JANUARY 9, 2022 MARCHERS ASSEMBLE FOR THE ONELIFE LA EVENT IN JANUARY 2020. PHOTO COURTESY OF ONELIFE LA ONELIFE LA RETURNS PAGE 8 THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ORANGE n OCCATHOLIC.COM FLYING HIGH PAGE 10
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Luke is a motivational Christian speaker, musician, avid golfer, Bible teacher and retired Chief Building Inspector for the City of Los Angeles. He resides in Southern California with his wife Lisa.
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Luke Zamperini is the son of famed U.S. Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini who is the subject of the best selling book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, and the film by the same name directed by Angelina Jolie. Luke is also Executive Producer of the film sequel Unbroken: Path to Redemption and President of the Louis Zamperini Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization that provides curriculum to high schools, youth correctional facilities, and the National Guard Youth Challenge program that teaches resilience, hope and forgiveness based on his father’s incredible life.
The Conference on Business & Ethics has motivated leaders to grow more responsibly in their personal and professional lives through inspirational keynote speakers and honorees who exemplify integrity and ethical business practices. Designed to inspire, this conference is unique as each year honorees are selected for their influential and ethical business practices in the Orange County community.
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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION ZAMPERINILUKE
WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES
POPE: MATURE FAITH IS REALISTIC, HOPE-FILLED
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Pope Francis celebrated a Jan. 1 Mass celebrating Mary, Mother of God and World Peace Day.
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EVERY PRECIOUS LIFE
Executive Editor: Tracey Kincaid, tkincaid@rcbo.org
Project Cuddle, founded in 1994, seeks to aid mothers and care for abandoned infants.
JANUARY 9, 2022 1467
Immaculée Ilibagiza lost her entire
BEAUTY AND DIGNITY OF EVERY HUMAN LIFE
GUEST13COLUMN
EVEN YEARS AGO, Archbishop José Gomez had a vision for a different kind of pro-life event in Los Angeles. He saw the need for a new approach that would unite young people, families and people from every cultural background to celebrate the dignity of every human life from conception to one’s very last breath. This year, OneLife LA returns in person on Jan. 22 with the theme Forward in Hope!OneLife LA shines a spotlight on the dignity of every human person. So many people don’t understand that they have dignity, that they have been created for a reason. How difficult is it, then, to recognize and respond to the dignity in
The Diocese of Orange, through OC Catholic newspaper, presents local, national and world news about the Catholic Church. Our intention is to give our readers access to a variety of perspectives in order to help them to process the information within the framework of our Catholic faith, but also to better understand the perspectives of those with opposing viewpoints. We hope that ultimately our readers will be better equipped to have con structive conversations that further the growth of the Catholic Church.
BY KATHLEEN DOMINGO EXECUTIVE CALIFORNIADIRECTOR,CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
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Jose Arellano grew up in the gang culture of Los Angeles. After years in and out of incarceration, a conversion led him to a new life. He was shown mercy and now helps people answer the question “why do you care about me?”
4 OC CATHOLIC n JANUARY 9, 2022
another person? Especially when that person is a preborn child, a homeless person, a person with extreme disability, a person who is incarcerated?
OneLife LA illustrates, through sto ries, witness, song and service the beauty and dignity of every human life! Each OneLife LA speaker shares a transforma tion, a recognition of his or her own dig nity through the mercy of another. And all have used that awakening to bring the message of hope to the world. Over the last seven years, we have met:
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
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TUESDAY
BAPTISMAL DEATH AND RESURRECTION
Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. C
1 SM 8:4-7, 1022A; PS 89:16-19; MK 2:112
SATURDAY
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SAINT PROFILE weavesEverythinghasbeenpreparedinGod’splan.Heourhistory…”
WEDNESDAY
S WE CELEBRATE THE BAPTISM of the Lord, we also honor our own baptism as our initiation into the Christian life and community. In the Gospel, the baptism of Jesus, with his immer sion and then emergence from the water, points to his later submission to God at his death, and his emergence from the grave at his resurrection. This pattern of death and res urrection is our path too, as followers of Jesus. Throughout life, often in small ways, we learn to surrender our limited and self-centered agendas. This surrender often feels like death. The sacrament of Baptism ritually enacts this pat tern to remind us of Jesus’ death and resurrection, so that we too might embrace the deaths and resurrections of our own lives. As Jesus emerged from the water, he encoun tered his Father and the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus, we can know we are God’s beloved, empowered by the Spirit.
