St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods is spruced up with art and renovations ahead of the milestone anniversary.
BACH-A-THON!
Christ Cathedral hosts its first-ever 19-hour celebration of the composer’s works.
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ORANGE
DRINKING THE LIVING WATER
Christ is the one who will quench our spiritual thirst.
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The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840
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ROSARY BEADS
READER CALL-OUT
My daughter and I visited Croatia and on the tour, we visited Medjugorje. I fell in love with this Rosary, especially the cross which signifies the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Note the cross on every bead. We had a retired bishop travelling with us and he blessed all our treasures.
—Barbara Benun, St. Nicholas parish in Laguna Woods
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
“ God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.”
— Pope Francis
SAINT PROFILE
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
2 KINGS 5:115AB; PSALM 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4; LUKE 4:24-30
4:1, 5-9; PSALM 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20; MATTHEW 5:17-19
THURSDAY
JEREMIAH 7:2328; PSALM 95:12, 6-7, 8-9; LUKE 11:14-23
TORIBIO OF MOGROVEJO 1538-1606
SPANISH-BORN TORIBIO TAUGHT law in Salamanca until 1574, when he was appointed inquisitor of Granada. In 1580, though not yet a priest, he was named archbishop of Lima, Peru, with his episcopal ordination in Seville. After arriving in Lima in 1581, his 25 years of missionary service included diocesan and provincial synods, visits around the vast diocese, clergy reforms, and Indian-language catechisms. He also introduced European religious orders into Peru, opened the first seminary in the New World and encouraged Indians to become priests.C
FRIDAY
HOSEA 14:2-10; PSALM 81:6C-8A, 8BC-9, 10-11AB, 14 AND 17; MARK 12:28-34
PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK
SATURDAY
HOSEA 6:1-6; PSALM 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21AB; LUKE 18:9-14
NEW MURAL, OTHER INTERIOR RENOVATIONS HAVE ST. NICHOLAS CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LAGUNA WOODS READY TO CELEBRATE
BY GREG HARDESTY
FOR ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY
this year, St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods is getting all dressed up.
Although dedicated in July 1967, the parish has a longstanding tradition of marking its milestone birthdays beginning on the feast of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6.
It was on the eve of that day in 1965 when groundbreaking took place on the seven-acre site donated by Ross Cortese, founder of what was Leisure World, the next-door retirement community now called Laguna Woods, where many members of the church’s 3,000 registered
families live.
So, throughout 2025, St. Nicholas will be celebrating its 60th anniversary, highlighted by a Mass on June 29 that will be presided over by Bishop Kevin Vann on a weekend that will feature an international food festival representing the parish’s many cultures, including Vietnamese, Korean, Hispanic and Taiwanese.
Meanwhile, signs of beautification of the church are apparent — most recently a bright, colorful new mural on the choir loft overhang that was completed in February.
“It’s beautiful,” parishioner and parish volunteer Joanne Contino, placing flyers in the pews, said on a recent weekday morning after Mass. “I love the symbolism. And it just perks everything up.”
LIGHTENING THINGS UP
Major recent improvements to the church’s exterior and interior began when Fr. Martin Bui came to St. Nicholas as
parochial vicar in July 2022 and his subsequent appointment as parochial administrator in 2023.
Long-awaited facility maintenance and upgrade projects were undertaken, including a new audio/visual system, repainting the exterior and repairing damage to outside wooden beams caused by termites.
Recently, exciting changes have been happening in the sanctuary.
Two large screens for audio/visual presentations were installed for congregants to see from anywhere in the 750-capacity church, and a new ambo and presider’s chair were installed on the altar.
“When I came here,” Fr. Martin said, “people would tell me, ‘Father, this church is very dark.’”
That’s changing.
In addition to the new mural, a new retablo — dominated by white marble — will replace the large, walnut-colored wooden wall behind the altar table.
The tabernacle will be relocated from the Adoration Chapel to the sanctuary,
making it a focal point for the congregation.
