Following the customs of Lent connect us to our faith, but it takes courage to make that choice.
Nearly 250 attendees danced the night away at the Costa Mesa school's sixth annual event on Feb. 18.
LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST
MARCH 12, 2023 7 13 16
St. Nicholas parishioner Louise Allard lives her faith through service to the less fortunate.
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.
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I'VE ALWAYS LOVED TO read and write. Endless hours of my childhood were dedicated to consuming any book I could get my hands on like milk to keep my bones strong or typing up six-page stories that I'd print out and staple together, eager to show to my family. Religion, however, was conversely not a large part of my life until I attended Rosary Academy.
As a freshman, I was absolutely and utterly terrified. I was in a new place experiencing things I'd never had to do before: uniforms, honors classes, Mass and its own special uniform… I couldn't keep up! I clung to books like lifesavers for even a brief moment of normalcy and continuity, and yet I found that exact solace somewhere I'd never even conceived: my freshman religion class with
Ms.
Rosales.My knowledge of the Bible was vague, my understanding of its timeline nonexistent. What some girls had been learning for their whole lives, I was being introduced to as a new saga that would domineer my thoughts and stimulate my love for literature. I began to see the Bible as not only the Word of God but also as a good read.
As a lifelong reader, literary analysis had always been as natural to me as breathing. I saw symbols and literary devices within the spaces between the words as if they were the very punctuation marks themselves, and as Ms. Rosales taught us more and more about salvation history, I couldn't get enough.
My favorites were the covenants' progressions and their consistent foreshadowing of Jesus' future arrival. I'd never
CONTINUES ON PAGE 17
This program will help lay ministers increase their knowledge of the Catholic intellectual tradition and improve their ministerial skills for the life of the Church. Students will be prepared to work in different areas of ministry and make professional and personal connections with others of the same mind and spirit.
For more information
Email: mapm@stjohnsem.edu or visit www.stjohnsem.edu
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 constructive conversations that further the growth of the Catholic Church.
Watch a brief video about the program
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MARCH 12, 2023
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
WE HEAR TODAY OF God’s unrelenting pursuit of us. Our readings tell stories of God’s intense desire to share the divine life with us. From Exodus, we see how God shows endless persistence and compassion, even to those who grumble against God, or seem to have forgotten God. From the Gospel of John, we hear of how Jesus, in his extended conversation with the Samaritan woman, gives her dignity, names uncomfortable truths, and gradually leads her into a new path of faith. We can have confidence that as we bring our own confusions, fears, and failings to God, we may receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. God always persists and continually finds new ways to invite people into unity with God. As Paul describes in Romans, in the cross we see how God will go to any length to demonstrate the depth and breadth of divine love.
Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. C
MONDAY 2 KGS 5:1-15AB; PS 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4; LK 4:24-30
TUESDAY DN 3:25, 34-43;
THURSDAY
1238-1253
FINA DEI CIARDI WAS born to a declining noble family in a small town in Tuscany. She was said to be devoted to the Virgin Mary and that she only left her family’s humble home to hear Mass. At 10 years old, she developed a paralytic illness and chose to lie on a pallet bed instead of a more comfortable couch. Visited by the people of the town, she only spoke words of encouragement and faith, maintained a joyful countenance and gave thanks to God. At fifteen, she received a vision of St. Gregory the Great foretelling her death a week later. Miraculous healings were subsequently credited to her intercession
SATURDAY
“Our eyes are made to look into other people's eyes
— Pope Francis
STEPHEN HOLTE SAID HE has benefitted greatly from a lifelong immersion in Catholic schools, both as a student and educator.
Holte, the founding president of the soon-to-open Cristo Rey Orange County High School in Santa Ana, attended Catholic schools, taught in Catholic schools and has spent the past 15 years as an administrator in Catholic schools.
But Holte is also aware that a private school education is not in the financial reach of many families.
The Cristo Rey Network of High Schools has changed that.
By incorporating a unique work-study model in all its schools, Cristo Rey’s mission is to ensure that a Catholic school education is available to students with limited financial resources.
That will be the model of the Cristo Rey Orange County High School, the 39th Cristo Rey school, when it takes on its first freshmen class in fall, 2023.
