OC Catholic 6.27.21

JUNE 27, 2021

DIOCESE OF ORANGE WELCOMES THREE NEW PRIESTS

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

PSA FUNDS ALREADY EXCEEDING DIOCESE’S ANNUAL GOAL SEVERAL ELEMENTS ARE BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF THIS YEAR’S PASTORAL SERVICES APPEAL. PAGE 6 DIOCESE OF ORANGE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER ELIZABETH JENSEN WITH IAN RANGEL, DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL SERVICES APPEAL AND FUND DEVELOPMENT. PHOTO: DREW KELLEY

JUNE 27, 2021

CONTENTS

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BREAKING BREAD

The family dinner is an important social ritual to bring everyone together for conversation and comfort.

ALL OUR NEEDS

Garden Grove parishioner Tom Ryan supports his faith with his company, Trinity West Liturgical Supply.

FUN, FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP

St. John the Baptist School hosted a fundraiser and basketball game pitting the school’s undefeated girls’ team against the Norbertine Sisters.

PLUS

Guest Editorial, 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

ADVERTISING Director of Custom Content: Caroline Wong, cawong@scng.com

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 EDITORIAL

SEVEN SURPRISING PLACES TO FIND GOD THIS SUMMER

BY LAURA KELLY FANUCCI CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

S

CHOOL IS DONE AND SUMMER has begun. But between registering kids for sports and mapping family road trips, I’ve had to catch myself.

Where could we seek and find God in this new season, too?

Here are seven places you might delight to encounter God with your family this summer.

BY THE WATER

If you spend time near a lake, river or ocean, let your thoughts wander from the waves to the God who once walked on them.

Take a moment to pray to Jesus who lived near the shore: “Once again he went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them” (Mk 2:13).

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EATING OUTSIDE

When we think of Jesus eating, we often picture the Last Supper in the upper room. But remember he ate outside, too: miraculous meals when he fed thousands or ordinary afternoons when he stopped to eat with his friends. Sound familiar for the rest stops and road trips of your youth?

Christ even cooked for his friends the morning after his resurrection, a reminder that every picnic or campfire meal can lead us to prayer: “Jesus said to them, ‘Come, have breakfast’” (Jn 21:12).

UNDER THE NIGHT SKY

As a child, I listened to my grandfather tell ancient tales of the constellations around a bonfire. Our faith is full of star stories, too: the creation of the heavens in Genesis, God’s promise to Abraham of CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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.

DAILY READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

“ There

JESUS’ EXAMPLE OF HELPING OTHERS

I

N TODAY’S SECOND READING Paul offers a wonderful argument to his converts at Corinth for seeking to help those in need. He is dealing with a practical problem, arranging a collection for the poor of the church of Jerusalem; but as he often does, he develops an important teaching about Jesus to make his point.

After asking that they show their faith by generous gifts, he reminds them of the “gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). In the Incarnation our Lord assumed our human nature, certainly becoming poor for one who is God. The ultimate gracious act of this poverty was going to the cross with all its terrible sufferings. By this act of poverty we definitely become rich. Now our sins can be forgiven; we can share in the very life of God through the sacraments; we can attain eternal salvation!

Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. C

are still too many wars and too much violence in the world!”

- Pope Francis

SAINT PROFILE

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA 376-444

C

YRIL WAS BORN IN ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT, and was the nephew of its patriarch, Theophilus. Classically educated, he was ordained by his uncle, whom he succeeded as patriarch in 412. He had helped Theophilus discredit and depose St. John Chrysostom from Constantinople, in what may have been a rivalry between the two ancient sees. As patriarch, he exercised his authority hastily and violently, drawing severe criticism, and was embroiled in heretical controversies, chiefly against Nestorius of Constantinople, who taught that Mary was not the mother of God. Cyril’s orthodoxy eventually was upheld by pope and emperor. This most brilliant theologian of the Alexandrian tradition was declared a doctor of the church in 1882; he is the patron of Alexandria.C

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

GN 18:16-33; PS 103:1B-4, 8-11; MT 8:18-22

ACTS 12:1-11; PS 34:2-9; 2 TM 4:6-8, 17-18; MT 16:13-19

GN 21:5, 8-20A; PS 34:7-8, 10-13; MT 8:28-34

GN 22:1B-19; PS 115:1-6, 8-9; MT 9:1-8

GN 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67; PS 106:1B-5; MT 9:9-13

EPH 2:19-22; PS 117:1BC-2; JN 20:24-29

EZ 2:2-5; PS 123:14; 2 COR 12:7-10; MK 6:1-6A

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FEATURE

PSA FUNDS ALREADY EXCEEDING DIOCESE’S ANNUAL GOAL

SEVERAL ELEMENTS ARE BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF THIS YEAR’S PASTORAL SERVICES APPEAL

BY LARRY URISH

C

ATHOLICISM IS ROOTED in generosity, and thus far in 2021 the generosity shown by those in the Diocese of Orange has been nothing short of extraordinary. Case in point: the Pastoral Services Appeal, the primary fundraising appeal for the Diocese.