BEAUTIFUL MURAL
For now, all the attention is on the new mural, a fresco painting that is 43 feet in length and 4½-feet tall. It replaced the same dark wooden motif seen behind the altar table.
Fr. Martin ringed the mural in lights that can be changed with the flick of a remote button to reflect the Church calendar (red for Pentecost, green for ordinary time, purple for Lent, etc.).
“I wanted it to be bright and cheerful and I always looked at the Ascension as our hope,” said Fr. Martin of the mural, which includes stations of the cross on both sides. “What I tell people is we all must go through our journey here on Earth and we must carry the cross, just like Jesus.
“When you look at Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, it reminds you that before that He had to carry the cross first.
ASH AVILA AND ROGER MONTENEGRO WITH A MANO ART & DESIGN LLC, POSE FOR A PHOTO IN FRONT OF A MURAL AT ST. NICHOLAS.
“The parishioners seem to love this new mural,” he added. “They say it’s so grand, beautiful and angelic.”
ARTIST IS NEW PARISHIONER
The mural was created by Ash Avila and her business partner, Roger Montenegro, owners of A Mano Art & Design LLC, which has done a lot of restoration work in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The two recently relocated to south Orange County and Avila became a parishioner of St. Nicholas. Fr. Martin happened to be looking for an artist to paint a mural when the two met.
Avila and Montenegro covered the choir loft overhang in wood panels, slathered them with Venetian plaster, then used gesso as a primer that helped the acrylic paint adhere better.
It took them 2 ½ weeks to finish the mural, which depicts saints and other faithful on either side of Jesus. Look closely, and you will notice a bespectacled, grain-haired man with a hand outstretched to Jesus.
That man is Gabriel Ferrucci, a long-
time and prominent supporter of the Diocese of Orange who has been a parishioner at St. Nicholas for 41 years. Ferrucci paid for the bulk of the church renovations and Fr. Martin dedicated the mural to him.
“He said he didn’t want to be in the mural, but we put him in it anyway,” Fr. Martin said with a laugh.
Said Ferrucci: “I truly appreciate the beautiful mural completed at St. Nicholas, as any form of art greatly contributes to the spiritual enrichment of our shared house of worship.”
Ferrucci said he’s most excited about the relocation of the tabernacle from the Adoration Chapel to the sanctuary.
“The relocation will offer the opportunity for everyone to revere and adore the Blessed Sacrament from anywhere in the church,” he noted, adding that the current Adoration Chapel will be transformed into a larger and improved sacristy.
“This enhancement, among others, is something I’ve hoped for the most during my 41 years here at St. Nicholas and finally such a hope is becoming a reality — thanks to Fr. Martin Bui,” Ferrucci added. C
VOLUNTEERS SHARE THE BEAUTY OF THE ROSARY
BY GREG MELLEN
AFTER THE TUESDAY 8:15
a.m. Mass, they gather in an activity room in the Holy Family Catholic School in Orange. Although they are always looking for new members, they leave scant tracks across the digital space. And yet, the Young in Spirit Club plays a vital role in the spiritual life of the Diocese of Orange and the world beyond.
If you or your child has received a Rosary from your home parish in the Diocese of Orange at a baptism, First Holy Communion or in religious education classes such as Order of Christian Initiation or Confirmation, there’s a good chance it came from this volunteer group.
Throughout the year, from this small room, thousands of Rosaries are handcrafted and donated to parishes and schools throughout the Diocese. Traveling missionary priests also request Rosaries to deliver to their home parishes in countries such as Mexico, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and elsewhere across the globe.
DEEPLY CATHOLIC RITUAL
Although not unique to Catholicism, the Rosary is an important part of prayer to many Catholics and an enduring measure of Marian devotion.
“It’s uplifting when we do the Rosaries,” said volunteer Leana Richmond.
She told of Young in Spirit recently supplying 5,000 Rosary strings to a visiting priest.
As the story goes, when the father attempted to check his bag, it was overweight. When agents opened the bag and saw the contents, they let the bag through without charge.
