Seeing a homeless person on the street may be a child’s first experience with poverty.
The popular “Catholic Sports View” returns
The Our Lady of Fatima parishioner performs all over Southern California.
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.
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
Executive Editor: Monsignor Stephen Doktorczyk
Editor: Patricia Mahoney, editor@occatholic.com
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Director of Custom Content: Caroline Wong, cawong@scng.com
Managing Editor: Caitlin Adams
Art Director: Kenneth Abbott
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.
EACH DAY, THOUSANDS of our Orange County community members face homelessness. Acknowledging the difficul ty of the topic and disagreements by people of good will regarding solutions, we would like to ask and to propose a response to the question: Who are those facing homelessness and what do we owe them?
The individuals experiencing home lessness in our county are our neigh bors. The majority have strong ties to our community, as they have family members in the area, had their last
permanent address in Orange County, lived in Orange County for more than 10 years before becoming homeless, or worked in Orange County.
Of the 5,718 persons experiencing homelessness in Orange County as of 2022, most were born in the United States and became homeless due to difficulty finding a job with a reliable income, difficulty finding affordable housing or a challenging family sit uation, such as death or divorce. To protect the lives of our neighbors ex periencing homelessness, we are called to act to provide sustainable solutions to address hunger and homelessness in Orange County.
Orange County’s Continuum of Care Board, established in 2016, oversees the implementation of a continuum of care to address homelessness in Orange County. The Continuum of Care Board distributes funding for prevention, outreach, shelters and housing to address homelessness. In evaluating the efficacy
of actions in these four categories, the Orange County Grand Jury identified shortcomings in Orange County’s re sponses to homelessness.
While outreach efforts have in creased successful shifts from home lessness to shelter by 33% through increased community trust and client contacts, there are not sufficient care facilities or services to address the needs of homeless individuals who experience mental illness or substance abuse. Some chronically homeless indi viduals do not engage with permanent housing or assistance programs because they do not trust outreach programs after previous precedents, they ex perience substance abuse or mental illness and are not ready for treatment, they fear for their safety in housing and shelter programs, they think the rules of a given facility are too strict or they dislike the transportation access requirements for shelter programs. To
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The Diocese of Orange, through OC Catholic newspaper, presents local, national and world news about the Catholic Church. Our intention is to give our read ers access to a variety of per spectives in order to help them to process the information within the framework of our Catholic faith, but also to better under stand the perspectives of those with opposing viewpoints. We hope that ultimately our readers will be better equipped to have constructive conversations that further the growth of the Catho lic Church.
WE ARE CALLED TO reflect the light of God’s love through the ways in which we live our lives. Imagine the impact if each of us took this call to heart, every day, at home, work, or school, in our parish, in the world. “All nations shall stream toward it,” toward the love that only comes from God. Yet, we must admit that much of the time we fail to be beacons of God’s light. We fall asleep, complacent, preferring to go the easy route, which often leads to darkness rather than the radiance of Christ’s light. As we begin the season of Advent, Saint Paul admonishes us to throw off the works of darkness, to awaken to the call of light and love. In today’s Gospel, Jesus too tells us to stay awake, to be prepared to greet the Lord of light as people of the light.
Copyright © J. S. Paluch
Co. C
MONDAY
IS 4:2-6; PS 122:1-9; MT 8:5-11
BORN TO A NOBLE family at Fossa, Italy, Blessed Ber nardino received his early education at nearby Aquila. Then he studied canon and civil law at Perugia. There a Lenten sermon attracted him to the Friars Minor. And he joined a strict community of Franciscans in 1445. Like his namesake, St. Bernardino of Siena, he became widely known in Italy for his preaching. In the mid-century Bernardino also served as provincial in his local area. In 1464 his superiors sent him to Bosnia and Dalmatia where nationality differences were causing conflict among the brothers. He succeeded in restoring peaceful relationships in the communities. Later the pope allowed Ber nardino to refuse appointment as a bishop so he could continue his ministry of preaching.C
PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK
IS 11:1-10; PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; LK 10:21-24
ROM 10:9-18; PS 19:8-11; MT 4:18-22
IS 26:1-6; PS 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27A; MT 7:21, 24-27
IS 29:17-24; PS 27:1, 4, 13-14; MT 9:27-31
IS 30:19-21, 23-26; PS 147:1-6; MT 9:35 — 10:1, 5A, 6-8
IS 11:1-10; PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; ROM 15:4-9; MT 3:1-12
IT STARTED WITH A single case of water.