The Orange County Cristo Rey High School is leasing space at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish on McFadden Avenue and Center Street in Santa Ana.
The surrounding community is predominantly Hispanic, with a significant Vietnamese population.
Immaculate Heart of Mary holds nine Masses every weekend, including seven in Spanish, one in Vietnamese and one in English.
“When they hear a new Catholic high school is opening, they immediately think they can't afford it,” said Holte, who spent nearly a decade as an administrator at Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School in Chicago, the 20th
school in the Cristo Rey Network. “We do not cost any less than a Mater Dei and a JSerra. We are just funded differently. We provide this opportunity that (bridges) the gap in a really compelling and direct way.”
Tuition is essentially covered by the students themselves through Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Student Program, a separately incorporated entity.
The program is similar to a temporary employment agency, employing every student five full days a month in an entry-level, professional job all four years of high school.
Dozens of county businesses, nonprofits and government agencies have committed to hiring Cristo Rey students.
Those include the Diocese of Orange, the County of Orange, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
Holte has been in his new position since January 2022, after being selected by an 11-member search committee from a field of more than 50 applicants.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Holte spent 13 years at Loyola University in Chicago, and at Christ the King Cristo Rey High School in Chicago, where he held senior advancement positions.
Conor Heaton, Cristo Rey’s vice president of growth and associate general counsel, was a member of the search committee that selected Holte.
“Having worked with Stephen at Christ the King, I was thrilled when I learned he was interested in the role because of the talent
and experience he would bring,” Heaton said
Previously, Holte taught in an elementary school level in Austin, Texas. He holds a degree in Finance & Business Economics and M.Ed. from Notre Dame.
“Steve was hired because his skills and experience best fit the demands of a founding president,” said Tim Psomas, Cristo Rey Orange County board chair. “His role is quite entrepreneurial, beginning with selection of the initial leadership team, overseeing and building relationships with employers and benefactors, developing budgets and business plans, overseeing the recruitment of the initial students and overseeing the facilities preparation for opening day.”
Nearly 100% of the 12,000 students in the Cristo Rey network are accepted into college, Holte said, with at least 85% of those attending college.
Cristo Rey Orange County is the first in the county and seventh high school in the network in California.
“In selecting a site for any Cristo Rey school, we want to be close to the families we exist to serve, while also being proximate to the work sites and business districts in which we must transport our students every weekday for work, Heaton said.
The new school will educate a class of about 120 freshman its first year and add a class each year, maxing out at about 400 students, Holte said.
Officials hope to have a permanent location before the incoming freshmen class become seniors, he said.
Cristo Rey is not under the governance of the Diocese of Orange Catholic Schools but operates with Bishop Kevin Vann’s blessing.
“I think it’s one of the most exciting things going on in Catholic education across the country,” Holte said.
For information, visit cristoreyorangecounty.org C
I’M THE KIND OF person who loves a challenge. I’m motivated by anything with a stretch goal: weeklong hiking trips and month-long writing sprints. I’m the person who looks at the Lenten requirements for fasting and abstinence and says, “Challenge accepted.”
As Catholics from age 18-59, we are required by the Church to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
“When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal.” (usccb.org)
Of course, as a challenge-seeker, I usually want to push it further: fast longer, eat less. Objectively, that’s clearly good, but maybe it depends on your motivations. You might push yourself in order to more fully enter into the sacrifice and get great Graces out of it. Someone else who, like me, struggles with the sins of pride or scrupulosity, might see where I’m going with this.
I finally had to confront my unconscious motivations when I was pregnant with my first child. Those USCCB guidelines defining a fast go on to give exceptions:
“Those that are excused from fast and abstinence outside the age limits include the physically or mentally ill including individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Also excluded are pregnant or nursing women.” (usccb. org)
At five months pregnant I was grateful for the opportunity to skip the unpleasantness of fasting, but I couldn’t shake a nagging feeling of guilt in the back of
my mind. I was healthy enough to push myself, even if I wasn’t required to, so wouldn’t that be the right thing to do anyway? It felt like cheating to claim my exception.
