Angelus News | September 9, 2022 | Vol. 7 No. 18

On the cover: Chaplains with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Office of Restorative Justice pose near their headquarters in Encino. On Page 10, Tom Hoffarth reports on the evolving face of the ministry after the pandemic, what it’s learned from accompanying the incarcerated in their darkest of moments, and the transformation its chaplains have experienced themselves. On the cover: Chaplains with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Office of Restorative Justice pose near their headquarters in Encino. On Page 10, Tom Hoffarth reports on the evolving face of the ministry after the pandemic, what it’s learned from accompanying the incarcerated in their darkest of moments, and the transformation its chaplains have experienced themselves.

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ANGELUS CHAPLAINS OF CHANGE A new mission for restorative justice in LA September 9, 2022 Vol. 7 No. 18

ANGELUS

CHAPLAINS

OF CHANGE

A new mission for

restorative justice in LA

September 9, 2022 Vol. 7 No. 18

ANGELUS

September 9, 2022

Vol. 7 • No. 18

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Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241

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Published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese

of Los Angeles by The Tidings

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Publisher

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ

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ON THE COVER

VICTOR ALEMÁN

Chaplains with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Office

of Restorative Justice pose near their headquarters

in Encino. On Page 10, Tom Hoffarth reports on

the evolving face of the ministry after the pandemic,

what it’s learned from accompanying the incarcerated

in their darkest of moments, and the transformation

its chaplains have experienced themselves.

THIS PAGE

VICTOR ALEMÁN

Archbishop José H. Gomez and Father Dario Miranda,

pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Maywood,

pose with parish school students after a special Mass

of Thanksgiving for the parish’s 100th anniversary on

Aug. 21. The Mass was celebrated in the presence of

two second-class relics of the saint recently gifted to

the parish by the Dominican Friars in Peru.

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Pope Watch.................................................................................................................................... 2

Archbishop Gomez..................................................................................................................... 3

World, Nation, and Local News.......................................................................................... 4-6

In Other Words............................................................................................................................. 7

Father Rolheiser............................................................................................................................ 8

Scott Hahn................................................................................................................................... 32

Events Calendar......................................................................................................................... 33

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CONTENTS

The Eucharist takes center stage for a full day at the cathedral

Why LA’s Catholic schools are faring better than you might think

John Allen on what Cardinal McElroy’s promotion means to history

How history has proven Catholic scholar Marshall McLuhan right

Grazie Christie on the ‘snakes’ we’re giving our kids

Always Forward - newsletter.angelusnews.com

28

30

‘Better Call Saul’ takes sin seriously. Do we?

Heather King travels to the mysterious land of St. Kevin

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 1

POPE WATCH

Christ’s charcoal fire

The following is adapted from the

Holy Father’s homily at the consistory

for the creation of 20 new cardinals at

St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Saturday,

Aug. 27.

The words of Jesus, in the very

middle of the Gospel of Luke,

pierce us like an arrow: “I came

to bring fire to the earth, and how I

wish it were already kindled!” (12:49).

This is the same powerful fire that

impelled the apostle Paul in his

tireless service to the Gospel, in his

“race,” his missionary zeal constantly

inspired by the Spirit and by the word.

It is the fire, too, of all those men and

women missionaries who have come

to know the exhausting yet sweet joy

of evangelizing, and whose lives themselves

became a gospel, for they were

before all else witnesses.

This, brothers and sisters, is the fire

that Jesus came to “bring to the earth,”

a fire that the Holy Spirit kindles in

the hearts, hands, and feet of all those

who follow him.

Then there is that other fire, the

charcoal fire that we find in John’s

account of the third and final appearance

of the risen Jesus to the disciples

at the Sea of Galilee (cf. 21:9-14). The

Lord also wants to share this fire with

us, so that like him, with meekness,

fidelity, closeness, and tenderness

we can lead many people to savor

the presence of Jesus alive in our

midst. A presence so evident, albeit

in mystery, that there is no need even

to ask: “Who are you?” For our hearts

themselves tell us that it is he, it is the

Lord. This fire burns in a particular

way in the prayer of adoration, when

we silently stand before the Eucharist

and bask in the humble, discreet, and

hidden presence of the Lord.

That fire makes us think of the

example of St. Charles de Foucauld,

who lived for years in a non-Christian

environment, in the solitude of the

desert, staking everything on presence:

the presence of the living Jesus,

in the word and in the Eucharist, and

his own presence, fraternal, amicable,

and charitable.

It also makes us think of our brothers

and sisters who live lives of secular

consecration, in the world, nourishing

a quiet and enduring fire in their

workplace, in interpersonal relationships,

in small acts of fraternity. Or of

those priests who persevere in selfless

and unassuming ministry in the midst

of their parishioners.

There is, too, conjugal holiness,

that daily warms the lives of countless

Christian married couples, kept

aflame by simple, “homemade”

prayers, gestures, and tender gazes,

and by the love that patiently accompanies

their children on their journey

of growth. Nor can we overlook the

fire kept burning by the elderly: they

are a treasure, the treasure of the

Church.

This is the secret of the fire of God,

which descends from heaven, brightening

the sky from one end to the

other, and slowly cooking the food of

poor families, migrant and homeless

persons. Today too, Jesus wants to

bring this fire to the earth. He wants

to light it anew on the shores of our

daily lives.

Papal Prayer Intention for September: We pray that the

death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human

person, may be legally abolished in every country.

2 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

NEW WORLD OF FAITH

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ

Education and evangelization

We’re back to school.

Catholic elementary

schools and high schools all

over the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

started classes recently, and religious

education programs are gearing up

again in our parishes following the

summer break.

Students are also heading back to class

at our Catholic colleges and universities.

As I write, I’m looking forward to

celebrating Masses with our seminarians

to open the new school year at

both St. John’s Seminary and Queen of

Angels Center for Priestly Formation.

Catholic education is alive and well

in Los Angeles.