In 2008, Brendon O’Shea, a parishioner at St. Martin de Por res Church in Yorba Linda, was asked by a friend if he would like to join him on a trip up to Skid Row in Los Angeles to deliver a case of water to the home less inhabitants.
Situated just east of downtown, the Skid Row enclave contains one of the largest homeless populations in the U.S.
O’Shea and his friend drove to Skid Row and delivered the water.
The outreach continued.
Members of a 12-step group O’Shea attended at St. Martin de Porres joined in and began making regular trips to Skid Row to donate water.
Word spread quickly, and as more volunteers joined, the Skid Row out reach group began taking in donations of other items to be distributed along with the water.
O’Shea recalls a donation of 2,000 T-shirts from a friend who owned a silk-screening business.
Another volunteer donated tarps which were cut up and turned into mini tents.
After about two years, the church administration met with O’Shea and suggested making the Skid Row outreach an official church ministry, which would mean more funding and resources.
Today, the Skid Row Ministry at St. Martin de Porres is well organized, runs smoothly and efficiently and gives parishioners the opportunity to witness the hardships and struggles of life on
the streets, O’Shea said.
The ministry is a two-day operation, making trips to Skid Row about every six weeks.
On one Saturday in October, be tween 50 and 100 volunteers met at the parish hall and organized items that would then be delivered to Skid Row on Sunday.
One group folded clothes and ar ranged shirts, jackets and other cloth ing items by type and size.
Volunteers made sandwiches and prepared hygiene kits.
“We’re making a little bit of a differ ence,” said O’Shea, as items were being boxed and ready to be delivered the next morning. “What you see here will be enough for about 240 people.”
The next day, a new group of volun teers then met at the church at 7 a.m., loaded boxes into their vehicles and caravanned up to Skid Row to distrib ute the items.
Volunteers include youth groups,
members of other outreach organi zations, parishioners and community members.
“There is a good spirit among the adults and youth who participate,” said
Volunteers included Ernie Garcia and his wife Suzanne Hsu, who only recently started attending Mass at St. Martin de Porres.
The couple wanted to get involved in service at the church right away, Garcia said.
“We want to build a strong foun dation and I think helping others is a good way to do this,” Garcia said. “Just making sandwiches is a show of love and support for people who don’t see it on a daily basis. So, to be able to give some food and maybe have a brief conversation which somebody will show them God’s love.”
The Skid Row Ministry gets its donations from a variety of sources that include the Knights of Colum bus, Lady’s Christian League, local foodbanks, community members and the church’s own outreach center, according to O’Shea.
As a recovering alcoholic with 34 years of sobriety, O’Shea said service to others has become a key tenet of his program of recovery and oversee ing the Skid Row Ministry is a big part of his service.
“I did a lot of crazy things in my drinking,” O’Shea said. “My 12-step group has taught me to give back.”
Longtime volunteer Jim Sonsalla, who oversees the Skid Row Ministry along with O’Shea, said he is most impacted by the homeless children they encounter on every visit.
“Homeless children are my biggest concern because it is not their fault,” Sonsalla said.
But there is also a huge sense of gratitude, he said.
“There are the same number of smiles on our side of the box as there are on their side because they can’t believe how nice it is when they are given things,” Sonsalla said.
For more information about the Skid Row Ministry at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, go to smd pyl.org.C
AHOMELESS MAN WALKS
the streets near our home. I’ve stood beside him in the supermarket checkout aisle and have seen him resting at bus stops.
To me, he walks with purpose, his head held high, pushing a shopping cart full of his possessions, with an obvious destination in mind.
His eyeglasses are held together with duct tape; he reads paperback novels while sitting against a light post. I’ve read on the community social media site that our neighbors know his name and watch out for his well-being.
Each time I see him, he reminds me of Jesus’ teachings — that whatever we do to the least of our fellow men, we do to Him.
As Catholics, we are taught the cor poral works of mercy: Feed the hungry. Shelter the homeless. Clothe the naked. Visit the sick and imprisoned. Bury the dead.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that “It is by what they have done for the poor that Jesus Christ will rec ognize his chosen ones.” (No. 232).
Homelessness is a huge, complex and ongoing issue in Orange County and beyond — one that resists solutions and flummox es the most astute political leaders.
Yet as Catholic families, we are chal
lenged to act. For when the Catholic Church teaches us that human life is sacred, we believe that includes all life — the elderly, unborn, poor, sick — and the unhoused.
