OC Catholic 6.13.21

FAITH-FILLED SUMMERTIME

JUNE 13, 2021

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THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ORANGE n OCCATHOLIC.COM

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GRAPHIC COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE

JUNE 13, 2021

CONTENTS

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A LOOK BACK

A retrospective of the last 15 months, during which we endured the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic brought, and how the Diocese of Orange responded.

POPE: PRIESTHOOD INVOLVES CLOSENESS WITH FAITHFUL

Pope Francis addressed a group of priests studying in Rome, extolling the connection between the shepherds and the sheep.

PLUS

Guest Column, Weekly Readings, Moments In Our Journey

ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT The Orange County Catholic Newspaper seeks to illuminate and animate the journey of faith for Catholics within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange – building solidarity among the faithful and inviting a deeper understanding and involvement in the mission of Christ – through the timely sharing of news, commentary and feature content in an engaging, accessible and compelling format.

ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC

The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840 Publisher: The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange Executive Editor: Tracey Kincaid, tkincaid@rcbo.org Editor: Kimberly Porrazzo, webeditor@occatholic.com New Ideas: storyideas@rcbo.org Delivery Problems: occatholicsupport@occatholic.com

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SCNG CUSTOM CONTENT Managing Editor: Caitlin Adams

Art Director: Fernando M. Donado

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.

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GUEST COLUMN

‘DISPENSATION’ DEFINED

BY MONSIGNOR STEPHEN DOKTORCZYK

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HE WORD “DISPENSATION” can have varied meanings. One definition of dispensation is “the relaxation of a merely ecclesiastical law in a particular case” according to canon 85 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. The dispensation question is often raised when St. Patrick’s Day, which always takes place during Lent, falls on a Friday. Since abstinence from meat on Fridays (outside of when a solemnity falls on a Friday) (canon 1251) is an ecclesiastical (Church) and not a divine law, a bishop or another with executive authority may relax the law in such a case. He could add the contingency that if one decides to have corned beef on Friday, March 17, he is to refrain from meat on another day.

When the seriousness of the coronavirus became known, it seemed fitting to excuse

certain people who could be at high risk of contracting COVID-19 from being physically present at Mass. But it is important to point out a distinction perhaps not evident to everyone. It is the Third Commandment of the Decalogue that requires us to keep holy the Lord’s Day. Canon 1247 states that “on Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in Mass.” It is the Church, then, that tells us how to keep holy the Lord’s day (Sunday). I might add that the same canon states that the faithful “are to abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body.” Therefore, how to keep holy the day of the Lord is prescribed by the Church, and, as a result, competent ecclesiastical authority may dispense from the

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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 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.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE

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DAILY READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

“ Experiencing real human

GOD’S TIME

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E EITHER PAY ATTENTION TO OR ignore “clock time” as we play in the summer sun and note the earth’s tilt and the lengthening days. We live by time. We reckon time in seconds and minutes and hours, or we use broader chunks like suppertime and summertime.

God keeps another sort of time. God speaks to us of “saving time,” that is, the time of salvation. This sense of time is called kairos, and this time is always now, always present and available, always revealing, often surprising.

This Sunday’s readings alert us to the reality and the import of God’s time. Ezekiel and the Gospel of Mark remind us that our labor and our plotting and our planning rest in God. For God takes our smallest efforts and makes of them great works. Paul points us to the “harvest” time, urges us to be watchful for its coming, and calls us to recognize that we must spend our time pleasing God. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. C

relationships, not just virtual relationships, is something that everyone needs.

- Pope Francis

SAINT PROFILE

”

ANTHONY OF PADUA 1195-1231

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HIS DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH WAS BORN in Lisbon, Portugal, and joined the Augustinians at age 15. In 1220 he entered the Franciscans to become an African missionary and was sent to Morocco. However, poor health forced his return to Europe and a storm at sea deposited him in Sicily. He traveled to Assisi, where his gift for preaching was recognized and put to use in Italy and France.