“
MONDAY
FRIDAY
SUNDAY
DIEDGUDULA646
HE FAMOUS CATHEDRAL-LIKE Church of Sainte-Gudule in Brussels, Belgium, is dedicated to this laywoman. The daughter of Count Witger and St. Amalburga, she was brought up at the convent in Nivelles under the care of her cousin, St. Gertrude. Afterward, she lived with her parents at Hamme, and was said to spend her days in prayer and good works. Her Carolingian dynasty kinship produced a number of saints, including her sister, Raineld. Her relics were moved from church to church, and Emperor Charlemagne reportedly prayed before them. C
1 SM 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1A; PS 21:2-7; MK 2:1317
A
1 SM 1:1-8; PS 116:1219; MK 1:1420
JANUARY 9, 2022 n OC CATHOLIC 5 DAILY READINGS AND REFLECTIONS
THURSDAY
— Pope Francis
1 SM 4:1-11; PS 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25; MK 1:4045
1 SM 1:9-20; 1 SM 2:1, 4-8ABCD; MK 1:2128
IS 62:1-5; PS 96:1-3, 7-10; 1 COR 12:4-11; JN 2:1-11
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
1 SM 3:1-10, 19-20; PS 40:2, 5, 7-10; MK 1:2939
PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK
One of Magnusen’s early calls eventu ally led to the adoption of her first child. Since then, Debbe and her husband adopted five children in addition to their
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SAW A NEED TO HELP MOTHERS IN CRISIS AND PROJECTFOUNDEDCUDDLE
More than 30 years ago, Debbe Magnusen founded a nonprofit, Project Cuddle, initially to supply police cars with stuffed animals for on-the-scene comfort to children who were victims of crime.Afew years later she was appalled at news stories of babies being abandoned in dumpsters and left to die. She decid ed to change the focus of Project Cuddle to a rescue mission for women and their babies in crisis. She set up a toll-free hotline and within 12 hours received her first call.
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also include housing, counseling, food, and provisions for the baby so that the mother can successfully raise the child. Again, all this is done in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.
can turn to for assistance in finding the children care and a loving family. Today, Project Cuddle has volunteers around the country who are willing to step in at a moment’s notice to help women in crisis find a compassionate solution to their dilemma. Through licensed adoption agencies Project Cuddle can link hopeful parents with children providing a wonderful outcome to a terrible situation. Other times, mothers just need help and support to sort out the best alternatives which may
6 OC CATHOLIC n JANUARY 9, 2022 FEATURE
DEBBE MAGNUSEN AT HER HOME IN COSTA MESA. PHOTO: DREW KELLEY
“We are committed to helping women with whatever they need – everything from food and shelter to pre-and-post natal care to adoption service or help ing her to raise her child herself, said Magnusen. “Most importantly, we do it all without judgment.”
At the time she began, it was illegal to surrender unwanted babies. Today, women can legally surrender unwanted babies at fire stations, hospitals, or other locations legally. Project Cuddle is one resource that these drop-off locations
just saying “No” isn’t an answer for women in crisis, which is why so much of Catholic social service is di rected at helping and supporting people who are facing terrible choices. And it is why Catholics support religious and sec ular organizations that are working hard to find ways to help individuals through the trauma without destroying the soul.
They even get asked by women in abortion clinics who have had a change of heart but don’t know where to turn.
DEBBE MAGNUSEN
HE CATHOLIC CHURCH teaches us that all human life is precious and respect for the dignity of the human person is not only important, but it is also foun dational to a moral vision for society. This is why the Church has been at the forefront of protecting life from concep tion to natural Recognizingdeath.thatlife is full of trauma that may make alternatives such as abortion, capital punishment, euthana sia etcetera seem reasonable, the church teaches they are, in fact, a grave moral evil.But
BY MEG WATERS
EVERY PRECIOUS LIFE
The Maria Ferrucci Catholic Family Living feature is intended to inspire families to live their faith in the way Maria Ferrucci did throughout her earthly life.