Indeed, none of us can visit the gro cery store or post office without seeing at least one homeless person on the way. The problem is so pervasive that in going about our busy lives, we rarely stop to consider how a homeless person became that way.
I can’t remember exactly when our young children first saw a homeless per son. It may have been on a trip to Los Angeles for a Chinese New Year parade or during a summer vacation in San Francisco.
Still, I recall many instances when the kids turned to my husband and me for answers about homelessness that we didn’t have. Yet we recognized the importance of educating our kids about the dignity and inherent worth of every human be ing — even if we couldn’t explain why
someone lived on the street and didn’t have a home.
Many dinnertime discussions since have ensued about the difficult issue of homelessness — who the unhoused are, why homelessness exists, how mental illness and substance addiction play a part and the myriad ways we can help.
We’ve tried to teach our kids first to respect the dignity of the poorest among us, heeding the admonitions of beloved Pope Francis and inspired by the saintly actions of Mother Teresa. Leading by example, we volunteer our time, donate weekly funds to our parish and give generously to local nonprofit organizations that address homeless ness and hunger head-on, such as Habi tat for Humanity and Second Harvest Food Bank.
Now adults, our three kids recognize they must help the less fortunate how ever and whenever they can.
Jesus sees our efforts to ease the suf fering of the homeless men and women in our community.
As He notes, the poor will always be with us. Our charitable acts won’t end homelessness, but Jesus wants us to keep trying. C
CATHOLIC FAMILIES ARE CHALLENGED TO ACT, FOR ALL LIFE IS SACRED
AFTER A TWO-YEAR-PLUS hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bob Gibson is back hosting “Catholic Sports View,” a weekly podcast that covers the Trinity League Catholic high school sports teams in Orange County and Los Angeles. In his lively inter views with coaches, athletic directors and athletes in the Trinity League each week, Gibson weaves Catholic values and beliefs into stories about teams and athletes.
The Trinity League is among the top in the nation, said Gibson. It includes Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, JSerra in San Juan Capistrano, San ta Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Servite High School in Anaheim, St. John Bosco in Bell flower in LA county, Rosary Academy in Fullerton and Orange Lutheran in Orange—a faith-based, but not Catho lic, school.
Gibson grew up in Costa Mesa and has had a career in media. In 2014, he approached Ryan Lilyengren, the communications director at the Diocese of Orange at the time, about the idea of a radio show that combined sports and faith. Lilyengren was enthusiastic and by the following year, the funding was in place to make it happen.
“Catholic Sports View” began as a radio show in 2016 then stopped pro duction in 2020 because of lockdowns for more than two years. But as the pandemic eased, Gibson was eager to restart it.
“So many coaches were asking me, ‘Where’s the show?’” he said. “Now that we’re back everyone is excited.”
The show returned as a podcast in the first week of October this year. Gibson covers a variety of topics, such as the shortage of game officials in high school sports and what schools can do about it. But what makes the podcast unique is how faith is discussed.
“I try to find the place where athlet ics meets faith,” said Gibson. “I bring it in as it pertains to the conversation. I don’t make faith the basis of the show, but I don’t shy away from it.”
Gibson is willing to dive into sensi tive topics when appropriate.
“A player at one of the schools tragically took his own life, he said. “His parents agreed to be part of the show to discuss a foundation they had set up
focusing on helping those with mental health needs.”
But the show intentionally stays away from controversies.
“There are enough outlets out there for that,” Gibson said. “We’re trying to promote athletes, and coaches and Catholic education.”
“I am glad that we are able to pro vide this kind of content on high school prep sports, especially since there is such a demand for it,” said Jim Gover nale, the engineer and radio program manager for “Catholic Sports View.”
Governale produces several other weekly shows for the Diocese, many that air on the local Relevant Radio stations. These include the “OC Catho
lic Radio Show” with Rick Howick, “Ca thedral Square” with Fr. Christopher Smith, “Empowered by the Spirit” with Deacon Steve Greco, and “Sounds from the Sanctuary” with David Ball.
“I also assist in the production and providing studio recording time for a handful of partner ministry programs for an online channel called Spirit Filled Radio,” he said.
What are the ingredients of a suc cessful podcast?
“For me, if a show host is passionate about his or her subject matter and they feature lively guests who have personal stories and testimonies, to share, we have a winning combination!”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
exclaimed Governale.