St. Francis appointed him the order’s first “lector in theology”; he also was the superior of several communities. Many believers seek his intercession when something is lost.C

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

2COR 6:1-10; PS 98:1, 2B, 3-4; MT 5:38-42

2COR 8:1-9; PS 146:2, 5-9A; MT 5:43-48

2COR 9:6-11; PS 112:1BC-4, 9; MT 6:1-6, 16-18

2 COR 11:1-11; PS 111:1B-4, 7-8; MT 6:7-15

2COR 11:18, 21-30; PS 34:2-7; MT 6:19-23

2COR 12:1-10; PS 34:8-13; MT 6:2434

JB 38:1, 8-11; PS 107:23-26, 28-31; 2 COR 5:14-17; MK 4:35-41

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FEATURE

GATHER & REJOICE!

ORANGE COUNTY CHURCHES MARK RETURN TO INPERSON WORSHIP BEGINNING JUNE 13

BY CATHI DOUGLAS

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ATHER AND REJOICE Together in Christ!

It’s a joyful invitation to all Catholics in the 57 parishes, Christ Cathedral, and five faith centers in the Diocese of Orange. Everyone is encouraged to attend Mass in person, receive the sacraments, and offer praise and worship to God together.

After months of isolation, loss of life, economic hardship, and serious illness, diocesan churches are mounting a weeks-long reopening effort to urge Catholics to return physically to their parishes.

Bishop Kevin Vann has declared Saturday and Sunday, June 12-13, as the kickoff for the Gather and Rejoice Together in Christ initiative. This coincides with the revocation of the dispensation from attending Mass in person on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.

“It is time to gather back together in our parishes as one body, one community in Christ,” Bishop Vann declares. “We come to Sunday Mass each and every week because God tirelessly calls each one of us to worship Him.” The initiative is designed to gather O.C. Catholics in their home parishes to practice and continue building up the sacramental and spiritual life of the local Church. It will continue in the coming weeks with special events, receptions, outreach, and other efforts to welcome parishioners back to church.

“It is in these local communities where

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ON JUNE 29, 2018, THE MOST REV. KEVIN VANN, BISHOP OF ORANGE, LAUNCHED A YEAR-LONG CELEBRATION CALLING FOR SPIRITUAL REFLECTION AND FORMATION ACROSS THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE. DURING A MASS INSIDE THE ARBORETUM ON THE CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS IN GARDEN GROVE, BISHOP VANN PROCLAIMED THE NEXT 12 MONTHS A SPECIAL “HOLY YEAR OF PREPARATION OF CHRIST CATHEDRAL.” PHOTO COURTESY DIOCESE OF ORANGE

daughters and sons of God are spiritually nourished and strengthened by the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ,” says Bishop Vann, “and His mercy and forgiveness are supported by their relationships with other members of their communities.

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“The goal of this diocesan initiative is to assist people in hearing this call to worship God and respond with the totality of their lives,” he continues. “Our personal presence is a gift we offer back to God as He calls us to be in His Real

Presence of the Eucharist.”

Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Freyer, who is leading the diocese-wide initiative, says the invitation to Gather and Rejoice Together in Christ is a joyful opportunity for CONTINUES ON PAGE 7

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unity. “Our personal presence in church is a gift we offer back to God,” he says. “Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, we can appreciate more than ever the value of personal presence in our relationships and interactions.”

Orange County Catholics may not realize fully the deep and lasting effects COVID-19 has wrought on the local Church and community, Bishop Freyer says.

LOSS OF LIFE AND LIVELIHOOD FROM THE CORONAVIRUS

Church leaders, parish and diocesan staff, parishioners, and their families have suffered great losses, which were made worse when people couldn’t turn to their parish churches for help. Virtual services were no substitute for the ability to meet with priests, share grief with others, and lean on fellow parishioners.