In the same way, a sudden health emer gency forces us to both treasure our loved ones and thank God for his mercy. For me, my husband’s recent collapse at a large, noisy holiday party reminded us of our frailty. Thankfully, he is fine now – but the incident was frightening.
That evil question lasted but a sec ond, followed immediately by thanks giving. We are offered a new chance for life, another day together, new memo ries.When
all, Project Cuddle has rescued nearly 1,000 children across the country, and a few overseas.
JANUARY 9, 2022 n OC CATHOLIC 7 FEATURE / CATHOLIC FAMILY LIVING
T’S ONLY HUMAN to question the goodness of God when tragedy strikes, whether it’s a personal disaster or the global coronavirus crisis.For
Debbe attributes her passion for abandoned babies to an incident in Mexico when she was about 8 yearsold. Her father, a dentist, was visiting an orphanage in Mexico to care for the children’s dental needs. While young Debbe was sitting at the din ner table with the other children, a bedraggled man burst into the room caring for a naked newborn, covered in blood with the umbilical cord still attached. The orphanage immediately took the child in, but the visual of this poor unwanted baby remained in the recesses of Debbe’s heart.
“I think I had blocked it out for many years because the memory was so traumatizing, recalled Magnusen. “But after I had started rescuing ba bies, my mother reminded me of the incident in Mexico, and it brought all the memories flooding back. I think that is where I get my commitment to thisEarlycause.”on, Project Cuddle attracted the attention of many celebrities in cluding Oprah Winfrey, John Stamos and Paula Abdul who recorded a vid eo to introduce the public to the need for Project Cuddle, and the services it provides.Project Cuddle is based in Costa Mesa. There are always opportunities for volunteers and donations of cash or baby items. People interested in volunteering can download a applica tion online to begin the process.
Magnusen says it typically costs about $1,000 to rescue a baby –funds to help the mom or cover other fees. For more information, please visit www.projectcuddle.org or call 714-432-9681. The toll-free crisis hotline is 1-800-628-3353. C
those of faith, however, even the most horrific event opens our hearts to a profound relationship with Our Lord.
One silver lining of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is the cultivation and nurturing of family togetherness; we found comfort and meaning in being thrown together for months at a time. Thus, a lasting effect of the coronavirus may be flexible work schedules permit ting family togetherness.
I’d been so excited to attend a party that meant dressing up and paying special attention to my hair and makeup, and to get outside our coronavirus ‘bubble’ to reconnect with friends.
STRIKESTRAGEDYWHENOURFAITHISTESTEDANDTHENBECOMESSTRONGERONCEFACEDWITHADVERSITY
two biological children. All adults now, they are well educated, thriving and living the life God meant for themIn
think about was how close I seemed to come to losing my life partner and, with him, life as I know it. How could God endanger us in that way?
It was such a large gathering that we were waylaid again and again by hugs and conversations. The next thing I knew, my husband Les passed out cold. He fell right onto his head, something that I saw in slow motion yet couldn’t prevent, with a terrible sound of his forehead’s smack against concrete. It’s a sound that I won’t soon forget.
we Christians encounter trouble, our faith often becomes deeper, notes author Thomas Zanzig in “Under standing Catholic Christianity” from St. Mary’s Press, adapted in an article titled “When Tragedy Challenges Faith.”
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BY CATHI DOUGLAS
Thus, it is with an especially grateful heart that I begin this new year – with thankfulness for God’s continued bless ings and my dear family in 2022. C
ing like he’d been in a Lesfistfight,suffered no aftereffects. Our doctor thor oughly evaluated him, referringincludinghimfor a brain scan. Ulti mately, we chalked it up to low blood sugar from going too long between meals.
I wish I could say that I imme diately flew into action when faced with my unconscious husband, but the reality is that I was nearly immobilized with shock. After it was over, all I could
The event screeched to a halt as near by off-duty nurses tended to Les and the paramedic team checked him for heart and brain issues. While it seemed like an eternity, it took just a few minutes to revive him, clear him of immediate danger, and to make our way safely Otherhome.than look
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
“For many people who trust in God even in the presence of suffering, the Resurrection becomes not just a matter of belief but a life-giving reality that they experience in their life here and now,” Zanzig notes. “The Christian response to suffering is to hang in there and keep believing that goodness can eventually come from our pain, and that God’s grace is given to us when we suffer and when we grieve.”