“We make about 250 Rosaries a week,” said Patricia Erdkamp.
Every Tuesday the group of about 20 women and the occasional male volunteer assembles in the school room. From a closet they remove the strings, plastic crosses, medallions and beads that appear like a profusion of bright flowers — green and red, blue and purple, black and white.
Together the volunteers recite the “Rosary Maker’s Prayer.”
Which says in part, “Bless the Rosaries we make today. With loving hands we add
FR. MARTIN BUI LOOKS AT THE MURAL AT ST. NICHOLAS CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LAGUNA WOODS ON FRIDAY, FEB. 28. PHOTO BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
MEMBERS OF THE YOUNG IN SPIRIT ROSARY-MAKING GROUP DISPLAY SOME OF THE ROSARIES THEY HAVE MADE. PHOTO BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
each bead.”
It is no simple process.
Each Rosary string contains 59 beads with 14 intricate knots, requiring a special tool, to separate the sets of beads,
“The knots are very hard,” said Gie Lundy, who passes along the technique to newcomers as it was taught to her.
Although forms of the Rosary date back to the ninth century, the current format dates back to the early 1200s and a Marian apparition eventually called Our Lady of the Rosary.
With some variations, in a traditional Rosary there is a crucifix, a medallion with an image of the Blessed Mother, six large beads and 53 smaller beads. Prayers are recited with each bead, while worshippers contemplate the Mysteries of the Rosary.
Richmond said she and other members in the group often silently recite the Rosary as they assemble the strings.
St. Pope John Paul II said the repeated prayers in the Rosary “help us get more in touch with the deepest desires in our souls for God.”
MAKING COMMUNITY
Most of the members of the club share similar stories of joining.
“I thought it would be nice for the companionship,” said Erdkamp, who joined after she retired from work. “It’s a good outlet for energy.”
“Most of us are used to being volunteers,” Richmond said.
In addition to crafting the Rosaries, a number of the women in the club also knit and crochet hats, scarves and warm clothing that are donated to shelters. Other items are sold to raise funds at the church’s annual Holiday Boutique, which grew out of the Young in Spirit’s work. The group uses its funds to purchase materials from Our Lady of Rosary Makers, a non-profit lay ministry within the Archdiocese of Louisville. Each Rosary costs about 35 to 40 cents in materials.
At its height, according to the volunteers, Young in Spirit boasted upwards of 200 members, crafting old-fashioned Rosaries, including some made from metal and wood.
The number has dropped in recent years and the group was particularly hard hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The members range in age from 42 to 102. The group’s centenarian, Shirley Cretney, is an original member, who recently celebrated her birthday with the group. She is recovering from a recent fall, but members are confident about the recovery of the woman who kept the group's books until she was 100.
“She’s a treasure,” Lundy said, “She’s our star.”
Mimi Tomale, a spritely 70-year-old, often volunteers to drive several women to Mass and other events.
“I’m their Uber,” she said. “I charge the gas to Jesus.”
The work doesn’t just stop at the doors of the school or church.
Marisa Sanchez, the youngster in the club, takes materials home and recruits her husband, Julio, and her two sons to gather around the dining room table
each week to volunteer time assembling Rosaries.
Of course, it isn’t all hard work either. At the end of each month the volunteers share a bountiful potluck luncheon and play bingo and other games.
“We really like each other’s company,” Erdkamp said.
Young in Spirit is eager to welcome anyone who would like to volunteer. For information call the Holy Family Church at 714-639-2900, or online at https:// www.hforange.org/ C
SHELLY ANTOLIN HAS BEEN MAKING ROSARIES FOR THE GROUP FOR ABOUT NINE YEARS AND TEACHES OTHER MEMBERS. PHOTO BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
LEANA RICHMOND SHOWCASES SOME OF THE ROSARIES SHE RECENTLY MADE. PHOTO BY ALAN WENDELL/ DIOCESE OF ORANGE
SANDRA SOULE (RIGHT) HANDS OUT BINGO CARDS TO GIE LUNDY AND OTHER MEMBERS. PHOTO BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
SHELLY ANTOLIN HAS BEEN MAKING ROSARIES FOR THE
SHIRLEY CREDNEY, AT 102, IS THE OLDEST MEMBER OF THE YOUNG IN SPIRIT GROUP. PHOTO COURTESY OF GIE LUNDY
STUDENTS SHINE AT ANNUAL ACADEMIC DECATHLON
BY MEG WATERS
CECI DEMARIA WAS among 220 middle school students who attended the 29th annual Academic Decathlon held March 1 at Santa Margarita Catholic High School.