Many Catholics throughout the county have suffered serious financial losses, although the economic recovery is well underway locally, statewide, and throughout the nation.

ECONOMIC HARDSHIP FOR LOCAL PARISHES

Churches in disadvantaged neighborhoods were hit especially hard, but all O.C. parishes suffered when people weren’t allowed to attend Mass and receive the sacraments in person. When collection baskets didn’t pass through the pews, parishioners largely stopped giving to their churches. A return to normalcy means that struggling churches have the hope of getting back on more solid financial footing.

EXTREME ISOLATION AND LONELINESS FOR CATHOLICS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Virtual worship connected us during the pandemic, but homebound elderly, the chronically ill, and others were

PARISHIONERS SHARE AN EMBRACE AT THE WITNESS TO MERCY SERVICE IN CHRIST CATHEDRAL NOVEMBER 2019, JUST MONTHS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC WOULD SHUT DOWN CHURCHES. PHOTO: BROOKE ADAMS

isolated from one another and suffered lingering depression and other mental illnesses as a result.

STUDENTS MISSED ATTENDING SCHOOL IN PERSON, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE ATTENDING O.C. CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

For most students, the coronavirus meant attending school virtually. For parents, it meant juggling jobs with home-schooling children. Fortunately students in the Diocese of Orange were, for the most part, attending in-class instruction. For families experiencing stress, and too much togetherness under one roof, relationships sometimes

grew strained.

Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, we can appreciate more than ever our newfound freedom to worship God in person, Bishop Freyer notes.

“The sacraments of the Church are tangible and concrete ways we encounter and receive God’s grace in our lives,” he observes. “Through Holy Communion, God unites us deeply to one another as One Body in Christ. The Eucharist not only draws us together, but also propels us to evangelize, love, and serve; we are drawn back to the Eucharist each week, because nothing replaces personal presence.”

Catholics returning to worship in person will notice banners welcoming them back to church; special buttons

identifying hospitality ministers who will offer a smile and words of welcome; events such as receptions; and other joyful activities. Parish leaders are planning historic welcome-back events and activities, including receptions, coffee-and-donut after-Mass events, and prayer services. Some pastors and priests are reaching out via phone and email to invite people back to church.

The bishops of the diocese of Orange are grateful to all who have supported their parishes and the many important ministries throughout the pandemic.

For more information, and to participate in parish and diocesan welcoming events, please contact your local parish, visit the parish and diocesan website, or call the parish office. C

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FEATURE

PANDEMIC RETROSPECTIVE A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST TUMULTUOUS 15 MONTHS

BY GREG HARDESTY

T

HE PRIEST LEFT THE ALTAR to bless the congregation with holy water and was surprised, and happy, to see a once-familiar face in the front pew.

The woman had been a fixture at the 5 p.m. Saturday Mass at St. Polycarp in Stanton.

That was until COVID-19 hit in midMarch 2020.

After that, everything changed.

“Oh my gosh, I haven’t seen you in so long,” Msgr. Stephen Doktorczyk, vicar general of the Diocese of Orange and celebrant of that Mass on May 22, 2021, whispered to her.

“I’m so happy to be back,” she told him.

With parishes in Orange County returning to back-to-normal-as-possible this weekend, June 12-13, as the pandemic’s once-terrifying death grip further weakens, diocesan leaders are reflecting on the past 15 months that have been like none other.

They are recounting the difficult decisions that had to be made and the hard work that was accomplished to keep Catholic schools running and churches from shuttering as revenues plummeted.

Through it all, they heeded the oft-repeated words of Bishop Kevin Vann: We walk together in faith taking it one day at a time.

QUICK ACTION TO CUT EXPENSES

Tom Burnham, a seasoned human re-

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EMPTY PEWS ARE SEEN HERE IN HOLY FAMILY CHURCH IN ORANGE. PHOTO COURTESY DIOCESE OF ORANGE

sources executive with extensive domestic and international experience, was five years into retirement when he returned to full-time employment as chief human resources officer for the diocese in June 2015.