All told, we serve more than 165,000

young people in our parishes and

schools at every level. Our Catholics

schools are the largest provider of

faith-based education in the country,

serving more than 68,000 students in

kindergarten to grade 12, and enrollment

is up again as we start the 2022-

23 school year.

Of course, Catholic education is

about more than numbers. Each of

these students has a soul and a story all

their own. These souls are entrusted to

us to nurture and develop their God-given

gifts and discover the purpose of

their lives and God’s plan for them.

Since the pandemic, which caused

such disruption in our country over the

past two years, especially for schools

and young people, we are witnessing a

new conversation around education.

At every level, from the university to

high school and elementary schools,

parents, teachers, administrators, and

political leaders are questioning: What

is the purpose of education; what

should be taught in the classroom; and

how should we measure educational

“outcomes”? In other words, what

does it mean to be an educated young

man or woman? These are important

questions, and they reflect broader

anxieties about the health of our young

people, and also about the direction of

our society.

For the Church, educating young

people remains central to the mission

entrusted to us by Jesus: “Go therefore

and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I have

commanded you.”

Catholic education is always seen in

light of Christ’s call to evangelize and

make disciples. We are here to teach

and to witness, and the two always

belong together. As St. Peter said, we

are a people called to declare the wonderful

deeds of God.

The truths that Jesus taught do not

belong only to our subjective, private

lives. These truths are meant to change

our hearts, but they are also given to inform

and guide our common life; Jesus

wants his teaching to shape society and

the world, and the order of history.

We can gain knowledge of the whole

world, learn all the secrets of the physical

universe, the genetic sequence of

the human body, but if we do not know

God and God’s purposes, we are lost.

In fact, we see that every day in our

world, the deep “disconnect” between

our technological and scientific expertise

and our moral and ethical capacities.

We have the power to do many

things. What we lack is the judgment

about whether we ought to do these

things.

What Jesus commanded, the truths

that he revealed, make it possible for us

to lead a fully human life.

Catholic education aims to communicate

all these truths, which we can

know by faith and reason: the truths

about who we are, how we are made,

and what we are made for; the truths

about where we come from, and where

we are going.

These truths include the knowledge

of the sciences and history, theology,

Catholic education is always seen in light of

Christ’s call to evangelize and make disciples.

morality, and the arts.

We want our students to learn what

they need to know to have a career. But

we also want to lead our students to

wisdom.

Wisdom means knowing how to live

in the world, and what to live for, and

why. It means being masters of our

freedom, being able to control our

thoughts and actions; it is a training

in our desires, so that we want what

is true, good, and beautiful. It means

living with love, and a sense of wonder

and gratitude for the gift of creation.

Education and evangelization meet in

the encounter with Jesus Christ. In the

Gospels, he is called Teacher. Everything

we do in the classroom should be

to open the hearts of our young people

to know that he is the way, the truth,

and the life.

Pray for me and I will pray for you.

And let us ask holy Mary, the Seat of

Wisdom, to help us in the beautiful

task of preparing our young people to

live as children of God, made in his

image, and called to follow her Son,

and to continue his mission.

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 3

WORLD

■ Chinese bishops elect

pro-government heads

The newly elected leaders of China’s

two state-sponsored church bodies

promised to uphold Communist Party

principles in their tenure.

The leadership was decided at the

10th National Congress of Catholicism

in China on Aug. 20. Held every

five years, the congress draws voting

members — including bishops, clergy,

and religious — as well as senior party

officials.

Archbishop Joseph Li Shan of

Beijing was elected chairman of the

patriotic association, and Bishop Joseph

Shen Bin of Haimen was elected

chairman of the government-approved

bishops’ conference.

“[It is] necessary to unite and lead

the priests, elders, and faithful to follow

Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism

with Chinese characteristics for a

‘new era,’ ” the bishops said in a joint

statement, to “continue to hold high

patriotism and love for religion; (and)

adhere to the principles of independent

and self-run churches.”

■ Kidnapped Nigerian sisters released

■ Vatican finds no

grounds for Ouellet

investigation

The Vatican said it found no grounds

for an investigation into Canadian

Cardinal Marc Ouellet for alleged

sexual abuse.

Cardinal Ouellet has served since

2012 as prefect of the Dicastery for

Bishops, which helps the pope nominate

bishops and oversees some abuse

investigations against bishops. A lawsuit

against the Archdiocese of Quebec

claims he touched a pastoral intern

against her wishes while he served as

archbishop there.

In an Aug. 19 statement, Cardinal

Ouellet denied the allegations and said

he was willing to participate in a civil

investigation if needed to establish his

innocence.

The alleged victim reportedly first

wrote to Pope Francis in January 2021.

The class-action suit also includes

allegations dating back to 1940 from

100 others who say they were sexually

assaulted by priests or Church staff.

Left to right: Sisters Christabel Echemazu, Liberata Mbamalu, Johannes Nwodo, and Benita Agu (not pictured) were

freed from captivity in Nigeria’s Imo state on Aug. 23. | COURTESY PHOTOS VIA CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY

Four religious sisters in Nigeria were safely released two days after being abducted

by unknown kidnappers on their way to Mass.

The Sisters of Jesus the Savior announced the nuns had been freed safely and

unconditionally after “intense prayer.”

“Today is a memorable day for us,” read a statement from the order. “We wish to

share this joy with all men and women of goodwill who in one way or the other

have contributed to the quick and safe release of our dear sisters.”

Kidnappings of priests and religious by criminal gangs seeking ransom money

have become increasingly common in the African country in recent years.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez earlier this year.

| CNS/MAYNOR VALENZUELA, REUTERS

■ Nicaragua: Situation

escalates with bishop’s

arrest

A Nicaraguan bishop confined to his

offices for two weeks by police was

whisked away and placed under house

arrest in a sign of worsening tensions

in the country.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez of

Matagalpa is accused of “organizing

violent groups and inciting them

to carry out acts of hate against the

population … with the aim of destabilizing

the Nicaraguan state” for his

vocal dissent against President Daniel

Ortega and his wife, Vice President

Rosario Murillo.

Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes of

neighboring Managua visited Bishop

Álvarez in the family home where he’s

being held. He reported that although

Bishop Álvarez is physically deteriorated,

“his mind and spirit are strong.”

The Aug. 19 arrest came as the

Ortegas continue to suppress public

worship in Nicaragua, while Pope

Francis faces calls to condemn the

regime more forcefully.

Eight others — including several

priests — who were detained with

Bishop Álvarez, are being held in “El

Chipote,” a prison infamous for torturing

Ortega’s opponents.

4 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

NATION

■ Court blocks White House

transgender mandate

A federal appeals court unanimously ruled the U.S. government

cannot force Christian doctors and hospitals to provide

gender transition procedures.

The court ruled Aug. 26 in favor of Franciscan Alliance,

a Catholic hospital network. Becket, a nonprofit religious

liberty law firm, had filed a lawsuit in Texas against the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of the

network challenging the mandate.

The Obama administration first issued the mandate in

2016 and tried to apply it universally.

“Doctors cannot do their jobs and comply with the Hippocratic

Oath if the government requires them to perform

harmful, irreversible procedures against their conscience

and medical expertise,” said Joseph Davis, counsel at Becket.

Catholic school students in Uvalde, Texas, on Aug. 15, the first day of classes.

| CATHOLIC EXTENSION

■ Catholic school scholarships

for Uvalde survivors

More than 80 children who survived the mass shooting at

Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in June sought

to transfer to a local Catholic school. But in a community

where most families are classified as low-income, private

school tuition was a barrier.

Catholic Extension, a Chicago-based nonprofit, announced

Aug. 15 that they would remove that barrier by

providing full scholarships to 30 students.

“It is our belief that awarding scholarships to Sacred Heart

Catholic School will provide a safe and loving educational

environment to children who are suffering from the physical

and emotional wounds of violence,” Father Jack Wall, president

of Catholic Extension, said in a statement.

The scholarships follow a summer of Catholic Extension

programming in the area, including free haircuts, massage

therapy, and a summer camp to help reintegrate survivors to

a school-like setting.

■ DACA change awaits day in court

The Biden administration announced changes to the Deferred

Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in a

bid to protect the program against legal challenges.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a

new rule Aug. 24 that turned DACA into a federal regulation

effective Oct. 31. Previously, the program was based on

an internal memo issued in 2012.

The change in status anticipates a ruling from a federal

appeals court in New Orleans. The court heard arguments

in the July appeal of a 2021 Texas federal court decision that

declared DACA illegal because it was implemented without

feedback from states.

People receive food donations from a food pantry outside a church in the Bronx,

New York. | CNS/SHANNON STAPLETON, REUTERS

■ Can food pantries keep up?

Record inflation has led to an increased demand in food

pantry services across the country. Now, many Catholic

service centers are feeling their own grocery budget crises as

demands and prices increase.

The cost of food at the grocery store hit 13.1% inflation, the

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Aug. 10.

The increased food prices has more families utilizing food

pantry services — while also leading to lower donation levels

from individual donors and corporate sponsors.

“Many agencies have stated that they are having difficulty

keeping food on the shelves,” Jane Stenson, the vice president

of poverty reduction programs and services at Catholic

Charities USA, told Catholic News Agency (CNA).

Catholic agencies contacted by CNA also reported an

increase in demand for other types of services, like clothing,

school supplies, cleaning products, and even employment

training.

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 5

LOCAL

■ Father Leon Hutton named

vicar for Santa Barbara region

Archbishop José

H. Gomez has

named Father

Leon Hutton,

currently pastor

of Our Lady

of Assumption

Church in

Ventura, to help

oversee the archdiocese’s

Santa

Barbara Pastoral

Region.

Father Leon Hutton. | OUR LADY OF ASSUMPTION CHURCH

Father Hutton’s

nomination as

episcopal vicar

was announced on Aug. 15. The 68-year-old priest will

oversee some of the region’s administrative duties following

the departure of Bishop Robert Barron, who was made

bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, this summer.

“As we await the appointment of a new auxiliary bishop

by Pope Francis, it is my role to support the pastors, priests,

and parishes in the mission of the Church,” Father Hutton

told Angelus. “With the staff at the regional office, we will

together do the work necessary for all the parishes in the

region.”

Before coming to Our Lady of the Assumption in 2015,

Father Hutton was on the staff of St. John’s Seminary in

Camarillo, including as vice rector. He has also served

in several parishes around the archdiocese and is a noted

Church historian.

■ Catholic Charities offers help

with DACA, naturalization fees

For a limited time, Catholic Charities of Los Angeles

is offering help with application fees to immigrants and

refugees.

The financial assistance is for eligible low-income applicants

seeking U.S. naturalization and DACA renewal. The

funds are thanks to a grant from the DACA Naturalization

Assistance Fund, operated by immigration advocacy group

CHIRLA.

Catholic Charities already offers free help with immigration

applications. The agency’s program director said the

financial assistance for government application fees will

continue until the funds are exhausted.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to assist people who

have been holding back from applying, especially since the

pandemic,” said Griselda Marcial. “We understand people

have been going through a lot of hardships, and we want to

serve them.”

■ Bishops oppose California’s

most pro-abortion plan yet

California’s bishops have a simple message to Catholic

voters in the state this year: Vote no on Prop. 1.

Described by the California Catholic Conference (CCC)

as “misleading, dangerous, and unnecessary,” the measure

on the ballot this November would enshrine a right to

abortion as an amendment to the state’s constitution.

The proposition comes after the overturning of Roe v.

Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court this summer, and reinforces

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pledge to use taxpayer money

to make California an “abortion sanctuary” post-Roe.