Although Diocesan leaders set a 12-month goal of $9.5 million, in only five months the PSA has already received $9.8 million in pledges, many having already been fulfilled. Approximately $3 million will be returned to the parishes in the Diocese, says Ian Rangel, director of PSA and Fund Development.

Along with the generosity of more than 16,000 donors, Rangel notes that the success of this year’s Pastoral Services Appeal is due to the easing of COVID restrictions, the PSA’s transparency and clarity of purpose, and strong support from the top levels of the Diocese, which includes the Stewardship and Finance pillar of Bishop Kevin Vann’s Strategic Plan.

Another factor, one behind this year’s success in particular, is the work and dedication of the Diocese’s financial professionals, led by Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Jensen. She gives well-deserved praise to Rangel and the entire team on the financial side.

“Ian was hired by Bishop Vann two

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THE ORANGE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ARE SUPPORTED IN PART BY THE FUNDRAISING EFFORTS OF THE PSA. PHOTO COURTESY DIOCESE OF ORANGE.

years ago to overhaul and streamline the administration of the Appeal. He was tasked with rebranding [it], making it fresh. He’s done a brilliant job at providing training to our parishes and ensuring transparency in the collections of the money and the granting of the funds to the ministries.”

Rangel is happy to reciprocate.

“We’ve got some amazing finance professionals at the Diocese who walked this journey hand in hand with our parishes and schools,” he says. “They’ve done some remarkable work. I continue to be humbled by the generosity and faithfulness that our pastors have been

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able to inspire in their parishes.”

Along with Catholic education and clergy and seminarian formation, PSA funding helps support the Diocese’s many outreach ministries, among other programs. “The PSA provides a great opportunity for everyone to contribute to the causes most important to the mission and vision of the Diocese,” Jensen says. As an incentive for parishes, once their goal is reached, every dollar collected beyond their goal goes back to the parish.

That clarity of purpose will always remain a key element of the fundraiser’s success. “The job of the fundraiser isn’t

to ask for money, but to communicate with people what the money is used for,” says Nic Prenger, founder and CEO of Prenger Solutions, a firm specializing in Catholic fundraising. “It’s about transparency. ‘Here are some worthy ministries. Here’s how you can help.’ What the Diocese has done well is communicate exactly how this money is used.”

In addition, the Diocese freely shares the percentage of donations that are used for administrative expenses. “We have a firm commitment to keep our administrative costs at or below five percent, well below the national average CONTINUES ON PAGE 7

FEATURE / CATHOLIC FAMILY LIVING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

for nonprofits which can be anywhere from 15-20 percent,” Rangel says. “Fundraising is important, but raising funds the right way is even more so. We want the money to going where it’ll make the biggest impact.”

That impact is already significant.

For example, thanks to the Pastoral Services Appeal’s stellar success, retired priests in the Diocese are receiving much-needed assistance.

“This past April we made a distribution of $1 million to the Diocese’s priest retirement fund,” Rangel says, noting that “some of the first dollars raised this year went towards this distribution.” Contributions otherwise would have been made by individual parishes, as has been the case for the past decades.

Jensen adds, “Always a main focus for our fund development efforts is the support of our Catholic Schools.

The PSA raises funds every year for tuition assistance, which helps to ensure that Catholic families might have access to a Catholic education for their children.”

Strong and decisive leadership at the top paved the way for the Pastoral Services Appeal’s success. “[They’ve] created an environment that has allowed us to present a meaningful and clear case to our community,” Rangel says. “That includes the Strategic Plan. It’s given us the targets we are aiming towards and it has enabled us to narrow our focus towards what matters most, supporting the mission and ministry of the Diocese.”

Catholic fundraising expert Prenger notes that almost all of the 196 dioceses in the country run annual fundraisers. “The Diocese of Orange has one of the most successful,” he says. “It’s the gold standard among the dioceses. And people work very hard to make it so.”