On March 14 last year, Burnham was returning to Orange County with his wife from a vacation in her native New Zealand when, less than a week before the diocese ended up closing churches as the pandemic took hold, he realized time was of the essence.

“I’m on the plane thinking this through, and thought, ‘We have a problem,’” Burnham recalls.

Since the livelihood of the diocese is based on donations of the faithful, Burnham was worried about how the diocese would survive if people stopped

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going to church. Since labor makes up a high percent of diocese and parish expenses, Burnham was concerned that parishes would soon run out of money to pay their staffs.

Burnham kept that thought in his head, and by the time he returned to work the following Monday, the Coronavirus was the only thing on his mind and that of others in the diocese. Diocesan Bishop Kevin Vann wasted no time in putting a “COVID response leadership team” together. In the early weeks of the pandemic, this team, which consisted of the auxiliary bishops, vicar general, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, Director of Communications, head of Hispanic Ministry and Youth and Young Adults, head of the Justice, Life and Peace office and two consultants would

meet for one hour per day to discuss relevant issues. One of the early decisions reached was to furlough one third of the staff inside the diocesan pastoral center and to recommend to principals and pastors that they do the same, with the goal of preserving cash, which was seen as critical to maintain the solvency of the diocese.

“With a furlough, you’re basically asking people to give us some grace,” Burnham said. “The bishop and his team knew that if we got costs under control, we would have a fighting chance. And our employees understood that. Bishop Vann doesn’t treat people like a commodity. He showed tremendous courage in terms of difficult decision-making. We looked after the faithful, and I think we CONTINUES ON PAGE 9

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were good stewards.” These employees were eligible for unemployment benefits, and a number of those who were furloughed were earning more on a weekly basis than the employees who remained, due to the $600 per week federal subsidy to those who found themselves without work during that time.

After parish churches were closed, weekly collections fell an average of about 50% initially, with some parishes faring worse and lacking the standard 90 days of cash on hand to be able to continue operating. Seeing the disparity, pastors of more well-to-do parishes voluntarily financially assisted the struggling ones.

Some parishes were able to transition to livestream Masses quickly, creating a new ‘tele-ministry’ to reach the faithful.

At St. Boniface in Anaheim, members of Vietnamese youth leaders created a studio from scratch for high-quality livestreams. They helped other parishes create a permanent structure for livestreaming, too, working late into the nights to do so.

Thomas Saenz, who is going through formation with an eye to ordination to the permanent diaconate later this year, committed himself to providing technical assistance at St. Juliana Falconieri in Fullerton , arranging for the 6:30 a.m.

Masses to be livestreamed before he went to work. Witnessing the dedication of pastor Father Michael Ponterelli, OSM, who offered the 6:30 daily Mass without fail from the beginning of the pandemic to this day, he was only too happy to help.

With parishioners limited to watching Masses online, the diocese launched a digital campaign to promote online giving since most churchgoers, pre-pandemic, used the envelope system. This strategy continued as Masses, at various stages of the pandemic, and reopened temporarily to a limited capacity of 25 percent before being moved to outside only.

Beyond finances, maintaining

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CHURCHES THROUGHOUT THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE LIVESTREAMED MASSES TO PARISHIONERS AT HOME. PHOTO BY CHALLENGE RODDIE.

connections with parishioners became paramount. Diocese staff and volunteers made calls and sent emails to check in with the faithful, focusing on older parishioners who lived alone.

At times, pastors and their staff members had to deal with angry parishioners, some of whom had to cancel weddings during the early stages of the crisis.

Some people would call the diocesan pastoral center with their complaints; staff members—working remotely—did their best to respond charitably.

REASSURING REFLECTIONS

As the pandemic worsened and news about safety protocols seemed to change daily, and the toll from COVID-19 continued its alarming and grim march upward, diocesan officials maintained weekly calls with pastors and their business managers.