I
A WALK DOWNTOWNTHROUGHL.A.
N DEC. 12, 2021, in his weekly Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis said: “Faith is not an abstract theory, a generalized theory; no! Faith touches us personally and transforms each of our lives. Let us think about the concreteness of our faith….Brothers and sisters, let’s find something concrete and do it!”
understanding of life from conception to natural death and everything in between, for life to be protected and human dignity to be upheld and uplifted,” he said. “And it does that in a very celebratory way.”
“If you’re going to attend something,
BY GREG HARDESTY
FAITHFUL ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND JAN. 22 EVENT THAT CELEBRATES BEAUTY AND DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE FROM CONCEPTION TO NATURAL DEATH
ing speakers, and a 5 p.m. Requiem Mass for the Unborn at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral.“Forward in Hope” is the theme of this year’s OneLife LA, which last year was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Event officials are closely monitoring the exploding Omicron variant of the coronavirus but are hopeful necessary protocols such as wearing face coverings and being vaccinated will make for a safe event this year.
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ONELIFE LA RETURNS TO IN-PERSON CELEBRATION
then this is probably a safe event to at tend – it’s very spread out and there is no single point of entry,” said Isaac Cuevas, director of Immigration and Public Af fairs in the office of Life, Justice & Peace at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The pope’s recent Advent message particularly resonates with Greg Walgen bach, director of Life, Justice and Peace at the Diocese of Orange, as he prepares for the annual OneLifeLA event in down town Los Angeles, a daylong celebration of the beauty and dignity of every human life.The event, to be held Saturday, Jan. 22, serves as a great opportunity to learn about how to get involved with many Southern California-based service orga nizations, Walgenbach said, such as ones that provide life-affirming support to pregnant women, assist immigrants and refugees, the homeless, survivors of hu man trafficking, the elderly, the disabled and the dying and help foster children find permanent homes.
O.C. Bishop Kevin Vann contributed funds to help get the daylong OneLife LA off the ground in 2015, and the event since has grown into a gathering of 10,000-plus Catholics throughout South ern California that echoes annual “March for Life” events in Washington, D.C., and SanWhileFrancisco.those two gatherings tend to concentrate on the pro-life movement and the rights of the unborn, OneLife LA aims to mobilize thousands of people to do good work every day to help those in need, Walgenbach said.
ATTENDEES AT THE LAST ONELIFE LA MARCH, HELD IN JANUARY 2020. THE 2021 EVENT WAS CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19. COURTESY OF ONELIFE LA
8 OC CATHOLIC n JANUARY 9, 2022 FEATURE
“The event is very much about the whole Catholic teaching and Christian
The free, family-friendly event – held outdoors – begins at 11 a.m. with a 1-mile solidarity-building walk through down town L.A. and ends with a festival, live music, food trucks, entertainment, inspir
OneLife LA not only has grown in size but also in terms of its ability to help people recognize the importance of what the pro-life movement really is, Cuevas added.“It’s not just about the unborn, but
O
“We want to be a hopeful presence to those most in need,” he said.
orangediocese • follow January 2, 2022
orangediocese • follow January 1, 2022
you
Proverbs 23:18
He serves on the Council on Mental Illness of the National Catholic Part nership on Disability and on the Board of Pathways to Promise, an interfaith cooperative that facilitates the faith community’s work in reaching out to those with mental illnesses and their families.Deacon
Happy New Year from the Diocese of Orange! Praying you have a blessed 2022! “For will surely have a future, your hope will not be cut off.”
orangediocese
and
Another speaker, Deacon Ed Shoen er, serves at St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Scranton, Penn. Shoener is a founding member of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers and the Catholic Institute of Mental Health Ministry at the University of San Diego.
OTHERSARCHBISHOP,TOSPEAK
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JANUARY 9, 2022 n OC CATHOLIC 9 FEATURE
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 Crisis Counseling Hot Line (24/7): 1 (714) NEW–HOPE or 1 (714) 639–4673
Matthew 2
Today, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord “They were overjoyed at see ing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”
orangediocese
ATTENDEES AT THE LAST ONELIFE LA MARCH, HELD IN JANUARY 2020. PHOTO COURTESY OF ONELIFE LA
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez is among seven scheduled speakers at this year’s event.Others include Sister Bethany Ma donna, who entered the Sisters of Life in 2007. While attending the University of Central Florida, she had a profound encounter with the Lord, which drew her heart toward the vulnerable unborn and their mothers. After her graduation in 2006, she worked for the Respect Life Office for the Diocese of Orlando before joining her religious community.