Gibson was the perfect person for this podcast. Not only is he at ease in media but he’s a longtime sports fan, so it’s fun for him to follow the teams of the Trinity League. He’s developed good relation ships with everyone involved in Orange County high school teams.
“I’ve been doing this so long,” he said. He also knows his listening
audience.
“I know a lot of people keep up on the stories and scores—and now social me dia is a big tool now. There was barely internet when I started,” he said.
The relaunch of “Catholic Sports View” is going strong, due to Gibson’s upbeat personality and because the show demonstrates how faith and ath letics are naturally connected.
“I think they really go hand in hand,”
said Governale, who said he is grateful to hear from coaches and teachers who are dedicated helping young student athletes.
Gibson is proud of “Catholic Sports View.”
“I have always wanted to tell the stories of coaches and athletes as people, not just for their athletic accomplish ments,” he said. “I think I’ve had the chance to do that with this program.”
Gibson added that he is happy to give his interviewees the chance to talk about their faith and how it shapes the kind of coach or athlete they are.
“The most common feedback I get after I interview someone is how much fun they had which makes me feel like I accomplished my goal.”
For more on “Catholic Sports View” visit https://www.rcbo.org/podcast/ catholic-sports-view/C
KNOWS how to play a room. The retired tele vision news and sports reporter turned musician had the residents of St. Francis Home in Santa Ana clapping and singing along during a recent visit.
Chamberlin strummed his guitar and sang one familiar song after another, in cluding tunes from the Great American Songbook, “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and “Pennies from Heaven.”
During the concert, activities director Maricela Alegria started dancing and encouraged the residents to join her.
At one point resident Alicia Falagan even danced the samba to music Cham berlin played especially for her.
“You give us life, you give us hope,” she told him.
Although he makes his living per forming, Chamberlin gives free concerts for several worthy organizations, in cluding St. Francis Home. It’s one of his favorite stops because his grandmother had lived there, and he said, “I feel her spirit as I perform for the residents.”
Performing is second nature to Chamberlin. For 34 years he’s been play ing to audiences at retirement facilities, church and womens club luncheons, vet erans groups –he’s a Vietnam vet himself –and senior and community centers.
Before Chamberlin reinvented him self as a full-time performer, he was a TV broadcaster in Hollywood, Phoenix, San Francisco and at ESPN.
“I knew it was time to retire when the woman sitting next to me could’ve been my granddaughter,” he recalled, “plus I had accomplished all I wanted in broadcasting.”
When he retired in 1988, Mike thought it would be nice to do a couple of concerts a month. But that turned
into about 40 a month and 326 in 2022 alone.
“I have 56 concerts in 24 days – lots of double and triple concerts in a day, he said.”
The son of musical parents, Chamber lin taught himself the guitar at age 16.
“Music has always come easily to me, he said. “And the voice is a gift from God.”
He believes singing is keeping him vital at this stage in his life.
“I don’t know what I would be doing in retirement if I wasn’t a musician,” he said. “I think it’s keeping me young at
heart.”
His Catholic faith has also inspired him. Raised in a Catholic family, he attended Catholic schools and served as an altar boy.
“I was well grounded in the faith and teachings of the Church,” he said.
Before every concert, Chamberlin takes a moment to thank God for the singing opportunity and to ask Him to keep his voice strong.
Chamberlin performs all over Southern California and throughout the
Southwest. His home parish is Our Lady of Fatima in San Clemente but because his music career takes him on the road many weekends, he searches the area where he’s performing to find a Saturday or Sunday Mass.
“In Hollywood, I attend Sacred Heart,” he said. “In the South Bay I attend American Martyrs in Manhattan Beach. In San Diego I might seek out a mission.”
Chamberlin will perform a program titled “Holiday Music Through the Decades” at San Clemente’s Cabrillo Play house in December. Tickets available at www.cabrilloplayhouse.org C
St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Tustin recently organized a gala to celebrate their former pastor, Fr. Bao Thai, on his birthday and appointment this year as rector of Christ Cathedral. The gala included a fundraising auction, and Fr. Bao wanted all the auction proceeds to benefit priests’ retirement.
On Wednesday, Nov. 9 in the ca thedral campus’ Chapel in the Sky, St. Cecilia parishioners presented a $5,000 check of funds raised from the auc tion to donate to The Orange Catholic Foundation (OCF) in support of retired priests.
Also present were Bishop Timothy Freyer, who celebrated the noon Mass; Fr. Bruce Patterson, episcopal vicar for priests whose office takes care of retired priests; and Carrol Nuss, the event pro ducer of Fr. Bao’s gala and auction.