“Prop. 1 goes far beyond Roe,” reads a recent message to

Catholics from the CCC. “It is the most egregious expansion

of abortion this country has ever seen.”

The bishops also announced they are helping form a

“broad coalition” of leaders and organizations in the state

to oppose the bill through advocacy and informational

resources.

Bishop Aclan celebrates Mass on Aug. 6 at Incarnation Church in Glendale. | VICTOR ALEMÁN

■ Bishop Aclan recovering after stroke

Auxiliary Bishop Alex D. Aclan is recovering after suffering

a stroke on Aug. 20.

According to the San Fernando Pastoral Region office,

the 71-year-old bishop was in stable condition at a local

hospital following the stroke. Bishop Aclan was in “good

spirits” and thankful for all the prayers on his behalf, the

office said.

Archbishop José H. Gomez said he and his brother priests

were praying for Bishop Aclan’s full and speedy recovery.

“We entrust Bishop Aclan to the maternal care of Our

Lady of Guadalupe and we ask that she bring him healing

and strength and give comfort to his family and loved

ones,” Archbishop Gomez said.

Y

6 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

V

IN OTHER WORDS...

Letters to the Editor

Vin tribute hits the mark

It is a challenge to do justice in a memoriam to the best among us,

yet Tom Hoffarth’s appreciation of Vin Scully in the Aug. 26 issue was

easily the closest piece of writing I have read in a long time that portrayed a

person as appropriately as possible.

It was 40 years ago when I first met Vin. He was working for the Dodgers and

already a Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster; I was starting on my journey with

the Chicago Cubs. It wasn’t until November 2005 that I began working closely

with Vin for most of the next 16 years. I made a career from making decisions

regarding who could play for baseball teams I worked for: who could be a leader,

who could provide an example for those players, and who I could count on

no matter the circumstances.

My scouting report on Vin: Besides my parents, the best person I have ever

known. A gentleman. Kind. Class. Sharing a perspective on life few others could

offer.

Hoffarth’s story was to that point. I have read many well-written stories about

Vin through the years and many more in the days around his passing. The

stories were all nice to read but, candidly, only Hoffarth’s taught me more about

Vin than I had already known. When you have spent 40 years in one vocation

and you have known someone for the same amount of time, it is not easy to

learn even more. But I did, thanks to Hoffarth’s understanding of Vin and the

depth and story-telling style of his writing.

— Ned Colletti, Los Angeles. Colletti is the former general manager of the

Los Angeles Dodgers.

Y

Continue the conversation! To submit a letter to the editor, visit AngelusNews.com/Letters-To-The-Editor

and use our online form or send an email to editorial@angelusnews.com. Please limit to 300 words. Letters

may be edited for style, brevity, and clarity.

Helping hands

“Not everyone can escape.”

~ Joseph Azzam, board chair of the Afghan

American Foundation, on the religious persecution

of Afghans now living under Taliban rule.

“All of Christianity can be

summed up in this one

question and answer: Does

God have permission to

love you as you are?”

~ Father Mike Schmitz, host of “The Bible in a Year”

podcast, in an Aug. 28 New York Times interview.

“For some activists, politics

has usurped the role that

religion used to play as a

source of meaning and

purpose in our lives, and a

way to find a community.”

~ Helen Lewis of The Atlantic in an Aug. 18 essay,

“How Social Justice Became a New Religion.”

“I was in this deep desire to

hold on.”

~ Actor Shia LaBeouf, speaking to Bishop Robert

Barron about his conversion to Catholicism while

starring in an upcoming movie about Padre Pio.

“If there’s a silver lining

in these awfully stressful

years, it’s simplicity.”

~ Elise Italiano Ureneck, in an Aug. 24 Catholic News

Service column, “Embracing simplicity in a time of

economic hardship.”

Volunteer staff are all smiles after the first Eucharistic Congress event, held Aug. 13 at the Cathedral of Our Lady

of the Angels. | VICTOR ALEMÁN

View more photos

from this gallery at

AngelusNews.com/photos-videos

Do you have photos or a story from your parish that you’d

like to share? Please send to editorial @angelusnews.com.

“They are liquidating the

last important social actor

in Nicaragua.”

~ Vilma Núñez, Nicaraguan human rights activist

quoted in an Aug. 23 New York Times article,

“Nicaragua Silences Its Last Outspoken Critics:

Catholic Priests.”

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 7

IN EXILE

FATHER RONALD ROLHEISER, OMI

Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father

Ronald Rolheiser is a spiritual

writer; ronaldrolheiser.com.

Disarmed and dangerous

After his first arrest, the peace

activist Father Daniel Berrigan,

SJ, went into hiding. After four

months, he was captured, but during

those months underground, although

a threat to no one, he was put on the

FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. There’s

an irony here that did not go unnoticed.

Someone put up a poster of him

with this caption: “Wanted – Notorious

consecrator of bread and wine.

Disturber of wars and felonious paper

burner! The fugitive has been known

to carry the New Testament and

should be approached with extreme

caution. Disarmed and dangerous.”

Disarmed and dangerous! Corny as

that may sound, it expresses the real

threat to injustice, violence, and war.

Disarmament is dangerous. Someone

who is genuinely unarmed is ultimately

the one who poses the greatest danger

to disorder, immorality, and violence.

Violence can withstand violence, but it

can be brought down by nonviolence.

Here are some examples.

In our own generation, we have

the example of Father Christian de

Cherge, OCSO, one of the seven

Cistercian monks who were kidnapped

and later killed by Islamist extremists in

Algeria in 1996. His journey, and that

of the other monks who died with him,

is chronicled in a number of books

(including some of his own letters and

diaries) and in the awarding-winning

film, “Of Gods and Men.”

Living within a small community

of nine monks in a remote Muslim

village in Northern Algeria, Father de

Cherge and his community were much

loved by that Muslim community and,

being French citizens and enjoying

the protection of that citizenship, their

presence constituted a certain protection

for the villagers against Islamic

terrorists. Alas, the situation was not to

last.