I know I wasn’t the only one struggling over this dilemma, because my Catholic mom Facebook group was full of anxious posts from other first-time moms. They echoed the things I was feeling: superstition, scrupulosity, fear. When it came down to it: I didn’t trust the Church’s advice to skip fasting, because I was scared. In that mom’s group, I was blessed with wiser women who gave the right advice: Don’t try to be “more Catholic than the Pope.”
The exemption in pregnancy is not for the woman’s personal comfort; it’s for the health of her baby. In my pride, and fear of “breaking the rules,” I had lost sight of that. I had to deliberately ignore the voice telling me I was taking advantage of a loophole when I didn’t fast during Lent that year.
As it turns out, I have been either pregnant or breastfeeding during every Lent since 2018. You’d think that, after six years of this, I’d have come to terms with the idea of not fasting when everyone else is. No, it’s still hard for me. I tell myself all kinds of things trying to work my way around the rules, like I’m trying to find a reason to ignore the wisdom and advice of the Church.
This year on Ash Wednesday, as I ate
my third small meal of the day, not fasting was itself an act of humility: something I offered up with trust to God as its own sacrifice.
There’s an obvious struggle when you’re fighting the temptation to do something objectively bad, but the struggle is much more complicated when you’re being asked to give up an objectively good thing for a less clear greater good.
Maybe you’re in the first camp, and you think it’s silly of me to wish I didn’t have an exemption from the rules. You are absolutely right. It is silly. But maybe you’re in the latter camp, with a chronic illness, or like me, nursing an almost-toddler and wrestling with whether the Church’s advice is wisdom or weakness. I’m right there with you. Know I’m praying for you as you join me in offering up your absence of fasting as its own penitential sacrifice this Lent.
Source: https://www.usccb.org/resources/Fasting-Lent-Info.pdf C
OUR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY celebrated Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22, marking the beginning of the Lenten season.
Please enjoy a few photos taken within our Diocese at UC Irvine, where Bishop Timothy Freyer and Deacon Bernie Ocampo celebrated an Ash Wednesday Mass with the university's Catholic students, and with Fr. Daniel Seo at Our Lady of Peace Korean Catholic Center in Irvine. C
— By Bradley Zint
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
When Catholic donors give to a charity — particularly to support mission work in a country like Haiti — they often ask, “Is this really going to make a difference?” “Is this really going to have a lasting impact on the poor?”
It may surprise you, but according to Jim Cavnar, CEO of Cross Catholic Outreach, the answer to those questions is a resounding “Yes!” Cavnar has been working with Catholic missions around the globe for more than 20 years, and the case studies his team has compiled clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of outreaches run by priests, religious sisters and Catholic lay leaders.
One of the Catholic missions he often praises is the Kobonal Haiti Mission, founded by Father Glenn Meaux. [See related story on opposite page.]
“The Kobonal Haiti Mission has a variety of effective ministries to help the poor, and one of their most successful outreaches is the school they operate for needy children in the Diocese of Hinche,” Cavnar said. “Children in that area of Haiti had been growing up illiterate prior to the Mission’s founding, and many became trapped in a cycle of poverty that virtually assured they would remain poor for the rest of their lives. When the school opened its doors, everything changed for those kids. They got a quality education, and that blessing opened up doors of opportunity for them.”
Cavnar also credited American Catholics for the role they have played in supporting the Mission’s many programs. They have been particularly supportive of Fr. Meaux’s school and have helped it grow over the years.
“Compassionate Catholics in the U.S. provided the financial support Fr. Meaux needed to fund construction of classrooms,
hire staff and maintain the school’s operation,” he explained. “Their donations continue to support the great things he is doing, and he is deeply grateful for the help they are providing. His success depends on it.”
When asked why donors are so eager to support ministries like Fr. Meaux’s Mission in Kobonal, Cavnar suggested it is because American Catholics have a high level of trust in missionary-run programs, and they want a tangible connection to the families being helped. When they give to the Kobonal Haiti Mission, they are satisfied their gift will have a direct and meaningful impact.