“This was my first year, and it was really fun,” beamed the Mission Basilica sixth grader.
Denise Valadez, Ed.D., Associate Superintendent of Catholic Schools said, “the Academic Junior High Decathlon provides students with a way to compete at an intellectual level. It is the perfect opportunity for students who excel in a specific subject area to showcase their skills in that subject.”
Valadez went on to share that the students work together in two team events: Logic and SuperQuiz. Stu -
dents spend an extraordinary amount of time preparing for this day, and the students who place first in their subject areas move on to compete at the national level.
The students start in the fall preparing for the event held every March for Catholic schools throughout the nation. The winners move on to a national competition later in the month.
Participating schools receive a list of topics, including books and study guides, to help prepare the students for the competition. Each school has its system for choosing its decathlon team members. Some students volunteer and
CONTINUES ON PAGE 9
EACH SCHOOL RECRUITS A TEAM OF COACHES TO WORK WITH THE STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
THE STUDENTS START IN THE FALL PREPARING FOR THE EVENT HELD EVERY MARCH FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA.
THE 29TH ANNUAL ACADEMIC DECATHLON WAS HELD MARCH 1 AT SANTA MARGARITA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL. PHOTOS BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
She explained that the JV team is mostly sixth graders, while varsity is seventh and eighth graders. They all must commit to the program, including Sunday evening study sessions.
“Some kids have had to miss sporting events because they cannot leave the study sessions early,” added Edwards.
While St. Edward’s varsity team took first place, St. Junipero Serra School’s Innovators Team took a close second place, and Blessed Sacrament School came in third but was first in the small school category.
Ceci DeMaria, who participated in social studies and literature, was impressed by the assigned book I Am Malala, The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban.
“Our team did pretty well,” she said, adding that her team prepared as a group on Friday mornings, with four weekly practices and logic practices.
As a sixth grader, she is already looking forward to the 2026 season. C
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 studies at St. Anne’s School in Santa Ana last year. Although her children are long past school age, she enjoys the kids and the process.
take tests, while teachers select their school team members. Each team includes 10 students specializing in a different subject area. At the decathlon, students compete digitally, submitting their answers on laptops. Subject areas include Logic, Current Events, English, Fine Arts, Literature, Mathematics, Religion, Science and Social Studies.
It takes a village to make the decathlon happen. Each school recruits a team of coaches — parents and teachers who commit to working with the students throughout the year. This typically includes at least one study session on campus per week per subject, continuing every week until March. With nine subject areas, this often means that various study groups are meeting all week and often on weekends.
Margo Hartel started coaching social
“I love seeing the dedication these students have to go above and beyond and put their time and effort into preparing,” she said. “It was a total blessing to be with them.”
This year, St. Edward the Confessor Parish School in Dana Point took top honors. Principal Suzanne Edwards credits Stacie Rios, a STEM teacher who has coordinated a demanding training program since 2018. The effort has paid off, with St. Edward the Confessor Parish School consistently taking the top honors for 10 years. Led by volunteer parents and some teachers, the school divides the students into varsity and junior varsity.
Edwards said, “The kids are chosen by a test at the beginning of the school year.”