On Christmas Eve, 1995, they

received a first visit from the terrorists

with the clear warning that they had

best leave before they would become

its victims. Both the French and the

Algerian governments offered them

armed protection.

Father de Cherge, acting alone at

first, against the majority voice in his

own community, categorically refused

armed protection. Instead, his prayer

became this: “In face of this violence,

disarm us, Lord.” His response to the

threat was complete disarmament.

Eventually, his entire community

joined him in that stance.

Six months later they were kidnapped

and killed, but the triumph was

theirs. Their witness of fidelity was the

singular most powerful gift they could

have given to the poor and vulnerable

villagers whom they sought to protect,

and their moral witness to the world

will nurture generations to come.

Father de Cherge and his community

were disarmed and dangerous.

There are innumerable similar

examples of other persons who were

disarmed and dangerous. Rosa Parks,

disarmed and seemingly powerless

against the racist laws at the time, was

one of the pivotal figures in ending

racial segregation in the USA, as was

Martin Luther King Jr.

Jesus was disarmed and so dangerous

that the authorities of his time found

it necessary to kill him. His complete

nonviolence constituted the ultimate

threat to their established order. Notice

how both the civil and religious authorities

at the time did not so much fear

an armed murderer as they feared an

unarmed Jesus.

“Release for us, Barabbas! We prefer

to deal with an armed murderer than

with an unarmed man professing

non-violence and telling people to turn

the other cheek!” Give them credit for

being astute. Unconsciously, they recognized

the real threat, someone who

is unarmed, nonviolent, and turning

the other cheek.

However, turning the other cheek

must be properly understood. It is

not a passive, submissive thing. The

opposite. In giving this counsel, Jesus

specifies that it be the right cheek.

Why this seemingly odd specification?

Because he is referring to a culturally-sanctioned

practice at the time

where a superior could ritually slap an

inferior on the cheek with the intention

not so much of inflicting physical

pain as to let the other person know his

or her place — “I am your superior,

know your place!”

The slap was administered with the

back of the right hand, facing the other

person, and thus would land on the

other person’s right cheek. Now, in that

posture, its true violence would remain

mostly hidden because it would look

clean, aesthetic, and as something

culturally accepted.

However, if one were to turn the

other cheek, the left one, the violence

would be exposed. How? First, because

now the slap would look violent; second,

the person receiving it would be

sending a clear signal. The change in

posture would not only expose the violence

but it would also be saying, “You

can still slap me, but not as a superior

to an inferior; the old order is over.”

Disarmed and dangerous. To carry no

weapon except moral integrity is the

ultimate threat to all that is not right.

8 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

LEARNING FROM

THE LEAST OF US

After the devastating isolation of the

pandemic, a changing ministry awaits

these restorative justice chaplains.

BY TOM HOFFARTH / PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICTOR ALEMÁN

They are known as chaplains.

Not the priests, deacons, or

women religious you’ve seen

administering sacraments to the incarcerated.

They are the lay men and

women who make up the Archdiocese

of Los Angeles’ Office of Restorative

Justice’s (ORJ) volunteer network

spread across Southern California.

Some visit inmates in jails and prisons,

while others dedicate their time

to ministering to the relatives they’ve

left behind. Still others offer what the

program calls “help, hope, and healing”

to those affected by crime.

Originally known as the Detention

Ministry, the Encino-based office has

refocused its methods since its founding

almost 50 years ago, emphasizing

the power of listening, accountability,

and transformation through a variety

of self-reflection programs.

The ministry played an especially

crucial role when the COVID-19

pandemic struck two years ago. Even

when LA County jails suspended

public visits and quarantined exposed

inmates, chaplains were allowed in for

individual visits, offering crucial support

to a population already suffering

the consequences of isolation.

Still, much of the volunteer help

dropped off dramatically during the

pandemic.

Those who remain dedicated have

talked about finding it as a cathartic

process to share a common language

with those behind bars, forging a communal

feeling as they work together

to find Christ’s healing strength. Here

are some of their stories.

Bob Slater, 72, thrived as a worker’s

compensation personal injury

attorney in the San Fernando

Valley for nearly 50 years, a practice

that saw his office handling as many as

500 cases at one point.

His wife, Clorinda, was a cradle

Catholic and native of Peru who had

come to the U.S. some 40 years ago

to study marine biology. After raising

their three children, she eventually

went back to school to become a legal

interpreter. They have been married

for 38 years and now have two grandchildren.

10 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

Gonzalo De Vivero (left) in prayer with female

inmates at Central Regional Detention Facility in

Lynwood during a 2016 visit of the pilgrim image of

Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Born to Jewish parents in New York

but never feeling spiritually connected,

Bob decided to go through RCIA

some 25 years ago. He credits the

Frank Sheed book “To Know Christ

Jesus” for his awakening to the Catholic

faith. He became a lector and

joined the church’s finance committee,

as Clorinda was a Sunday school

catechist and extraordinary minister of

holy Communion.

Then their faith was put to the test.

In 2017, an Orange County district

attorney included Bob in a sweeping

insurance fraud indictment. A felony

conspiracy charge linked him with

nine other lawyers in a scheme to pay

for referrals, violating a section of the

labor code.

“It knocked my breath out,” said

Bob. “It was devastating.”

Bob maintains he was unaware that

he was doing anything illegal. Yet in

April 2021, Bob was convicted on 22

counts. Nine months later came his

sentence hearing. Character witnesses

included Father Jarlath Cunnane,

then the pastor at Our Lady of Grace

Church. The DA asked for a 10-year

prison sentence. His appellate attorney

asked for probation.

“I was expecting to go to prison,

because I knew, as a lawyer, the DA

was going to make an example out of

me,” said Bob. “But somehow, it was

a miracle that the judge only gave me

probation.”

Clorinda and Bob Slater.