“For example, when someone contributes to the Kobonal Haiti Mission’s educational programs, they know they are changing a child’s life for the better,” Cavnar said. “In those cases, their gift becomes something like a scholarship. It educates a child who might otherwise have remained illiterate. The impact that it has is dramatic. In time, as those children grow up and can pursue better jobs, many are even able to lift their entire family out of poverty.”
So the question “Will my charitable gift really make a difference in Haiti?” has been answered. Yes, it will!
Readers interested in supporting Cross Catholic Outreach education programs and other outreaches to the poor can contribute through the ministry brochure inserted in this issue or send tax-deductible gifts to: Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC02405, PO Box 97168, Washington, DC 200907168. The ministry has a special need for partners willing to make gifts on a monthly basis. Use the inserted brochure to become a Mission Partner, or write “Monthly Mission Partner” on mailed checks to be contacted about setting up those arrangements.
Above: Fr. Meaux’s Mission has always aspired to address all the needs of the poor in Kobonal, and that goal has led him to build schools to provide poor children in that area of Haiti with a quality Catholic education and a lunch feeding program.
Below: The school system run by the Kobonal Haiti Mission includes classes for a range of grade levels and even offers a scholarship program for those students interested in pursuing higher education through college classes or technical training.
If you are like many Catholics born in the 1950’s or before, you have probably begun to think about the spiritual legacy your life and actions represent. What did we care about? What did we value? These are some of the things we hope will be remembered.
“For a growing number of Catholics, this introspection has led to the exploration of ‘legacy giving’ — the use of one’s will, trust, life insurance policy or retirement to leave behind an echo of one’s beliefs, deeds and values — a blessing of others that
will reverberate beyond our own lifetime, hopefully influencing our family and others we cherish,” explained Jim Cavnar, CEO of Cross Catholic Outreach, an official Catholic relief and development charity with a staff dedicated to such estate planning.
According to Cavnar, Cross Catholic Outreach has helped many Catholics establish these “legacy gifts” and expects them to play a significant role in future ministry missions.
“A will or trust can also reflect a person’s special heart for a country or for an area of need. It can be used to
build houses for poor families or to build classrooms to educate children, for example,” Cavnar said. “Others simply want to help the poorest of the poor and make their legacy gift for that purpose. It’s their way of saying, ‘As a Catholic, I value life and support works of mercy. I want my family to understand that calling and believe in it too.’ And because legacy gifts can be quite large, they often achieve incredible things. A single one might build an entire school or fund the construction of hundreds of homes. It’s producing an
amazing impact and serves as an incredible testament to the faith of the giver.”
In addition to this service, Cross Catholic Outreach’s staff can also support donors seeking to establish a charitable gift annuity, charitable remainder trust or special endowment. Financial planners can also obtain information to help those who seek professional counsel or have donor-advised funds.
To learn more about these services, the charity recommends readers visit its special online portal at CrossCatholicLegacy.org.
Ask most Catholic missionaries how they would eliminate poverty in a developing country like Haiti, and they will usually begin by talking about the value of an education. Poverty, they will often say, is born out of illiteracy and is perpetuated by the hardships and lost opportunities the uneducated must endure.
“They will also explain that in one generation, a quality education can end this downward spiral and turn everything around. That is why so many Catholic missions make it a priority to send needy children to school. They know the value of teaching children to read, write and do arithmetic - that we can lift families out of extreme poverty by focusing on education,” explained Jim Cavnar, CEO of Cross Catholic Outreach, one of the leading Catholic ministries working to educate poor boys and girls in the developing countries of the world. “Once children break free from poverty, they tend to lift up their whole family and continue to make education a priority when their own children are born.”
When Father Glenn Meaux and his missionary team arrived in Kobonal, Haiti, in 1989, he was deeply disturbed by the magnitude of poverty he saw there. Very few employment opportunities existed for the unskilled, uneducated population, so very few families were able to earn money to buy food.
Access to safe water was also a serious problem. Many families were traveling long distances to collect contaminated water from ponds or streams because no other options existed.
In addition to suffering caused by hunger and thirst, Fr. Meaux saw that families were starving for spiritual guidance. Entrenched in superstition and occult practices, few had ever heard the name of Christ.