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성적학대 신고
FAMILY AND FRIENDS CHEER ON STUDENTS DURING THIS YEAR’S ANNUAL ACADEMIC DECATHLON HELD ON MARCH 1 AT SANTA MARGARITA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL. PHOTO BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
THE ART OF THE LENTEN FISH FRY AT ST. KILIAN
BY MEG WATERS
FOR CATHOLICS, LENT IS a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Locally, Lent also means fish fry season — a time to gather together in community and fellowship. And parishes throughout the Diocese are ready.
In Mission Viejo, the annual fish fry has become the hottest meal ticket in the city and a major fundraiser for St. Kilian’s parish.
Fr. Angelos Sebastian, pastor of St. Kilian and Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Orange, said, “I think we have a right to claim this is the best fish fry in the entire Diocese because we have such a major operation here.”
Fr. Angelos speaks from experience.
“I love to fish because that’s been my family’s profession. My dad was a fisherman, my grandfather was a fisherman and I fished before joining the seminary.”
Fr. Angelos continued, “We have a drive-through and dine-in. We sell between 400 and 500 dinners at the drivethrough, and in the parish hall, we have up to 1500 diners.”
It has become a legend in the city. Many happy diners are not necessarily Catholic but enjoy the feast for a relatively low price of $15 per meal or $10 for a pizza or other vegetarian options. By Holy Week, St. Kilian’s typically raises around $100,000, making it the parish's biggest fundraiser of the year.
The fish fry has been a parish tradition for over 20 years, but it started on a smaller scale.
“With the Holy Spirit’s help, we just kept growing — like the loaves and the fishes,” said Fr. Angelos.
“We have a whole team of staff and volunteers that all work together.”
St. Kilian volunteers prepare all the food, including the side dishes. The servers are often teens who pitch in
BENNY JONES PREPARES FRIED FISH FOR THE HUNGRY CUSTOMERS ATTENDING ST. KILIAN’S FIRST FISH FRY OF THE LENTEN SEASON. PHOTOS BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE GUESTS OF ST. KILIAN PARISH’S FISH FRY ENJOY FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP ON MARCH 7.
ST. KILIAN PARISH’S FISH FRY OFFERS BOTH DRIVETHROUGH AND DINE-IN OPTIONS.
“ We just kept growing — like the loaves and the fishes”
— Fr. Angelos
with their parents to ensure everyone gets their meal on time. Diners choose between cod or salmon, six side dishes, bread and several desserts.
Repeat customers come back every year to enjoy the tradition. It has been as such for Marie Burrell and her family, who have been members of St. Kilian since about 1980.
“We have been coming for years; for the last 10 years, we always went to the drive-through, but this year, we decided to dine in — and it’s great,” said Burrell.
Since Burrell doesn’t eat fish, she enjoys the pizza, but the rest of her family appreciates the fish.
Although the practice of forgoing meat for fish on Friday dates back to the early days of Christianity. It was first mentioned in 590 by Pope Gregory I and later entered into canon law. C
Sharing recipes highlights the importance of gathering with family, friends and our broader Diocese of Orange faith community.
Please share your favorite recipes, along with your name and parish. Send your favorite seasonal dish, or a recipe that has special meaning to you or your family. Tell us why it’s important to you! Our editors will pick their favorites to be featured in OC Catholic throughout the year.
Submissions must include a photo of the completed recipe.
Categories are entrees, appetizers, side dishes, beverages and desserts. Send your recipes and photos to: editor@occatholic.com
BACH-A-THON!
BY LOU PONSI
CHRIST CATHEDRAL’S FIRST ever Bach-a-thon was a 19hour celebration of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, featuring 200 works performed by 40 organists on the cathedral’s iconic Hazel Wright Organ.
Organized by David Ball, head of the music ministry at Christ Cathedral and himself an accomplished organist, the marathon session was held from 6 a.m. March 3 to 1 a.m. March 4, with hundreds of listeners filtering in and out of the cathedral throughout the session.
The Bach-a-thon featured performances from some of Southern California’s most notable organists, Ball said.
The bringing together of organists to play Bach’s music has a long history, but hadn’t taken place at Christ Cathedral before, said Ball, who is a Juilliard-trained organist himself.