With that came 500 hours of community

service and six months of

home detention. While the sentencing

is on appeal, Bob had his license

suspended. His lawyer asked the judge

if Bob could begin doing community

service — offering to work in the archdiocese’

Office of Restorative Justice.

The judge agreed.

The Slaters knew about ORJ through

their fellow parishioner Gonzalo

De Vivero, who made annual parish

donation appeals for the ministry.

“I had heard his stories and said to

myself: This guy trudges off to prison

with Bibles? Who does this?” said

Bob. “We always feel sorry for those

who are poor or homeless, but as far

as prisoners — they are the ‘least of

us,’ right?”

For now, Bob is not allowed to go

into jails for personal visits while his

case is pending. So he’s begun helping

administer De Vivero’s “Finding

A Way In Jail” 24-chapter recidivism

module for inmates. He is also

helping develop a new program based

on Richard Rohr’s book, “Breathing

Under Water: Spirituality and Twelve

Steps” (Franciscan Media, $19.99),

aimed at addressing addictions.

Clorinda’s prison outreach, meanwhile,

has begun with online training

sessions and obtaining necessary clearance

to begin ministering to female

inmates.

“I was impressed how Bob held on

to God during his difficult situation,”

said Clorinda. “He never asked, ‘Why

is God doing this to me?’ I was afraid

when this happened, it might break

his faith. I kept telling him, ‘God

knows your heart and we don’t know

why this happened. Trust in God.’ ”

Bob realizes every day how close

he could have become one of the

inmates that other chaplains were

coming to visit.

“I still believe in our justice system,”

Bob said. “I read their letters — I’m in

jail for something I didn’t do. I understand

that. I think of that all the time.”

Eve Ortiz’s tiny office space in

the lobby area of the Central

Regional Detention Facility in

Lynwood is stocked with coffee and

cookies. The sign above her door,

“Chaplain,” is an invitation for any-

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 11

A ministry that’s more than words

When Gonzalo De Vivero got

his start in prison ministry

45 years ago as a volunteer,

he saw chaplains as people who were

there to “preach and teach.”

But all those years — especially the

last two during the pandemic — have

led to a rethinking of his ministry, and

that of the office he now leads.

Somewhere along the way, De Vivero

said, “we finally learned that’s not our

function.”

“We need to listen,” believes the

director of the ORJ for the last seven

years. “They share stories of pain and

suffering, and maybe that opens the

door to share possibilities.”

Earlier this year, those lessons

Gonzalo De Vivero. prompted his office to look inward

and revise its own mission statement.

In the revised statement, for example, the idea that pastoral care is needed for the

incarcerated (no longer called “offenders”) has been extended to the victims and

their families.

And rather than offering a “challenge to the Church to respond to Jesus’ invitation

to walk with the prison and comfort those who mourn,” the ministry’s

invitation is for those to “embrace Jesus’ invitation” and “work to inspire positive

changes in the criminal justice system.”

It isn’t just a matter of semantics to De Vivero. In fact, he said he is still trying to

find the best way to administer the program.

“The words we changed are appropriate as the approach we now have with

inmates, focusing on more training and education to gain a better comfort zone,”

said De Vivero, a native of Lima, Peru, and a parishioner at Our Lady of Grace

Church in Encino.

His assessment that some 85% of inmates have issues with drugs and alcohol has

also changed the direction of their programs.

In a May 2022 service report filed with the LA County Sheriff’s Department, the

ORJ reported it had employed 11 chaplains recording more than 9,000 hours of

visits in the last year, as well as 34 volunteers logging more than 3,000 hours. They

tended to more than 20,000 individuals in English and some 8,000 in Spanish.

“I couldn’t be more proud of how the chaplains continued to do one-on-one

visits inside the jails during the middle of COVID — you need a lot of faith and

courage to do that,” said De Vivero, 73, who has started going back into jails for

visits after being told to work from home during the pandemic because of his age.

Now 23 years sober from alcoholism and finding the 12-step program as viable

with him as it is with helping inmates, De Vivero wants to make sure his ministry

“meets people where they are. We don’t have to be door-to-door preachers. We

need to speak in their language. We believe we have to surrender.”

A two-day statewide retreat held last June at St. Patrick’s Church in South Los

Angeles — which had been delayed because of COVID-19 — allowed the ORJ to

refocus as well on sharing ideas and best policies.

All in all, De Vivero still contends that the restorative justice ministry “is the

best-kept secret in all the Catholic Church.” And the support of Los Angeles

Archbishop José H. Gomez, he said, “continues to fill me with hope and keep our

programs going to help our dreams hopefully someday come true.”

— Tom Hoffarth

one in need to enter.

“There are people who might be

waiting to visit a loved one, and somehow

they’ll come in, and it could be a

mother just pouring her heart out that

just needs to be heard,” said Ortiz, 64,

involved in ORJ for 11 years and a fulltime

employee for the last eight.

The COVID-19 stress was even

more acute for Ortiz, who recovered

from her second bout with the virus

this summer and, two years ago, had

a health scare involving a kidney

tumor that couldn’t be fully addressed

because of the pandemic.

It only seemed to make her dig in

even with more resolve.

A longtime parishioner at St. Bernard

Church in the Glassell Park area

of LA, Ortiz retired from work in a

dental office and sought meaningful

volunteer work. She has three adult

children, including one with special

needs, and two grandchildren. A difficult

divorce process and caring for an

ailing mother during her 50s rerouted

her spiritual journey.

A friend involved in restorative justice

referred her to ORJ, and she ended

up at the jail in Lynwood, which can

house up to 2,000 inmates. She described

a “gravitational pull” that drew

her to the facility.

“I knew nothing about the jail system,”

said Ortiz. “Now I see courage

and wisdom, along with sadness and

death. The people here teach us a lot

of lessons — to be hopeful when even

their life is up in the air.”

At the jail, Ortiz’s pool of volunteers

dwindled from a few dozen to just her

and Parris Wells, a flight attendant who

attends St. Sebastian Church in West

LA.