“There was no agriculture; there was no irrigation system; there was literally no hope at the time,” Fr. Meaux recalled. “With this sense of hopelessness, it is easy to see how Kobonal earned its reputation as the ‘darkest corner of the Diocese of Hinche.’”
Realizing that creating real and lasting improvement in Kobonal would require local children to be educated, Fr. Meaux included the launch of a school in his plans to revitalize the community, and that decision is now credited with starting the incredible turnaround the area has experienced.
“The Kobonal school became the centerpiece of the entire community’s transformation,” agreed Cavnar, who has helped the Mission develop its educational programs over the years. “Fr. Meaux also used the school to bring down cases of malnutrition in the area by serving breakfast and lunch to the attending children. In every project he pursues, he keeps his focus on improving lives, and the Kobonal school plays an important role in that objective. It started as a way of educating the youngest kids in the area, but as children have moved through the program, it has evolved to include support for those seeking a higher education as well. As a result, it really does have the potential to break the cycle of poverty in Kobonal, ending poverty for
Above: The Kobonal Haiti Mission provides students with everything they need to succeed, including uniforms and supplies. The teachers at the school are committed to helping ensure children who enter the program late are not left behind.
Left: Life in Kobonal is hard and many families still live in poverty, so the Mission continues to seek support from compassionate Catholic donors in the U.S.
individuals and families once and for all.”
According to Cavnar, many American Catholics share Fr. Meaux’s enthusiasm for educational programs that benefit the poor, and Cross Catholic Outreach regularly receives donations to support Catholic missions educating children in Haiti, Central and South America, and the developing countries of Africa.
“There are three types of people who regularly support education. One group has been blessed by God, have children who were educated, and want that same blessing provided to others,” Cavnar said. “The second group is interested in giving to
programs that break the cycle of poverty — to teach a man to fish, as the saying goes. They love educational ministries because they have that kind of life-transforming impact. The third group is drawn to our educational programs because they want to change a life and bless a poor child in a very direct and personal way. They are effectively giving a scholarship to a child and can celebrate that their act of mercy will forever change a boy’s or girl’s life for the better. All of those are great reasons to support Catholic missions that educate the poor. All of them will make a world of difference.”
To fund Cross Catholic Outreach’s effort to help the poor worldwide, use the postage-paid brochure inserted in this newspaper, or mail your gift to Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC02405, PO Box 97168, Washington, DC 20090-7168. The brochure also includes instructions on becoming a Mission Partner and making a regular monthly donation to this cause.
If you identify an aid project, 100% of the donation will be restricted to be used for that specific project. However, if more is raised for the project than needed, funds will be redirected to other urgent needs in the ministry.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
IT WAS STANDING ROOM only on Feb. 18, around a very active dance floor, and although tables and chairs were available, they were mostly empty.
Dads and daughters, dressed to impress - were out cutting a rug.
“It's a magical night for all the daughters to enjoy,” said dad Kevin Hauke of the sixth annual father-daughter dance held at St. John the Baptist School in Costa Mesa
Hauke has seven children, five of whom attended St. John's.
“I've been to many father-daughter dances here,” he said. “This is a beautiful night with lots of fun, dancing, picture-taking and snacks and the kids and the dads are all dressed up and having a wonderful time.”
The dance is a well-loved event and the students look forward to it every year.
Gus Hernandez, father of 6-year-old Mariana and 13-year-old Rita said, “The dance is like a girls' night out with dad.”
For busy dads, it’s not always easy to spend quality time with their children who likewise have full schedules with school and extracurriculars.
“Dads spending this time with their daughters is priceless,” said school prin-
cipal Paula Viles. “There are lots of smiles and laughter.”
DJ Mark Fortier made sure the enthusiastic crowd of around 250 enjoyed a wide variety of dances. Starting out with spinning hula-hoops to music, he then
lead the crowd through the Cupid Shuffle, a Conga Line, the Macarena, the Chicken, the Hokey Pokey and more.
Dessert treats included cookies, brownies and punch supplied by the
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
moms, who also decorated the parish hall with pink, white and red balloons on the ceiling plus paper flowers on the walls, reflecting the specialness of the
event.