Currently, there are about 40 retired priests in the Diocese of Orange. In the next eight years, 80 priests will have reached retirement age. Many people may not realize that the priests of our Diocese live independently in retire ment. After active ministry, they no longer rely upon their parish for housing and other needs. They need to support themselves when they retire, relying on personal savings, a modest social securi ty and pension from the Diocese.
To support our retired priests, OCF has an endowment that is funded by many benefactors throughout the Diocese. This endowment provides resources that can be allocated to where the need is greatest: underwrite costs for assisted living and skilled nursing; renovate underutilized properties for housing; and secure additional housing
for retired priests.
On Saturday, Nov. 5 the Di ocese and Bishop Kevin Vann celebrated the 12th annual Mass of Remembrance at Old Mission Historic Cemetery in San Juan Capistrano.
The small private ceme tery dates to the 1830s and is maintained by the Diocese. The special Mass incorporates traditional Catholic traditions as well as Native American traditions.
St. John the Baptist Catholic School and parish proudly hosted a very special event, honoring veterans, on
the morning of November 11. Fr. Damien Giap, O.Praem., school rector, celebrated Holy Mass in honor and appreci ation of our veterans, active military, reservists and their families who were present.
The school choir provided beautiful music, including the singing of the National Anthem, “God Bless America,” and “My Country Tis of Thee.”
Students served as lectors and brought up the bread and wine. The school’s seventh and eighth grade Red Team served the Mass and ran the livestream provided for students and parents who couldn’t attend. Immediately after Mass, Corporal Ronald Brown, USMC (retired), gave an inspiring talk to the assembled veterans, families, students and teachers. C
Like those pictured, nearly 25,000 senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests have devoted their lives to prayer and ministry—educating the young, tending the sick, aiding the needy, and more. Yet years of serving for little or no pay have left a profound shortage in retirement savings. Your support of the Retirement Fund for Religious helps furnish care, medicine, and other necessities. Please give generously.
Please donate at your local parish December 3–4 or by mail at:
National Religious Retirement Office/ORAS 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20017-1194
Make check payable to Retirement Fund for Religious.
© 2022 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington DC All rights reserved • Photographer: Jim Judkis Visit retiredreligious.org/2022photos to meet the religious pictured.
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better support our homeless neighbors, our responses to homelessness should address both the causes of homeless ness and the needs of those experienc ing homelessness.
The Orange County Grand Jury found six key deficiencies in Orange County’s efforts to address homeless ness.
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n First, South Orange County lacks low-threshold emergency shelters, which leads to more homeless encampments and unsheltered individuals.
out Orange County will face a significantly greater homeless population than currently exists.
In an Op Ed in the OC Register in anticipation of “Hunger and Homeless ness Awareness Week,” Bishop Vann joined other faith leaders in calling for reflection on the following questions:
n What does your home mean to you?
n What does it mean to be human?
n What would our communities look like if we treated housing as a human right?
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n Second, our existing justice system in carcerates many homeless people with severe and persistent mental illness or addiction issues, rather than providing more suitable placements for treatment.
n Third, Orange County and its cities often miss key opportunities to collaborate in supporting shelters and services.
n Fourth, there are not enough rental units for people leaving Emergency Shelters, which leads many to return to homelessness.
“Even if the answers are complex or hit a nerve,” they write, “the process of considering housing as a human right has the power to transform our language and attitudes about housing. Then we can begin to discuss changes to policies that can lead us to be a more sustainable and hospitable place.”
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n Furthermore, though OC Care Coor dination implements an effective communi ty-based system of care for those experienc ing homelessness, there are not sufficient resources to successfully house our homeless population.
n Finally, there are insufficient resources for Transitional Aged Youth who age out of the Foster Care system and experience vulnerability to homelessness.
In his visit to the United States in 2015, Pope Francis stated directly: “We can find no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing.”
No one denies the complexity of the problem. Yet there is no justification for our lack of collective action.
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Added pressures are coming, as over the past few months a number of Los Angeles County cities that border Or ange County have met the requirements to enforce “No overnight camping” ordinances .Without actual increased housing (permanent and transitional) this will mean Orange County will see increased numbers of unhoused indi viduals.