To learn more about the PSA and its impact on our local church, please visit rcbo.org/psa. C

BREAKING BREAD

FAMILY DINNERS, PRAYERS, AND BLESSINGS CRITICAL TO CHILDRENS’ GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

BY CATHI DOUGLAS

A

S A CHILD, I TOOK FOR granted that we ate dinner together every evening (until I was in college). I didn’t realize that for others family dinners were rare.

Shared family meals are even rarer now, something we experienced firsthand when interacting with other frazzled Little League and Boy Scout parents.

Dinner for many of these busy families was often picked up last-minute at a fastfood restaurant, and many evenings one or both parents ate separately.

Needless to say, the random nature of these meals precluded any shared blessing or prayer before the meal.

Still, the family meal is critical to the health, well-being, emotional, and spiritual health of our families. Studies prove that family dinners together help children grow up strong and resilient, says Anne Fishel, co-founder of The Family Dinner Project and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

“Twenty years of research in North America, Europe and Australia back up my enthusiasm for family dinners,” Fishel told the Washington Post in 2015. “It turns out that sitting down for a night-

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

ly meal is great for the brain, the body and the spirit. And that nightly dinner doesn’t have to be a gourmet meal that took three hours to cook, nor does it need to be made with organic arugula and heirloom parsnips.”

Studies also show that children who eat dinner with their families meet developmental milestones earlier than children who don’t share meals with their parents.

In addition, the family dinner offers a time to pray, teaching kids to bless the meal before eating.

Fishel, author of “Home for Dinner,” points out that families no longer farm together, play musical instruments or stitch quilts on the porch, so dinner is the most reliable way for families to connect and find out what’s going on with each other.

In a survey, American teens were asked when they were most likely to talk with their parents: dinner was their top answer. Kids who eat dinner with their parents experience less stress and have a better relationship with them.

Colleen McCay, a licensed clinical social worker with Catholic Charities’ School-Based Family Support program, offers more proof that meals together

benefit children: n Children develop a sense of connection, belonging, and self-esteem when they are with a parent who is present and engaged. n People make time for what is important to them. When families eat together, children get the message that family is important, and that they are important to the family. n Being with their family alleviates feelings of stress, anxiety, and isolation that children may experience. n Family meals provide structure and consistency to everyone’s daily routine.

My husband and I insisted on dining together as a top priority. I never really thought about why we felt so strongly about it. I guess we knew inherently that it was important. And it worked: To this day our three adult children relish family meals and look forward to sharing them with us.

Like many Catholic families, we begin our dinner meal each evening with the same prayer I learned at Catholic school as a child. The blessing seems to set the scene for a meal full of conversation, sharing, and learning as we pass the serving dishes around the table, making sure everyone gets their share. 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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FEATURE

ALL OUR NEEDS

IT’S EASY TO FORGET THAT THE TRAPPINGS OF OUR FAITH ARISE FROM EARTHLY CONCERNS

BY GREG MELLEN

N

EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE power of homemade jam or the personal touch.

Tom Ryan provides both, along with church supplies, to Southland parishes through his Garden Grove-based company, Trinity West Liturgical Supply.

If you’ve ever wondered where the bread and wine that are transformed into the Eucharist at your local altar come from, there’s a good chance they were delivered by Ryan. The same is true for devotional and votive candles and variety of other goods.

When vestments fray, tabernacles or chalices show wear, Ryan and his company are at the ready.

Ryan says he provides supplies to 30 to 40 parishes in the diocese to varying degrees from a modest storage space in Garden Grove.

But it’s the added extras that set Trinity West apart.

When Father Al Baca, director of Evangelization and Faith Formation for the Diocese of Orange, needed a rush order on customized devotional candles for Year of St. Joseph celebrations, he knew where to turn. Father Al called Ryan, his old friend and schoolmate.

Ryan and Fr. Baca have known each other since their days at St. Columban School in Garden Grove, where Ryan was born, raised and still resides.

Fr. Al contacted Ryan for an order of

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TOM RYAN (LEFT) OWNS TRINITY WEST LITURGICAL SUPPLY IN GARDEN GROVE. NOAH ERICKSON RUNS THE COMPANY’S WEBSITE. PHOTO COURTESY DIOCESE OF ORANGE

6,000 candles, then procured stickers with artwork and prayers to St. Joseph translated into English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean, It was up to Ryan to affix the decals individually to each candle.

“We spent a ton of time on that,” said Ryan, who plied volunteers with “a lot of bottles of wine” at his home.

Ryan has also been able to hunt down special or hard-to-find items.