“They love making the event special for everyone,” said Principal Viles.
Volunteer Cindy Gomez, grandmother of a kindergartener, said she
expected “a lot of happy, worn-out kids tonight.”
Fr. Damien Giap, O. Praem, school rector, said that the dance benefits the school by promoting family values and
demonstrating that holiness and fun can go hand in hand.
Fr. Damien added, “It shows that Catholicism is about joy and wholesome activities.” C
Fast in Fellowship takes place on March 17 at 5:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church in Ladera Ranch. A Lenten dinner will be provided by the Knights of Columbus. Cost is $10. Must RSVP online at www.holytrinityladera.org
The Stations of the Cross will take place at 6:30 p.m., presented by Holy Trinity Youth Ministry.
At 7 p.m. Fr. Donald Calloway presents, “No Turning Back: A Lesson in Mercy.” Fr. Calloway will talk about his journey from runaway teen to Marian priest. There is no fee to attend this part of the evening.
Bishop Kevin Vann celebrated Mass on Feb. 26, the last day of RECongress, which is the largest annual gathering of its kind in the world. The event from Feb. 24 to 26, held at the Anaheim Convention Center and themed as “Embrace Grace,” is sponsored by the Office of Religious
Education for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
RECongress began in 1956 as an institute for religious education teachers. Since then, it has grown to include people of all ministries, vocations and faiths. Various Diocese of Orange representatives were also present in the RECongress exhibition hall.
All are invited to reflect on how to live a healthy and holy Lent that will lead
us to healing and renewal at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods. Various events will take place between March 13 and March 18. For more information, visit https://st-nicholaschurch.org/
Young adults, ages 18 +, are welcome to join us for an encounter with the God
on March 14 from 8:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. at Christ Cathedral, 13280 Chapman Ave. in Garden Grove. Join us for the Stations of the Cross, Adoration, Exposure, Confession, Community and Food.
To register, visit https://linktr.ee/ ephphathaoc
Christ Cathedral hosted the annual Rites of Election on Feb. 24, welcoming the catechumens from parishes around our Diocese to enroll their names to receive the sacraments of initiation in the coming weeks.
Please continue to pray for the newly elect in their final phase of their journey to becoming Catholic.C
and specifically nursing, have been consistent benchmarks for St. Nicholas parishioner Louise Allard.
Her life has been service-driven, devoting her time and talent to caring for the less fortunate — locally and beyond.
Allard was born in the city of Valleyfield, in the French province of Quebec, Canada. She grew up in a Catholic family, attending Catholic grade school, high school, university and nursing school.
Allard’s younger brother had some medical issues growing up, and she would often visit him in the hospital. This, coupled with her own surgeries, influenced her to become a pediatric nurse.
A 45-year career in nursing ensued.
In 1978, Allard and her then husband moved to California. The couple first settled in Chino and two years later moved to Mission Viejo.
Although Allard was raised Catholic, at age 17 she left the Church. She attended various non-Catholic churches after moving to Southern California, finally settling in at Saddleback Church in 1987. There, she became active in the Salt and Light Ministry. When this ministry closed at Saddleback, Allard felt she was free to re-join the Catholic Church. Shortly after, Allard started teaching classes in the Billings Ovulation Method. This simple, yet effective method of natural family planning was in line with her Catholic upbringing. Allard is also a teacher trainer in this
method. Allard returned to the Catholic faith attending St. Nicholas Church 14 years ago. The last two years she has been serving as a Lector.
During her nursing career, Allard was involved in many aspects of this field, but gravitated quickly into management. Two years after graduating from nursing school, Allard became a head nurse. Later, she was involved in Home Health Care for adults and children, ultimately becoming a director of nursing. Allard spent the last 15 years of her nursing career working as a case manager.
In 1998, Allard founded Alliance for Life International (ALI), based in Lake Forest. ALI is a human rights organization that encourages States to welcome and protect the lives of preborn children and those who are vulnerable. Using her pro-life medical missionary point of view, Allard began putting the pieces together for this international organization. Visiting various countries in Africa gave Allard an up-close view of the needs of these areas. Trips started in 2003 with a visit to the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. Additional trips were taken in 2007 and 2008, with visits to Uganda and Kenya. Allard began focusing her healthcare vision on Uganda.