Shoener, along with family and friends, founded “The Katie Foun dation” after his daughter, Kathleen, died by suicide in 2016. Katie’s obituary went viral because it spoke to the needs and concerns of people who live with mentalWalgenbachillness. urged parishioners to attend the event together to take back to their churches ideas about how to best serve their communities.
For more information about One LifeLA and to register (not required, but recommended), visit onelifela.org.
all stages of life,” he said. “It’s one thing to be pro-life, but another to recognize human dignity in all its facets. This event provides an opportunity for all of us to live out our own best lives in serving others.”
Added Cuevas: “This is not just a one-day event for us. It’s an opportuni ty for people to come and learn about some organizations and get involved in their community.” C
The Christ Cathedral choir per formed Christmas songs and carols prior to the celebration of Christmas Midnight Mass in Garden Grove. The Mass was celebrated by the Very Rev erend Christopher Smith, rector and Episcopal vicar of Christ Cathedral.
MIDNIGHTCELEBRATESCATHEDRALCHRISTMASMASS
10 OC CATHOLIC n JANUARY 9, 2022 THE VERY THEPHOTOB.CORDERODEACONCONGREGATIONADDRESSESCHRISTOPHERREVERENDSMITHTHEASMODESTOANDREV.DANIELREADERLOOKON.COURTESYOFDIOCESEOFORANGE
OURAROUNDDIOCESECONTINUESONPAGE12
CHRIST
THE CHOIR PERFORMS DURING CHRISTMAS MIDNIGHT MASS AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL IN GARDEN GROVE. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE.
“It is in living our ordinary lives in yes, these extra ordinary times, that Je sus continues to love us unconditionally just the way we are,” said Fr. Christo pher Smith in his homily.
BY STAFF
DIOCESAN NEWS
OUR SAVIOR CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS DAY MASS
FR. JOSEPH ROBILLARD GREETS A YOUNG PARISHIONER DURING CHRISTMAS DAY MASS AT CHRIST OUR SAVIOR CHURCH. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
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JANUARY 9, 2022 n OC CATHOLIC 11 DIOCESAN NEWS
FR. JOSEPH ROBILLARD, PASTOR AT CHRIST OUR SAVIOR CATHOLIC CHURCH IN SANTA ANA, ADDRESSES PARISHIONERS DURING CHRISTMAS DAY MASS. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
GUITARIST AL VALASCO PERFORMS DURING CHRISTMAS MASS ON DEC. 25 AT CHRIST OUR SAVIOR CHURCH. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Christmas Day Mass was celebrat ed in Spanish and other languages at Christ Our Savior Catholic Parish in SantaThisAna.was the first Christmas Mass celebrated in the Diocese’s new est church, which was dedicated by
Bishop Kevin Vann on Sept. 11. The 18,500-square-foot sanctuary and is architecturally modern. It was origi nally planned to be the Diocese’s new cathedral until the Diocese bought the Crystal Cathedral campus in Garden Grove and renovated it. Christ Our Savior’s church seats 1,200 parishioners and is designed to accommodate Mass es in American Sign Language.C
ELEVEN SENIORS FROM SERVITE HIGH SCHOOL MADE COLLEGE COMMITMENTS IN NOVEMBER. PHOTO COURTESY OF SERVITE HIGH SCHOOL.
“We congratulate these 24 excep tional students for their hard work and dedication to their sport while balancing their studies,” said Mater Dei Executive Director of Communications, Allison
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Nine athletes from the school’s boys and girls water polo programs will be continuing to play at the next level.
Bergeron. “We also commend and thank their support system of parents, teach ers, coaches, mentors and friends who helped them reach this milestone event.”
