thing regardless of social pressure.”
Piazza is active both in school programs and in the community. He is in his third year of participation with the Academic Decathlon team, which has been the Diocese of Orange overall champion for 10 years and the 2024 National Academic Decathlon overall champion for the Catholic Schools Academic Junior High Decathlon.
He is a member of the school soccer team and also serves as a mentor to many of the fifth- and sixth- grade council members in the school’s MTV (Monarch TV) program.
“He constantly encourages them and offers helpful suggestions when they feel intimated going on camera ‘live’ to speak to the student body,” shared Vachon of Piazza.
He also joins his fellow council members visiting local First Responders to bring them thank you cards and fresh baked goods.
Piazza is also very involved in his community outside of the classroom. He is a Lions Heart nonprofit program member, working with other teens on community projects. One program has
been a beach clean-up in the Dana Point area. Additionally, he is actively involved with fundraising events through the Ronald McDonald House. Piazza’s father and grandfather (who is on the board of trustees for this organization) have taught him the value of giving back and helping others.
With high school decisions coming shortly, Piazza would like to continue his education at a Catholic high school. JSerra and Santa Margarita are his two schools of choice. He calls soccer his passion and something he wants to continue with in high school.
When asked what goals he would like to accomplish in his final months at St. Edward’s, Piazza said he wants to help his team win another Academic Decathlon national championship.
Leadership in Orange County Catholic Schools can involve many positive traits. Jack Piazza checks all boxes for academics, service and extracurricular activities. The accurate measurement of one’s leadership skills is often done behind the scenes when no one is watching. For Piazza, it involves encouraging and mentoring younger students and being a positive force in the school’s Prayer Program, which involves older students demonstrating positive behavior, participating in community service and modeling Christian love to others.
In Piazza’s own words, the most essential trait of leadership is being able to make the right decisions in a particular situation.
“God is always watching,” he added. C
JACK PIAZZA IS AN EIGHTH GRADER AT ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR PARISH SCHOOL IN DANA POINT. PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR PARISH SCHOOL
NATALIE BOYLE, ST. IRENAEUS SCHOOL, CYPRESS
NATLIE BOYLE TEACHES JUNIOR HIGH AT ST. IRENAEUS CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN CYPRESS. PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. IRENAEUS CATHOLIC SCHOOL
100 REASONS WHY
ST. JULIANA FALCONIERI CATHOLIC SCHOOL CELEBRATES
100 DAYS OF LEARNING, GROWING
BY BRITNEY ZINT
WITH A BUSHY WHITE mustache, oversized gold circular glasses and silver hair, 5-year-old Luke Gonzalez was pretending to be 100 years old. But as he and his kindergarten classmates were only pretending to be centenarians, there was one thing they didn’t have to pretend: They actually were 100 days smarter.
“I learned how to count by 1s, 5s and 10s,” Gonzalez said. “I learned how to read.”
Ms. Jessica James’ kindergarten class at St. Juliana Falconieri Catholic School celebrated their 100th day of school on Feb. 5 with special centers on all things 100: stacking 100 cups, rolling dice to 100 and writing 100 words. Many of the students also took the opportunity to dress up in their best grandparent fashion, donning spectacles, gray hair, bowties for boys, dresses and cardigans for girls.
The day was about having fun and making memories, but also about celebrating the students’ progress and many successes, James said.
“The emotional changes you see from day one all the way to day 100 is huge, and being with them every day, eight hours a day, five days a week, it’s crazy to see them grow academically, in their faith, socially, emotionally,” James added.
Principal Manuel Gonzales said recognizing 100 days has a faith aspect too: being compassionate for the elderly.
“We’re teaching caring for those older than us, and recognizing those individuals,” he said.
Sara Barrios said she couldn’t believe how quickly the time had gone and has been impressed by what her daugh-
ter Emma, 6, has learned so far. From sounding out words on street signs to reading menus at restaurants, Barrios said she hopes her daughter is proud of how much she had accomplished.
“We’ve seen so much growth in her,” Barrios added.
Kindergartner Brooklyn Vasquez, 5, said she was nervous on the first day of school, but she’s not nervous anymore. She said she likes school and has learned her letters and sight words, but her favorite part of school is using technology to play keyboard games.
Dana Kim, 5, said she has also learned her letters and numbers, but she is most proud of the fact that she can count by 5s.
Many of the children said that centers, where students rotate around the room doing different learning activities, were their favorite part of kindergarten.
“My favorite part is centers, eating snacks, and everything,” said 6-year-old Samuel Corona.