“God has led me to share my administrative skills to improve health care in Uganda and provide life-affirming services to pregnant mothers,” she said.
Allard has also sought to collaborate with leaders in Uganda to additionally improve medical care for all.
In 2012, she set up her second nonprofit, Alliance for Life International Uganda, as a registered nonprofit in this country. The relationships Allard had been growing in Uganda made this process seamless and set the stage for more direct involvement in this country.
After a full nursing career, Allard retired from formal employment in 2013 and began bigger plans for her work in Uganda. In 2015, the Uganda Hospital Project was announced. Hoima Diocese of Uganda donated 100 acres of land in the Kibaale region of Western Uganda. The first phase of this hospital in keeping with Allard’s love of pediatric med-
icine will be a forty-one bed children’s facility, set to begin construction in 2023. The long-term goal of this project will be to serve the medical needs of the area and become a teaching hospital.
In 2022, the nonprofit also opened a bakery. This bakery is connected to a vocational training center, where there are plans to offer a seven-month training course for new bakers. The bakery also shares part of its’ location as the nonprofits Pregnancy Resource Center.
Allard has continued involvement with the Billings Ovulation Method program. She has taught this program at St. Martin de Porres parish in Yorba Linda and in Uganda. Since 2003, Allard has taught the program to over 400 new teachers all over Uganda.
Through her two viable nonprofit organizations, Allard is changing lives in both the United States and Uganda. Her vision, dedication and faith will positively shape the lives of many, for many years to come.
Louise Allard has recently published a book titled, “Surrender and Discover the Abundant Life,” about her continued surrender to God's renewed purposes which led her to experiences in Africa over the past 20 years. C
seen connections in the stories I'd heard in church, only thinking of them as one straight line or pure cause and effect. During class, however, I began to see the hints of Jesus in Adam's job as a shepherd of God, in Abraham's fatherly eyes over his great nation, and in David's eternal kingdom. All of a sudden, everything made sense to me.
Not only was the Bible a story, but it was also an eventful one at that! There was endless drama, deception, redemption, romance — whether it was in Abraham's marital status, the story Cain and Abel, or in Solomon's redemption - there was something for everyone. There was weight in every word of the Bible.
I could see literary genius in the ways that not a single word of any biblical book wasted its meaning in foreshadowing Jesus. I could see the progression of
our faith as it migrated and fluctuated like a living, breathing entity, and the way it exploded like a blown dandelion after the final covenant clicked into place with the Church on its way to forming its universal ties all over the world. I could finally see that thousands of years led up to a single oath between man and God as the climax of a generations-long epic came to a close, ready to make way for a new series in the story of Creation.
Throughout my four years of Catholic education at Rosary, a sense of wonder regarding the literary nature of the Bible has not left me. I will always be grateful I attended a school that teaches the Bible as the Word of God and as a riveting, layered story of redemption and sacrifice.
Anna Jordan is the Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Rosary Academy’s school newspaper, The Royal Reporter C
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated on March 17, many of us with Irish lineage bake traditional recipes to honor our heritage.
Most recipes for Irish Bread call it Irish Soda Bread because it’s made with flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk. Back in olden times in Ireland, superstitious folks would cut a cross on the top of the Soda Bread with a knife because they believed the cross would protect them evil fairies or the Devil.
My favorite recipe, offered here, contains no baking soda, and it’s just called Irish Bread. It has baking powder, caraway seeds and raisins — and it doesn’t protect me from bad fairies. I got the recipe many years ago from the mother of Anne Johnson, a girl I met at my first summer job the year I turned 16.
When I make this recipe, I think of my dear friend and reflect on happy memories of days gone by. It is best enjoyed with a cup of tea.
Irish Bread
1/3 cup shortening
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
1 ½ cup caraway seeds
2/3 cup raisins
¾ cup milk
As an old saying goes:
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow And may trouble avoid you wherever you go
Directions:
Cream sugar and shortening
Fill an Angel cake pan half full
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes
Then lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes longer
Spread butter on top while still warm.