Chris Grothues and Jarrod Hocking are headed to UCLA. Xavier Carde nas III signed with San Diego State. David Ladjevic committed to Long Beach State. Mikiah Negrete will play for University of San Diego and Trev or Schmidt signed with University of Arizona.Golfers
The Monarchs baseball program saw three players make college com mitments. Ethan Hedges committed to USC. Jack Kirrer signed with UC Berke ley, and Cade O’Hara is headed to Texas Tech
“It is always an incredible feat to earn the opportunity to play at the next level, but considering what these young men have gone through over the last couple years, the accomplishment is even great er,” said Servite Athletic Director, Alan Clinton. “We are so grateful for the way these Friars have represented Servite during their high school careers and are excited to see what they accomplish this year before moving on to compete collegiately.” C
From the girls’ side, Gracin Kerry will be playing for Villanova University. Genoa Rossi committed to UCLA. Jada Ward is headed to USC, and both Grace Klingler and Nicole Tyner signed with Indiana University.
N THE FIRST NATIONAL Signing Day of the 2021-22 academic year, several senior athletes from Orange County Catholic high schools made their commitments to play their respec tive sports at the collegiate level.
FromUniversity.thepitch, four players from Mater Dei’s girls soccer program will play at the collegiate level. Gracie Burns is headed to SMU. Annie Karich will play for Santa Clara University. Jose phine Master signed with University of Colorado, Boulder and Angelina Rivas committed to University of Montevallo.
Jack Cantlay and Chip Dee gan committed to Long Beach State and
Monarch basketball players Soleil Montrose and Lani White signed with University of Texas, El Paso and Univer sity of Utah, Roundingrespectively.outtheMater Dei signees are boys lacrosse player Rowan Piani who will play for The College of Wooster, girls lacrosse player Madeleine Luer who signed with Villanova University and rower Lydia Dillon who committed to University of Rhode Island.
BY JENELYN RUSSO
HIGHFLYING
the US Naval Academy, respectively.
Servite High School saw 11 of their senior athletes make collegiate com mitments, including six from the Friars’ baseball program.
Girls volleyball player Jordyn Schil ling will play for West Virginia Univer sity. From the boys’ volleyball program, Trevor Gruner committed to Campbells
12 OC CATHOLIC n JANUARY 9, 2022 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS NEWS
Mater Dei High School had 24 stu dent athletes from 10 sports programs sign letters of intent during a November 10 ceremony hosted at the Meruelo Athletic Center on campus.
Ryan Kerry committed to Wagner University. Logan McCarroll will be playing for Princeton University. Ryan McManigal and Luke Redoutey are both headed to UC Santa Barbara.
And from the school’s soccer pro gram, Eddie Villeda committed to UC Santa Barbara, and Justin Falson and Lucas Gimenez both signed with Sacra mento State.
ville University and Jeffrey Sowa signed with Loyola University, Chicago.
The message of OneLife LA is more important now than ever! I hope to see you at OneLife LA on Jan. 22, 2022! Together, let us go forward in hope!C
Instead, our focus in California should be to continue building a caring commu nity that responds to the dignity of each person with love and mercy. This is the long view. It is not a quick fix. It requires commitment and a willingness to put ourselves in the place of another.
family to genocide and hid while soldiers hunted for her for three months. She learned to forgive and now teaches oth ers to recognize human dignity, even in those who are most difficult to love.
JJ Hanson, a former Marine, lived with an aggressive and deadly brain tumor. He used his last months to speak against physician assisted suicide and help others see the beauty of their last moments, however difficult.
With the inspiring witness of our One Life speakers, over the last seven years, OneLife LA has challenged thousands of people to perform works of mercy for their neighbors. We are transforming our communities and showing people their own dignity so they might see the dignity in others. Showing them that they are loved so they can respond in love to those around them. This is the transformative message of the Gospel. This is the foun dation of the pro-life movement.
JANUARY 9, 2022 n OC CATHOLIC 13 GUEST COLUMN
With the Supreme Court set to rule on Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health as early as June, Roe v Wade could be overturned, returning abortion policy to eachWerestate.Roe to be overturned, CA abor tion laws would not change.
Lizzie Velasquez, born with a rare physical disorder, was once voted the world’s ugliest woman. She turned this situation around, shining the light of her joyful life to let everyone know that they are wonderfully made, no matter what they may see in the mirror.