“Even if I don’t have them, I can find them,” Ryan said. “The key is to be a good resource.”

Take, for example, St. Polycarp Church in Stanton. The old windows at the church had darkened over the years, allowing only a sickly glow to reach into the church.

One day, Ryan saw beautiful stained glass at the chapel at Daniel Freeman

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Hospital, which was being prepared for demolition. Ryan said he thought of Father Michael St. Paul and the “nasty yellow” windows at the church.

Ryan got together with Fr. Michael and brokered a deal to rescue the glass.

St. Polycarp is now bathed in a rainbow of colors cascading through its new windows.

Recently Ryan started selling St. Killian’s candle systems, which have been installed at Christ Cathedral and other parishes. The system increases safety and is constructed in such a way that candles burn for 60 to 90 minutes, before falling through a hole and being extinguished in water.

Trinity West, which Ryan founded in 2008, is a mom and pop service. Ryan and his wife, Lisa, with a part-time bookkeeper and the son of a former

co-worker of Ryan’s at Vons, make up the company.

Noah Erickson was hired to help deliver a trailer full of water to St. Vincent Church and has stayed on. Now a senior at Pacifica High, he has grown from being just a delivery boy to helping the company develop and maintain its website.

Trinity competes with several other companies, local, regional and online that sell supplies to parishes. The largest of these, locally, is Cotter Church Supplies, a family-owned company started in Los Angeles with five locations throughout the state, including Long Beach.

Ryan estimates there are about 100 church supply companies in the country, most of which are small and have CONTINUES ON PAGE 11

SOCIAL MEDIA / FEATURE orangediocese • follow June 20, 2021 orangediocese It’s Father’s Day

ONE OF THE 6,000 ST. JOSEPH CANDLES THE DIOCESE PROCURED THROUGH TRINITY WEST LITURGICAL SUPPLY. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE

orangediocese • follow June 16, 2021 orangediocese Join Msgr. Stephen Doktorczyk as he prays the Rosary live from Christ Cathedral Wednesdays at 4 p.m.

Watch live at Facebook.com/ ChristCathedralCA and at Mass.

ChristCathedralCalifornia.org

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

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

been well-entrenched for generations.

“A lot of families pass on the businesses,” Ryan said. “I broke the mold.

This wasn’t handed to me.”

Ryan learned the industry during stints in both the supply and manufacture side of church supplies.

“I figured I could do it on my own and do a better job for some customers,” he said.

While a number of competitors have expanded into providing art and other items such as Our Lady of Guadelupe candles sold through gift, Ryan keeps things simple, concentrating on bread, wine and candles.

Making it into the summer of 2021 was no small feat for Ryan. The COVID-19 pandemic, which shutdown in-person masses, crippled not only Ryan’s business, but the entire industry.

“We had a 90 percent drop off,” Ryan said of the effect after churches closed their doors in March, 2020. “All bread and wine sales stopped, and we sold only a few altar candles. COVID was definitely a slam.”

As Ryan waited for a five-pallet order to fill up his storage space, Ryan said there was no secret to survival, just patience and faith.

The homemade jam?

Lisa Ryan, in addition to helping her husband run the company and teaching fourth grade in Garden Grove, also enjoys making preserves in her free time.

According to Tom, his wife’s preserves are the secret weapon that helped him win over a number of clients and get past “the gatekeepers” at several churches.

He says when some of his customers start “Jonesing” for Lisa’s jams, he’ll bring by a couple of free jars and often leaves with new orders.

In another sign of the customer friendly one-on-one nature of Trinity West, Lisa makes special jars of sugarless jam for Bishop Kevin Vann. C

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DIOCESAN NEWS

DIOCESE OF ORANGE WELCOMES THREE NEW PRIESTS

PRIEST ORDINATION FIRST SINCE COVID RESTRICTIONS LOOSENED

BY CATHI DOUGLAS

T

HREE SEMINARIANS WERE ordained to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church by the Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange, on Saturday, June 12 at the iconic Christ Cathedral.

It was the first ordination of priests in the diocese since COVID-19 restrictions were loosened and the third held in Christ Cathedral since it was officially dedicated in July 2019.

Rev. Brandon Dang, director of vocations for the Diocese of Orange, called the three, “incredible men.” They include: the Rev. Cheeyoon Timothy Chun, the Rev. Michael Joseph Fitzpatrick, and the Rev. Brandon Robert Lopez.

“All of them were raised in Orange County so they are very much homegrown sons of their local parishes,” Rev. Dang explains. “I think that will add to the culture and relatability of the parishioners to their new priests.”