“One of the things that stands out

for me is the resilience of our priests and our people,” Bishop Freyer says.

“Overwhelmingly, people just tried to do what they thought was their best with the information they had at the time, to practice their faith, to pray together as a family, to produce livestream Masses, and to adapt to the beautiful celebrations outdoors.

“There will always be naysayers,” he adds, “but overall, I think people were very resilient and tried to do the best they could and were very patient and understanding.”

Bishop Freyer believes prayer and the efforts of diocese leaders to communicate as clearly as they could what was happening and why it was happening helped parishioners remain resilient.

“Priests were still hearing confessions, they were still doing ministry -- we just had to do things differently,” he says.

Bishop Freyer says he often reflected

on St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

“In Chapter 6, St. Paul talks about baptism – that death no longer has power over Christ or over us who are baptized,” he recalls. “Even if someone were to die of COVID, it’s not an eternal death. It’s sad, yes, but God willing, he or she is going to eternal life.”

Another reassuring Scripture for Bishop Freyer also comes from Romans 8:35, where St. Paul professes that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Msgr. Doktorczyk says he’s very grateful for the collaboration of a lot of people.

“It wasn’t compartmentalized,” he says. “We all tried to chip in and pay attention to what was going on in the CONTINUES ON PAGE 10

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news, and our pastors wanted to know the parameters so as to ensure safety of employees and parishioners while doing their best to take care of their spiritual needs.

A CHAMPION OF KEEPING SCHOOLS OPEN

Dr. Erin Barisano, who as superintendent oversees the diocese’s 31 elementary and five high schools, which together enroll some 16,500 students, has been praised for her efforts to get schools reopened for in-person instruction last fall, as well as for making sure that comprehensive health and safety protocols were in place and staff morale was as high as possible.

The timing of the beginning of the outbreak of the pandemic was somewhat fortuitous in that it happened near the end of the 2019-20 school year. Diocesan and parochial schools shut down briefly but reopened for distance learning.

Barisano was keenly focused, along with her principals, in remaining connected to the students.

Small Business Administration-backed Paycheck Protection Program loans, designed to help businesses keep their workforces employed during the COVID-19 crisis, were critical in keeping a lot of people employed at schools.

“It really was miraculous,” Barisano recalls. “There was some trepidation but also a great deal of excitement when we saw what was happening around us.

“We knew that we could support our schools in core content areas. I was most concerned about our Catholic identity, and how we would ensure that our schools would continue to remain Catholic communities in an online platform.”

Principals stepped up, Barisano recalls.

“They started reaching out to us, saying, ‘We’re going to stream our morning assembly with prayer so we can start the day with prayer,” she recalls. ‘Or ‘We’re going to make sure our kids are connect-

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ROSARY ACADEMY GRADUATE CELEBRATES AT THE IN-PERSON GRADUATION IN 2020.

PHOTO BY CHALLENGE RODDIE

ed to our weekly streaming Mass.’ Our schools thought about this without any direction from us. It was that important that they retain that Catholic identity and that fidelity to mission.

“That’s one of the things out of the gates that made me most proud, and I continue to be amazed at the level of creativity at innovation shown by the leaders at our schools.”

Catholic school administrators had to submit reams of paperwork and jump through massive hoops to receive waivers from the Orange County Health Care Agency to resume in-person learning on

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Tuesday, Sept. 8 – the day after Labor Day, and two weeks later than schools normally open in the fall (some resumed with a hybrid model of distant and in-person instruction).

“So many of our teachers look at their jobs as a vocation,” Dr. Barisano says. “A large majority was supportive of the idea of, ‘We’re going to give this a shot.’”

One problematic issue was having some teachers or school staff quarantine for 14 days if they had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. That presented some challenges, but the schools were able to work

through it.