Karen Gaffney is a long-distance swimmer who crossed the English Channel, and she happens to have Down syndrome. Her life illustrates God’s gifts to all people, differently shared but equallyOneLifeloved.LA 2022 is back in-person on Saturday, Jan. 22, beginning at 12 noon in downtown LA. Register at one lifela.org.Thisyear is especially significant.
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MARCHERS ASSEMBLE FOR THE ONELIFE LA EVENT IN JANUARY 2020. PHOTO COURTESY OF ONELIFE LA
“In her heart, in her prayer,” he said, Mary “binds together the beautiful things and the unpleasant things,” and learns to discern God’s plan in them.
Mary who lays Jesus in the manger, making him available to everyone, let’s remember that the world can change, and everyone’s life can im prove only if we make ourselves avail able to others, without expecting them to begin,” he said. “If we become artisans of fraternity, we will be able to mend the threads of a world torn apart by war and violence.”Inhishomily earlier at the Mass, Pope Francis asked people to consider what it must have been like for Mary, who had been told by the angel that her
“His poverty is good news for every one, especially the marginalized, the re jected and those who do not count in the eyes of the world,” the pope said. “For that is how God comes: not on a fast track and lacking even a cradle! That is what is beautiful about seeing him there, laid in a manger.”
son would be great, to give birth in an animals’ stall and to lay her baby in a manger instead of a cradle.
“We can truly build peace only if we have peace in our hearts, only if we receive it from the prince of peace,” he said. “But peace is also our commit ment: it asks us to take the first step, it demands concrete actions. It is built by being attentive to the least, by promot ing justice, with the courage to forgive, thus extinguishing the fire of hatred.”
Mary “gives God to the world” in a dark stable in Bethlehem, he said. “Oth ers, before the scandal of the manger, might feel deeply troubled. She does not: she keeps those things, pondering them
ON NEW YEAR’S, POPE SAYS A MATURE FAITH IS REALISTIC, BUT HOPE-FILLED
Pope Francis said he could not look at BY CINDY CATHOLICWOODENNEWSSERVICE
Pope Francis celebrated Mass Jan. 1, the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and World Peace Day, in St. Peter’s Basil ica and then led the recitation of the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square with thousands of people, including dozens who held signs with the names of coun tries at war.
14 OC CATHOLIC n JANUARY 9, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
POPE FRANCIS VENERATES A FIGURINE OF THE BABY JESUS AT THE START OF MASS MARKING THE FEAST OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, IN ST. PETER’S BASILICA AT THE VATICAN JAN. 1, 2022. IN THE FOREGROUND ARE YOUNG PEOPLE DRESSED AS THE MAGI. PHOTO: ROMANO SICILIANI, POOL VIA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Mary holding the baby Jesus in her arms without thinking of “young mothers and their children fleeing wars and famine or waiting in refugee camps. And there are many of “Contemplatingthem.”
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As Catholics begin a new year contemplating the motherhood of Mary, they should be inspired not to let problems weaken their faith or prevent them from helping others grow, Pope Francis said.
But for Mary, a mother, it must have been painful to see her son in such pov erty, the pope said.
In his homily at the Mass, Pope Fran cis pleaded for an end to violence against women.“Enough,” he said. “To hurt a woman is to insult God, who from a woman took on our And,humanity.”inhisAngelus address, Pope Francis insisted peace is a gift from God that requires human action.
Peace also requires “a positive outlook as well, one that always sees, in the church as well as in society, not the evil that divides us, but the good that unites us,” the pope said. “Getting depressed or complaining is useless. We need to roll up our sleeves to build peace.”
in herAndheart.”through faith, he said, “in her mother’s heart, Mary comes to realize that the glory of the Most High appears in humility; she welcomes the plan of salvation whereby God must lie in a manger. She sees the divine child frail and shivering, and she accepts the won drous divine interplay between grandeur and“Atlittleness.”thebeginning of the New Year,” he said, “let us place ourselves under the protection of this woman, the mother of God, who is also our mother. May she help us to keep and ponder all things, unafraid of trials and with the joyful certainty that the Lord is faithful and can transform every cross into a resur rection.” C
The Nativity is reenacted by the Eucharistic Youth at St. Boniface in Anaheim before the Vigil Christmas Mass.
Moments in our JourneyMoments in our Journey
—Submitted by Shaun Nguyen
JANUARY 9, 2022 n OC CATHOLIC 15
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