“I thought what a beautiful thing it was to bring everyone together around the music we love,” Ball said. “I wanted to invite the top-notch organists to all play and why not do it all together in one giant day. It brings people to the organ, it brings people to the Catholic Church, it brings people into this sacred space.”
A highlight of the Bach-a-thon was the performance of the Diocesan Choir, and Children’s Choir, which are made up of singers from parishes throughout the Diocese of Orange.
Ball also expressed gratitude for Bishop Kevin Vann, for supporting the Bach-a-thon.
“It's because of the generosity and dedication to music by Bishop Vann, who's an organist himself,” Ball said.
“The performance also reflects Christ Cathedral’s commitment to preserving its musical heritage and providing a space for sacred music.”
The event also featured the return to the cathedral of organists who performed when it was the Crystal Cathedral.
Among them was Philip Hoch, former “Hour of Power” organist and the last student of the late Fred Swann, who
presented solo works of Bach as part of Bach-a-thon.
Michael Barone, the producer of the NPR program “Pipedreams” and an expert on Bach’s body of work, served as commentator for Bach-a-thon alongside Roger Sherman, host of “The Organ Loft.” Bach is probably the most significant composer of Western classical music, Barone said.
“He wrote a lot for instruments, for choirs, but particularly for the organ because he as a youngster was, shall we say, inspired,” Barone said. “He could do things with his hands and feet that other organists had not thought of doing. And even as a teenager, he was starting to raise eyebrows,” Barone said of the composer’s early genius. C
Christ Cathedral’s current organ scholars and alumni from the scholar program performed, as did members of the Long Beach and Orange County Chapters of the American Guild of Organists.
DR. EMMA WHITTEN PERFORMS ON THE HAZEL WRIGHT ORGAN DURING CHRIST CATHEDRAL’S BACH-A-THON.
DAVID BALL, HEAD OF THE MUSIC MINISTRY AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL, LEADS A CHOIR DURING THE MARCH 3 BACH-A-THON HELD AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL. PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
BACH-A-THON WAS HELD FROM 6 A.M. MARCH 3 TO 1 A.M. MARCH 4 INSIDE CHRIST CATHEDRAL.
BLESSED MCGIVNEY RELIC VISITS DIOCESE OF ORANGE
BY RON KUZLIK
AFIRST-CLASS RELIC OF
Blessed Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, was recently on display in the Diocese of Orange for prayer services and veneration.
A first-class relic is a body part of a saint, such as bone, blood or flesh. This particular relic is a bone fragment that was extracted from Blessed McGivney’s remains entombed in a sarcophagus at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Conn., the very place where he was a parish priest when he founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882.
The tour of the Blessed McGivney relic, held from Feb. 22 through March 2, included stops at St. Kilian Catholic Church in Mission Viejo, St. Jude Medical Center Chapel in Fullerton and St. Callistus Chapel at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove before making its way to its permanent home in the chapel at the Knights of Columbus State Council Headquarters in Fontana.
State Deputy James Larson of the California State Council of the Knights of Columbus escorted the relic along with Supreme Territorial Growth Director Robert Kish and the California State Secretary Ken Rose throughout Central and Southern California.
“We had 22 venerations,” Larson said. “A total of 1,380 faithful venerated in front of the relic.”
Catholics view saints as role models whose lives can inspire and guide people on their spiritual journeys and relationships with God. Relics serve as a tangible reminder to honor these people for their extraordinary relationships with God and a means of asking these saints to pray to God for them and others.
Fr. Michael J. McGivney was beatified and declared “Blessed” in a Mass and Beatification ceremony in 2020 in Connecticut by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin,
Archbishop of Newark, N.J., on behalf of the Holy Father, Pope Francis.
Beatification is the second step taken by the Roman Catholic Church in the process of canonization before someone is made a saint.
Fr. McGivney’s intervention is credited with healing preborn Mikey Schachle of a life-threatening condition. This miracle was the path to Fr. McGivney's Beatification. One more approved miracle
is needed for McGivney to be canonized as a saint.