Ortiz is comfortable just using the

title “chaplain,” wondering if associating

it with being Catholic might lead

to misconceptions among the inmates.

Yet she recalls a time when a small

group of inmates called her over once.

“What faith are you?” one asked.

Ortiz replied: “It doesn’t matter.”

“We know you’re Catholic, because

you see everyone here,” came the

response.

“To me, that was the biggest compliment

I could receive,” said Ortiz, who

works at the facility five days a week.

“We are there for whoever needs us.”

12 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

Eve Ortiz.

It’s a role that Ortiz said has been

transformative for her.

“If any of us think that we come here

with all the answers, we shouldn’t be

here. These women are joyful and

sweet, and our presence is the best we

can give them. It’s the only way we’ll

allow God to work through us.”

Martin Baeza Martinez.

was now down on his knees. He looked

up to see the men sitting around a

table. De Vivero was there and said,

“Welcome, you’re one of us.”

Martin had literally stumbled into an

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

“I looked up and said, ‘Lord, if this is

welcoming,” said Martin. “The more

we started talking to the inmates, the

more they were sharing with me my

life issues. I was thinking, ‘Man, that

could be me.’ I thought I could help

them. They were helping me. It was a

two-way street.”

Martin spoke with gratitude recounting

the mended relationships with his

wife, Rosa, and his two adult daughters.

He has returned as the Spanish

music coordinator at his parish. He

and Rosa serve on the international

board as Spanish-language coordinators

for the marriage healing Retrouvaille

program. Rosa is also involved

in answering letters from inmates

through the “Finding the Way in Jail”

program.

Martin continues his trips four days

a week to the Castaic facility, reviving

volunteers from Palmdale, downtown

LA, and Moorpark to join him. He

enjoys the company of Father Filiberto

Cortez (ordained in 2020) from

Our Lady of Lourdes Church in

Northridge to administer the sacraments

there.

Martin also never forgets the day

when a jail deputy called out to him,

Martin Baeza Martinez, 57,

volunteered for 11 years as

a chaplain at the Pitchess

Detention Center’s North Facility in

Castaic before accepting a full-time

position three years ago with ORJ.

A parishioner with his wife, Rosa,

at St. John Eudes Church in Chatsworth,

Martin emigrated from

Mexico in 1984 and was navigating a

successful high-level manufacturing

job. Soon, he careened through alcoholism,

drugs, an extramarital affair

and getting laid off from his job. He

avoided church.

One morning, wallowing in tears,

he wandered down the street from his

house toward a restaurant just looking

for a “cerveza” and “menudo” at 6 a.m.

to clear his head.

“My ego was big, and I didn’t care

about anyone but me,” he admitted.

“But I was down the barrel of my life. I

was asking God for help.”

He saw a group of men going into the

restaurant. As he approached the door,

he missed a step and stumbled, so he

“I knew nothing about the jail system. Now I see

courage and wisdom, along with sadness and

death. The people here teach us a lot of lessons —

to be hopeful when even their life is up in the air.”

where you are sending me, I surrender,’

” he said, staying at the meeting.

De Vivero, himself part of AA and living

with 10 years sobriety at the time,

became Martin’s AA sponsor. Eventually,

De Vivero was pointing Martin

toward volunteering with the ORJ.

“I remember I said in Spanish, ‘Esta

loco!’ (‘He’s crazy!’),” said Martin, who

had been trying to avoid jail and once

had a DUI at a time he was trying to

kill himself and end his pain.

Soon, he was at the North County

Correctional Facility, facing a ward of

some of the toughest prison inmates in

the state.

“I’ll tell you, I was scared at first, but

when I entered, the volunteers were

“Hey, chaplain, are you having a

service today? These guys are never

going to change. They’re the toughest

ones here.”

“He was mocking me,” said Martin.

“On the way out, he asked again:

‘Did anyone get saved, chaplain? I’ll

bet nobody did.’ ”

“I was thinking about it and I finally

said, ‘You know, I think one guy did.’ ”

“Oh yeah, tell me his name. I know

everybody in that dorm. I can check

and I’ll tell you.”

“I said: ‘His name is Martin.’ That

one was me.”

Tom Hoffarth is an award-winning

journalist based in Los Angeles.

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 13

An answer

to the crisis

BY PABLO KAY

Archbishop Gomez blessed a conventturned-maternity

home for pregnant

women that seeks to meet a critical need.

Archbishop José H. Gomez blesses Harvest Home’s new Pico Home for

homeless pregnant women and their children on Aug. 19. | VICTOR ALEMÁN

After undergoing extensive renovations,

adding new furniture, and

opening its doors to homeless

pregnant women, the Pico Home was

just missing one more thing: a blessing.

On Friday, Aug. 19, Archbishop José

H. Gomez visited the former convent

in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles to

do the honors himself.

“It’s a gift beyond what we could have

ever imagined,” said Sarah Wilson,

executive director for Harvest Home, a

local nonprofit residential program that

operates the home.

The opening of the home, made

possible through a partnership between

the archdiocese’s Office of Life,

Justice and Peace (OLJP) and Harvest

Home, comes amid a renewed focus

on helping pregnant women and their

babies after the recent U.S. Supreme

Court’s Dobbs v. Mississippi ruling,

which overturned the federal right to

abortion given by Roe v. Wade nearly

50 years ago.

The Los Angeles County Department

of Public Health estimated that some

5,000 women are homeless at some

point during their pregnancies in the

county. But in the city of Los Angeles,

there are reportedly only 70 shelter

beds for women who are pregnant and

in crisis. And plans from state lawmakers

to make California a “sanctuary” for

out-of-state women seeking abortions

only adds to the urgency.

The 18-bedroom residence is Harvest

Home’s second in the Los Angeles

area, and is being leased from the

archdiocese for $100 a month. Two

babies have already been born to guest

mothers at the house since opening

earlier this summer.