Enrollment in O.C.’s Catholic schools, which generate some $100 million in tuition each year, actually has gone up during the pandemic, as many parents of kids in shuttered public schools transferred them to diocese schools.

“The recognition by school leadership that on-site learning was critical to our mission cannot be underestimated, and I applaud Dr. Barisano and her team for stepping up and pushing hard over the past months to reopen our schools,” Burnham says.

“They envisioned a much different state with a multifaceted delivery system to meet the needs of the students and parent community,” he adds. “A lot of capital investment went into making our schools a safe environment for our kids.”

Barisano was on the phone each week with the state’s other 11 Catholic school superintendents to share best practices.

“We really just tried to get ahead of things as much as possible, which was a challenge because things were changing so rapidly,” Barisano recalls.

“I can’t say enough about the resilience of our teachers and principals. Our principals worked all summer on our re-opening plan.”

Barisano recalls looking down from her office in the Pastoral Center at the playground of Christ Cathedral Academy that Labor Day week and seeing little kids with their masks on and keeping socially distant.

“It melted my heart,” she says.

To alleviate stress during the pandemic, Barisano took up Pilates.

“That helped me tremendously,” she says. “So did prayer. I was really intentional about my prayer life and leaning on God and praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit.”

KEEPING IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE PEOPLE

All throughout the pandemic the Diocese of Orange Communication team was CONTINUES ON PAGE 11

SOCIAL MEDIA / FEATURE orangediocese • follow June 6, 2021 orangediocese Today is The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. #OCCatholic THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST “Amen I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of god.

— Mark 14:25

FATHER DAMIEN GIAP ON JULY 19, 2020 CELEBRATES MASS OUTDOORS AT ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH IN COSTA MESA. THE ALTAR WAS SET IN FRONT OF THE STATUE OF OUR LADY OF LA VANG AND PARISHIONERS WERE SEATED UNDER LARGE TENTS. PHOTO COURTESY ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

orangediocese • follow May 23, 2021 orangediocese In the latest OC Catholic Radio, host Rick Howick has the honor, pleasure and privilege to welcome John Ballas to our studios today.

John is a parishioner at St Martin De Porres parish in Yorba Linda, CA. He was recently awarded the honor of being named the “St. Joseph Radio Catholic Man of the Year” for 2021. Listen today in the link below and at Apple Podcasts. https://occatholic.com/episode229oc-catholic-radio-catholic-man-of-the-year-for-2021/

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

at work supporting the efforts of the clergy, the ministries, the schools and the parishes. The team ramped up its social media initiative, pushing out the schedule of outdoor and livestreamed Masses on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The video crew produced weekly content that included the praying of the rosary in Christ Cathedral as well as weekly reflections direct from the bishops and priests that kept viewers close to the weekly readings. And the staff at OC Catholic kept printing the news of the Catholic Church as well as the diocese throughout the pandemic.

These initiatives continue to this day.

PEWS ARE FILLING UP

Today, weekly collections still are down an average of about 15 percent diocese wide, but pews continue to fill up.

“We are blessed that people are coming back and we need to continue to encourage people to come back,” Msgr. Doktorczyk says. He noted that studies during the pandemic reported a decline in the mental health of people except for those who regularly attended Mass.

Effective June 12, Bishop Vann formally will lift the dispensation

that permitted people to refrain from attending Mass in person during COVID-19.

“To see people coming back to receive the Sacraments in person is what we were hoping and praying for,” Msgr. Doktorczyk says.

With people thirsting for personal engagement and social interaction as the pandemic eases, Burnham encourages parishes to look for ways to tap into this unmet need and opportunities to move their communities forward, revitalize parish life, and strengthen community engagement.

Peggy O’Donnell, a parishioner at St. Nicholas in Laguna Woods who coordinates the lector ministry there, calls 2020 her “Lentiest Lent yet,” with more focused prayer and indepth Bible study sessions with three other parishioners.