In 2020, the ancient, solemn ordination diocesan ceremony was altered

REV. BRANDON ROBERT LOPEZ, BISHOP KEVIN VANN, REV. MICHAEL JOSEPH FITZPATRICK AND REV. CHEEYOON TIMOTHY CHUN. PHOTO: CHUCK BENNETT

significantly to ensure the safety of last year’s four ordained priests, their guests, and officiants, Fr. Dang says. Guests were instead urged to watch a live-stream of the ceremony via the Christ Cathedral website and on its Facebook page.

This year, all diocesan priests, invited guests of the deacons, parishioners of the

BRINGING HOPE TO NEW MOTHERS IN NEED

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BY BRADLEY ZINT

HRIST CATHEDRAL HOSTED the culmination event of HomeAid Essentials’ 2021 Diaper Drive on Friday, June 11, where tens of thousands of diapers and other supplies that will go to homeless mothers and children were dropped off at the Christ Cathedral campus. The drive also featured colorful displays of boxes, free food and DJ music.C

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Deacon’s Pastoral Year and their home parishes, and vocational support groups such as the Knights of Columbus were welcomed to join the joyous occasion in person.

The new priests have joined the large and vibrant Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange community, the 11th-largest

diocese in the United States. The diocese traces its beginnings to St. Junipero Serra and the first Catholic missionaries who founded the Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1776. Today the Diocese of Orange has the distinction of being one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation. C THE HOMEAID ESSENTIALS DIAPER DRIVE COLLECTED NECESSARY ITEMS FOR HOMELESS MOTHERS AND CHILDREN. PHOTO: BRADLEY ZINT

DIOCESAN NEWS

FUN, FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP

BY TONY MANRIQUE

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HERE DO YOU GO FOR a delicious Contemplation Burger? Or, for a Mother Superior Burger? To the St. John the Baptist 8th Grade Girls vs. SJB Norbertine sisters basketball game of course.

St. John the Baptist School families, students, teachers and parishioners gathered on May 22 for a fun basketball game between the undefeated SJB School 8th Grade Girls A Team and the SJB Norbertine sisters.

The Costa Mesa parish’s Knights of Columbus Council 14581 served up a delicious BBQ lunch, and then presented the sisters with a $500 donation. The sisters were coached by SJB pastor Fr. Augustine Puchner, O.Praem. The girls were coached by Todd Main, with Fr. Damien Giap, O.Praem., the parish school’s rector, heartily cheering on both sides.

After high-fives and a prayer, the game kicked off. It was a very spirited competition, but in the end the 8th Grade Girls emerged victorious. C Note: The Sisters are already in training for 2022!

PHOTOS COURTESY ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH

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GUEST EDITORIAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

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countless descendants and the new star that pointed the Magi to Bethlehem.

How could campfire conversations invite your children or grandchildren to wonder like the sky-gazing psalmist, “When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you set in place” (Ps 8:4)?

AMONG THE FLOWERS

As a mom of five boys, I have been given dandelion bouquets for years now. Each proud fistful reminds me to stop and see the beauty -- even in the weeds — that God has planted around us.

Summer brings full bloom to many landscapes, offering the sight and scent of creation’s bounty in ways that inspire our prayer and praise: “Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.

But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them” (Mt 6:28-29).

ON VACATION

Jesus and his followers were often on the move during his ministry.

While their travels were far from a summer vacation, any chance we get to see or stay somewhere different can open our eyes to new ways of knowing God. As you pack for a family reunion or weekend with friends, carry the spirit

of the disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Then they said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?’” (Lk 24:32).

GATHERING TOGETHER

After long months of isolation or separation, many are rejoicing in reconnecting with loved ones.

As we set extra places at the table, spread picnic blankets at the park or double the recipes for favorite summer treats, we can offer prayers of thanksgiving: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).

IN REST

Remember as you work and play this summer that rest is holy, too: “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation” (Gn 2:3).

Let yourself take a nap, read a spiritual book or curl up for a cuddle with your youngest family member. What space can you make for Sabbath in each week of this fleeting season? C Fanucci is a writer, speaker, and author of several books including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting.” Her work can be found at laurakellyfanucci.com.

Moments MomentsininourourJourney Journey

“We celebrated today (Sunday, June 13, 2021) the 50th Anniversary of the Province of St. Clare, of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, who operate St. Francis Home in Santa Ana.” —Submitted by Bishop Kevin Vann

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

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