With the title of Blessed, Fr. McGivney is now held up for his “heroic level of virtue” which he displayed during his life as a parish priest and as the founder of the Knights of Columbus.
“Blessed Michael McGivney was, above all, a pastor of souls who helped the men of his parish to practice their faith and live their vocation as husbands
and fathers,” said Most. Rev. William E. Lori, Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus and vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“Through the work of the Knights of Columbus, his ministry continues to this day.”
For more information on Blessed Michael McGivney, visit https://www. fathermcgivney.org/C
A RELIC OF BLESSED MICHAEL MCGIVNEY VISITED THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE FROM FEB. 22 THROUGH MARCH 2. PHOTO COURTESY OF RON KUZLIK
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL: DRINKING THE LIVING WATER
BY DEACON KEVIN DUTHOY
WHEN I WAS A CHILD in rural Minnesota, our local water came from wells with a metallic after-taste and a rusty color. However, down a country road, across a shaky footbridge and up a steep embankment, there was a spring welling up from the rocks, recalling the water that flowed at Horeb (Ex. 17:2-6). It was cold, clear and good-tasting. Despite the difficulty of getting there, most locals made the journey to fill their jugs. Yet, as good as that water was, it would not last, so people kept coming back.
Most of us know the Gospel story of the woman at the well (Jn 4:1-42). Jesus and His disciples, traveling to Galilee, took the harder route through, not around, Samaria—a land and a people despised by the Jews. This choice aligns with Jesus' mission: to reach those in need of healing no matter the difficulty.
Jesus awaits His disciples at Jacob’s well when the Samaritan woman arrives alone at midday, hoping to avoid others. Jesus asks her for a drink, sparking a conversation about “living water.” She initially thinks of fresh, flowing water— superior to stagnant well water—but Jesus speaks of something greater: eternal life. He reveals His knowledge of her five husbands and the man she now lives with, leading her to recognize Him as the Messiah. She leaves the well and runs to tell the villagers, who also encounter Jesus and are converted. She and her people have found the One who can quench their spiritual thirst.
ment and healing, yet we often return to the same stagnant wells: consumerism, attachment, fear, ego, scapegoating; these and other obstacles to satisfying our thirst. Do we keep drinking the same bad water somehow hoping not to get sick? Do we recognize that only through Jesus—His Church and the Eucharist—can we receive the living water that quenches our thirst for eternal life? As one commentator put it, we must drink deeply of Jesus until we become the one we have drunk.
Paraphrasing Robert Frost, Jesus took the road less traveled to reach the Samaritan woman, to quench her spiritual thirst, and continued on that hard road all the way to Calvary—and that has made all the difference. The people of my boyhood home knew the difficulty required to drink better water. Like them and the Samaritan woman, we must choose the other road, leave behind our old water jars and drink deeply of the living water, Jesus’ very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist. C
It is the woman many of us identify with. She is nameless to all except Jesus. Her past is filled with pain and instability; repeated failures; she is vulnerable, living on the margins. She arrives expecting anonymity but meets the One who truly knows her. She thirsts for connection and belonging. Her community knew about her but did not truly know her, leaving her as isolated as the desert around her.
When Jesus asks her for a drink and offers her living water; He invites
relationship, extending mercy not condemnation. He is more concerned with her “what might be” than her “what has been,” the road ahead not the dust behind. After encountering Jesus, she leaves her water jar behind; her interior well now filled with the living water of Jesus’ love and forgiveness.
Like her, we all have a past, a history; some with painful, shameful moments; not all pretty or pleasant. Are we hiding some part of ourselves, fearful of being discovered, our worst “whatever” becoming known; being judged and condemned?
We, too, thirst for meaning, fulfill-
PHOTO BY AMRITANSHU SIKDAR ON UNSPLASH
OC Catholic Afar
Fr. Christopher Heath brought along a copy of OC Catholic during his pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
Fr. Christopher is with Willie Centeno and Rich Barretto from St. John Neumann is photobombing them in the background!
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