“It feels great to be back in church,” she says. “I’m thrilled. I learned a lot of lessons. I felt like what I learned most was the importance of having hope. Every opportunity to go Mass is an opportunity for gratitude and to thank God first. If we do that, we will get through the challenges of the day.

“As long as we believe in God and trust in God,” O’Donnell adds, “there’s always hope for tomorrow.” C

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CATHOLIC FAMILY LIFE

FAITH-FILLED SUMMERTIME VACATION BIBLE SCHOOLS OPEN IN PARISHES FOR FAMILIES, CHILDREN

BY KATIE DAWSON

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ITH VACATION BIBLE Schools canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus, Catholic families have cause for celebration this year as many Orange County parishes have scheduled VBS programs this summer.

Once the realm of Protestant churches, Vacation Bible Schools typically involve several days of activities for children of various ages, structured around Scripture.

In addition, Catholic vacation Bible schools usually include a special focus on Jesus, the Blessed Mother, and the saints.

Some programs involve the whole family while others welcome children from kindergarten to sixth grade, depending upon the parish.

For information, contact the rectory office in your local parish, the parish school office, or click on the website for details. Here are details from a few local parishes: n St. Kilian Church in Mission Viejo will hold VBS from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 26 to 30 for children kindergarten through sixth grade in fall 2021 at a cost of $65 per child. Adults and youth are needed to volunteer as well. n Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove will hold its VBS themed “Wandering Toward the Promised Land,” from June

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PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

21 to 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Cathedral’s Parking Lot B. n St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Irvine’s VBS, titled “Rocky Railway” is free of charge and takes place from June 22 to 26 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. n St. Bonaventure School in Huntington Beach’s VBS, themed “Treasured: Discovering You’re Priceless to God!” takes place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 12 to 16; cost is $150 per student in grades kindergarten through sixth grade as of fall 2021. Incoming seventh through 12th graders are needed to volunteer. n St. John Neumann Church in Irvine hosts its VBS, “Rocky Railway” from 9 a.m. to noon July 12 to 16 for preschoolers to fifth graders at a cost of $75

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per student. Volunteer crew leaders from sixth graders to 12th graders and adult volunteers are needed. n St. Norbert Church in Orange hosts its family VBS, “Rocky Railway,” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays, July 11, July 18, July 25, and August 1. It is free of charge, but signups are required. Adult and student volunteers are needed.

Santiago Retreat Center in Silverado Canyon also offers several summer camps for children, including Camp El Camino from July 6 to 9 for junior high school students in grades 6 to 8 and Blossom Camp for girls ages 8 to 13 years old from July 11-16. Visit https://www. santiagoretreatcenter.org/vacation-bible-camp for details.

Although Diocese of Orange parishes officially are celebrating reopening with the theme of “Gather and Rejoice Together in Christ” this weekend, Catholic parents who wish to launch their own family VBS can find myriad resources online: n Catholicicing.com offers a home-

based Vacation Bible School in a convenient, $10 package. The Backyard VBS kit includes a video lesson, outdoor fun, games, snack-tivities, songs, crafts, teen activities, and alternatives to the crafts, snacks, and activities including more involved materials. Bonus items include printable decorations, swag bag prizes for kids, coloring pages, an extra resources list, a week-at-a-glance schedule and an empty schedule for filling in with your own selected activities. n Five different themes are offered to adults who want to run Catholic VBS programs at https://growingupcatholicvbs.com/.. n Our Sunday Visitor’s website, https://vbs.osv.com/totally-catholic-rocky-railway/online-vbs-guide/, offers a VBS-at-home guide C 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.

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A LATIN-ENGLISH EDITION OF THE CODE OF CANON LAW IS PICTURED ON A BOOKSHELF. NEW CANON LAW PROVISIONS APPROVED BY POPE FRANCIS ARE EXPECTED TO HELP THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SAFEGUARD AGAINST ABUSE.PHOTO: NANCY PHELAN WIECHEC / CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

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requirement in certain cases, according to the good judgment of the same authority. This is why the faithful were instructed that, if attending Mass in person was not advisable in their particular situation, they could pray the Rosary, read Scripture for 30 minutes, watch the Mass on television or via live-streaming, and the like.