Unless County Supervisors and City Officials act now to increase shelter beds and, more importantly, to expedite construction of permanent supportive and affordable housing, cities through
If each human being, as John Paul II put it, “unique and unrepeatable, somebody thought of and chosen from eternity,” then this crisis whether de scribed by scenes of blight or statistics on a page deserves our attention. Though this may be an uncomfortable topic to address, if we simply ignore it, we cannot expect the situation to change for the better. In addition to praying, we should strive to be aware of the difficulties faced by the homeless, assist as we are able and also keep in mind that some people are a paycheck away from being out on the street.
(Sources: Grand Jury 2021-2022, “How is Orange County Addressing Homelessness?”; United to End Home lessness; 2022 Point In Time Summary; “Homelessness in Orange County: The Costs to Our Community,” report by OC United Way, Jamoboree, and UCI) C
ASTI, Italy (CNS)—With several of his cousins and their children and grand children present, Pope Francis celebrat ed Mass in the Asti cathedral, giving a nod to his family roots and drawing people’s attention to the root of Chris tian faith: the cross of Jesus.
The Mass Nov. 20, the feast of Christ the King and World Youth Day, was the only public event during the pope’s weekend visit to the region from which his grandparents, Giovanni Angelo Ber goglio and Rosa Vassallo, and his father Mario immigrated to Argentina in 1929.
The visit was timed to coincide with the 90th birthday of Carla Rabezzana, the pope’s second cousin. And, after landing in Portacomaro near Asti Nov. 19 and stopping for a prayer in a village church, Pope Francis headed straight to Rabezzana’s house for lunch.
After lunch, the pope visited a nearby home for the aged and then headed to the little village of Tigliole to visit anoth er second cousin, Delia Gai.
The cousins and their families joined an estimated 4,000 people for Mass with the pope the next day in the Asti cathedral.
In his homily, sprinkled with words in the Piedmont dialect his grandmother taught him, Pope Francis focused on how the kingship of Christ is different from any idea people usually have of a king.
“He is not comfortably enthroned but hanging on a gibbet,” the pope said. “The God who ‘casts down the mighty from their thrones’ appears as a slave execut ed by those in power.”
Accusing no one, “he opens his arms to all. That is how he shows himself to be our king: with open arms,” the pope said.
With open arms, Jesus “embraced our death, our pain, our poverty, our weakness and our misery,” he said. “He
let himself be insulted and derided, so that whenever we are brought low, we will never feel alone. He let himself be stripped of his garments, so that no one would ever feel stripped of his or her rightful dignity. He ascended the cross, so that God would be present in every crucified man or woman throughout history.”
“This is our king, the king of the uni verse,” Pope Francis said.
At the beginning of the Mass, Stefano Accornero, a local seminarian, was in stalled in the ministry of acolyte.
Departing from the prepared text of his homily, Pope Francis told Stefano and anyone else preparing for priesthood: “Do not forget that this is your model: do not cling to honors, no. This is your model; if you do not think of
being a priest like this king, better stop here.”
Urging members of the congregation to gaze upon Jesus on the cross, the pope told them Christ does not “give us the same kind of fleeting glance that we so often give him. No, he stays there, a ‘brasa aduerte,’ (arms open, in Piedmon tese) to say to you in silence that nothing about you is foreign to him, that he wants to embrace you, to lift you up and to save you just as you are, with your past history, your failings and your sins.”
By surrendering to Christ’s love and accepting his forgiveness, anyone can begin again, the pope said. “Salvation comes from letting ourselves be loved by him, for only in this way are we freed from slavery to ourselves, from the fear of being alone, from thinking that we
cannot succeed.”
“Ours is not an unknown God, up in the heavens, powerful and distant, but rather a God who is close. Closeness is God’s style; he is close with tenderness and mercy,” the pope said. “Tender and compassionate, his open arms console and caress us. That is our king!”
The day’s Gospel reading included the exchange of the “good thief” saying to Jesus on the cross: “Remember me when you come into your kingdom,” and Jesus replying, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
That same promise is available to all who honestly admit their faults and trust in the Lord, the pope said. “Before God only soap and water, no makeup, just your soul as it is. Salvation starts there.”C
This year, St. Columban Catholic School had the honor of having Fr. Kevin Sweeney, Navy/Marine veteran (center bottom row), as the opening prayer presider at our annual Veterans Day celebration. Eighth-grade students presented the colors and POW/MIA table. Veterans from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard were all represented. Also recognized were veterans who served with our U.S. military in Vietnam from the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). As always, our Colts proudly honored these amazing heroes who have served our country proudly!