While dressed up as centenarians, students imagined what their lives would be like in the year 2119. Corona said he thought it would be the “best time.”
“I can stay home, and I can’t work. I’ll watch TV,” he said.
Emma Barrio imagined another future.
“You ride a unicorn!” she laughed.
While no one knows what life will be like then, Sara Barrios said she knows her daughter has been given a strong foundation, thanks to St. Juliana.
“The growth, I hope it will continue,” she said. “I hope it doesn’t stop, and I know that it won’t, because she is constantly being challenged. If she’s accomplished this much in just the first 100 days, I’m sure the sky’s the limit.” C
KINDERGARTNER DANA KIM, 5, USING TOOTHPICKS AND MARSHMALLOWS TO CREATE AS PART OF THE 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL CELEBRATION ON FEB. 5 AT ST. JULIANA FALCONIERI CATHOLIC SCHOOL. PHOTOS BY BRITNEY ZINT
KEEPERS OF OUR NEIGHBOR: LOVING CAIN AFTER ABEL
BY DEACON KEVIN DUTHOY
AM I MY BROTHER’S keeper?
This ancient question from Genesis asked by Cain after the murder of Abel lies at the very heart of Christianity. Cain recognized the distance between what he had done and what he should have done in relation to God and his brother. Can we choose to measure ourselves and others with mercy rather than judgment, making up what is lacking in them by giving of ourselves? Can we love Cain after Abel?
CS Lewis, in his sermon “The Weight of Glory,” suggested that the dullest, most uninteresting person we may meet might one day be gloriously transformed in heaven beyond that of angels. Lewis reasons that this “weight of glory,” our possible perfection in heaven, settles on us to act in self-giving ways for others, even at great cost. He states, “all day long we are…helping each other to one or other of these destinations [heaven or hell].”
In the epilogue to the Sermon on the Plain from Luke (6:27-38), Jesus amplifies the Golden Rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. What might seem like a lesson in personal holiness is actually a call to recognize our interactions with others have eternal consequences, an invitation from Jesus to participate in their salvation.
Jesus moves us beyond loving God and doing no harm to our neighbors, to imitating his own extravagant, unlimited love for humanity. We are to abandon belief premised on reciprocal relations- you love me, and I’ll love you; you forgive me and
I’ll forgive you. Jesus challenges us to love those who do not love us; to forgive, bless and pray for those who mistreat us; to join in Jesus’ self-sacrificial love on the Cross- dying for the sinful, those that cursed Him, struck His cheeks and stole His very clothes. Jesus asks us to love others in the same illogical way He loves those who literally killed Him. Acts of kindness and mercy present that other person with an opportunity, perhaps a reason to stop their unloving
on Jesus’ command to love our enemies:
“Forgiving and being reconciled to our enemies, …[is] not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about …turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness, the abuse, the hurt, the truth... Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering — remembering and not using your right to hit back.”
CS Lewis offers another profound observation: “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”
What if we loved our neighbors with a love that is not free but costly to us? Can we see the divine imprint, the image of God within each of us?
Are we our neighbors’ keeper? Emphatically, yes, even if it costs us dearly as it did our Savior on Calvary. It seems unlikely anyone will go to heaven alone; the best way may be to bring someone else with you. C
behavior and undergo a radical reset that can then spread to those they, themselves, encounter, a multiplication of the “loaves and fishes” in the form of mended relationships.
However, we must apply the Word of God appropriately to the circumstances at hand. True love requires wisdom- knowing when an act of mercy might inspire change rather than perpetuate wrongdoing. We must be ready to perform indulgent acts of love when it is truly the most loving thing to do, when the other person would benefit from it.
PHOTO BY ANDREW SEAMAN ON UNSPLASH
OC Catholic Afar
Ashley and her father Dr. Vincent Nguyen visited the Vatican Garden while in Rome this past Christmas for the start of Jubilee 2025 with the Order of Malta.
One of the most special pieces in the garden where popes come to pray is the statue depicting the appearance of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in 1531.
Here Juan Diego stands, showing the sacred image of the Virgin that had appeared on his vestment, while the Franciscan Bishop Juan de Zumárraga kneels before it, bowing down as a witness to the miracle of the beautiful, sacred image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Diocese of Orange.
— The Nguyen Family are parishioners at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach
We want your photos! Send your pictures of “OC Catholic Afar” — of you, family or friends visiting Catholic churches and other interesting places — to editor@occatholic.com. Please include a brief description of the photo, the name of the person(s) featured in the photo and their home parish.