With the subsiding of the coronavirus threat and high vaccination rates in Orange County, people should now feel safe returning to Holy Mass in person.

The need for a general dispensation has come to an end, and, effective June 12, 2021, it will no longer be in effect.

That being said, it is understood that no one is held to the impossible. Someone who is unable to get out of bed, for example, is not expected to be physically present at Mass. Such a one would in

no way commit a sin by absenting him or herself from being present at Holy Mass. Likewise, someone who is sick might even have the obligation to stay away from Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation.

What if someone has a significant fear or anxiety of becoming ill by being at Mass, for example, those who for good reason have not received the COVID vaccine? Such persons should speak to their pastor, who may grant a dispensation in individual cases per canon 1245 of the Code of Canon Law. Such a one is still held to keep holy the Lord’s day in other ways, of course.

“The Supreme Law is the salvation of souls,” according to canon 1752. The Church does not want to be too onerous in its approach nor too lax. May everything we do be directed towards our eternal salvation and that of others. C

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CATHOLIC NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

THE PRIESTHOOD ALWAYS INVOLVES CLOSENESS WITH THE FAITHFUL, POPE SAYS

BY CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY (CNS) ­—Pope Francis told a group of priests studying in Rome that if they do not want to be pastors, spending time with the faithful, they should request dismissal from the priesthood and concentrate on academics instead.

“Be pastors with the scent of your sheep, persons able to live, laugh and cry with your people -- in other words, to communicate with them,” the pope told the priests June 7.

The priests, who are studying at pontifical universities in Rome, live at the city’s St. Louis of France residence.

The priesthood cannot be understood without its essential connection to “the holy people of God,” the pope told them.

“The ministerial priesthood is a consequence of the baptismal priesthood of the holy faithful people of God.” “If you think of a priesthood isolated from the people of God, that is not a Catholic priesthood,” he said. A Catholic priest puts God and God’s people at the center of his daily concerns, setting aside self-interest and “dreams of greatness.”

“To put God’s holy faithful people at the center, you must be a pastor,” he said.

A priest who would say, “No, I would like to be an intellectual only, not a pastor,” would be better off asking for “a reduction to the lay state,” the pope said.

“But if you are a priest, be a pastor.”

Obviously, there are many ways to be a pastor, he said, but all those ways involve being “in the midst of God’s people.”

During the ongoing year dedicated to St. Joseph, Pope Francis asked the priests “to rediscover the face of this man of faith, this tender father, a model of fidelity and trusting abandonment to God’s plan.”

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POPE FRANCIS LEADS AN AUDIENCE JUNE 7, 2021 AT THE VATICAN WITH PRIESTS STAYING AT THE ST. LOUIS OF FRANCE RESIDENCE FOR PRIESTS IN ROME. PHOTO: VATICAN MEDIA / CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

St. Joseph is a reminder that “having faith in God also includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties, our weaknesses,” he said. “We must not leave frailty aside: it is a theological place.”

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“My fragility, the fragility of each one of us, is a theological place of encounter with the Lord. The ‘superman’ priests end up badly, all of them,” Pope Francis said. “The fragile priest, who knows his weaknesses and talks about them with

the Lord, he will be fine.”

To be the “apostles of joy” that the church and its people need, priests also must have a sense of humor, he said, and they must cultivate gratitude for being called to serve people and the church. C

Moments MomentsininourourJourney Journey

Olivia Mansour prepares to receive her first communion in May at St. Joachim in Costa Mesa.

—Submitted by Suzi Mansour

Send your photos that capture Catholic life in your parish community to: webeditor@occatholic.com

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