“Harvest Home stands in the gap

to provide vital housing and critical

service to these pregnant women who

are in crisis and have few options for

housing and support,” said Wilson.

“We are honored to open the Pico

Home to triple our reach.”

That Friday morning, Archbishop

Gomez sprinkled holy water as he

walked through the building’s halls

and rooms, including two larger rooms

for pregnant mothers with other, older

children, some already in school.

The Pico Home offers what staff call

“wraparound care” that goes beyond

shelter and includes things like cooking

lessons and counseling for the single

mothers.

According to OLJP senior director

Michael Donaldson, it’s about “making

sure that these moms are successful in

entering the world.”

“It’s a regaining of their human dignity,

and their purpose in society … that

they have a place in this world,” said

Donaldson.

Archbishop Gomez said he was glad

to see the fruits of the collaboration

in person, calling it “a beautiful work

of compassion and care for our most

vulnerable neighbors.

“Let us continue to pray for these

women and their children and let us

continue to commit ourselves to building

a Los Angeles where every life is

cherished and protected,” he added.

For more information about the Pico

Home, including donation and volunteer

opportunities, visit HarvestHome-

LA.org.

Pablo Kay is the editor-in-chief of

Angelus.

14 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 15

Nearly 3,500 LA Catholics gathered at the

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for the first

Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress.

Permission to

rejoice again

Participants hope to build on the

missionary momentum after a

rousing local Eucharistic Congress.

BY NATALIE ROMANO /

PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICTOR ALEMÁN

You could almost feel the souls being lifted.

Endless rows of Catholics sitting side by side,

eyes closed, hands on hearts, envisioning a face-to

face-encounter with Jesus and praying to him with one

voice. This witness of shared faith took place during the

Los Angeles Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress at the Cathedral

of Our Lady of the Angels on Aug. 13, where nearly

3,500 people filled the pews.

The event — the first such event in Los Angeles — was

a local kickoff of sorts for the U.S. Conference of Catholic

Bishops’ (USCCB) multiyear “National Eucharistic Revival”

initiative.

The daylong event included eucharistic adoration, music,

and lectures by Catholic speakers in both English and

Spanish, culminating in a Saturday vigil Mass celebrated

by Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez. In his homily,

Archbishop Gomez called participants to “become eucharistic

missionaries” for a world in need of Christ’s presence.

“We mean so much to him that he offers his body and

blood for us,” said Archbishop Gomez. “We are worth so

much that he would endure the pain of the cross and the

shame of the cross so that we can live forever in the fire of

his love. … The best way to thank him is to venerate him

and give our life to him.”

Spreading that flame of faith is exactly why Denise Solan

came to the congress.

“I wanted to be renewed in the love that Jesus has to offer

us,” said Solan, parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Church, Hermosa Beach. “I want to take that back to my

parish to help ignite that fire that’s happening as a part of

this revival.”

The event ended with a Saturday vigil Mass celebrated by Los Angeles

Archbishop José H. Gomez.

16 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

Laura Day of St. Louis of France Church in La Puente

said there was no way she could miss such a gathering.

“I jumped at it,” said Day. “I changed my work schedule

so I could be here. I think things like this help me grow in

my spirituality.”

It’s the kind of excitement the U.S. bishops hope will

translate into a true “revival” on the national level following

signs that devotion to the sacrament may be waning.

A study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

made headlines in 2019, concluding that only 1 in 3

Catholics actually believe in the real presence of Christ in

the Eucharist. Then, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic

prevented Catholics from participating in the Eucharist

for several months. Church leaders recognize that some

parishioners have not returned.

Chris Stefanick speaks at the Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Aug. 13.

In response, the bishops approved the idea of a National

Eucharistic Revival, a three-year drive to help Catholics

rediscover the truth of the Real Presence. The current year

focuses on diocesan driven events like the LA gathering,

while the second year emphasizes initiatives at the parish

level. In July 2024, a National Eucharistic Congress will be

held in Indianapolis.

“We’re going to actually walk the Blessed Sacrament

across the country. … This will be a public display of what

we believe,” said Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston,

Minnesota, who is spearheading the revival for the U.S.

bishops. “It’s never been done.”

Bishop Cozzens, who is also chairman of the USCCB’s

Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, was one of

the speakers at the congress. He told Angelus the bishops

are “seizing this moment” to help the Church stay relevant

in the 21st century. Without an impulse to spread the faith,

he worries, “the Church is going to die.”

Henry Choi’s family sat in the back of the cathedral during

Bishop Cozzens’ presentation, one child in a stroller, the

other strapped to Choi’s chest. He told Angelus he wants

the Church to thrive for them, and the bishop’s talk made

him reflect on how each of us has to do our part.

“I go on Sunday, I give my time, put a little something

in the collection plate but what kind of sacrifice is that?”

questions Choi, of St. Raphael Korean Catholic Center in

Norwalk. “He [Bishop Cozzens] made me think … is there

more I can do?”

Yes, said Bishop Cozzens, and he has something in mind.

“Testify!” he said with a laugh. “I want you to witness that

Jesus is alive and he’s a real person and you have encountered

him. I want you to invite other people to encounter

him in the Eucharist.”

Other conference speakers included Father Agustino

Torres of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and founder

of Corazon Puro, Sister Hilda Mateo of the Missionary

Guadalupanas of the Holy Spirit and the U.S. director of

Ongoing Formation, Sister Miriam James Heidland of the

Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, who is an

author and lecturer, Noel Diaz, founder of LA-based El

Sembrador Catholic television network, and Chris Stefanick,

a popular Catholic author and speaker.

Wearing a T-shirt, the father of six pumped up the crowd

as soon as he strutted out, shouting, “Isn’t it great to be a

Catholic?” Stefanick’s talk focused on the joy of Christian

faith — with a few jokes about marriage and family life

mixed in. Afterward, he told Angelus he could feel the

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 17

The daylong event included eucharistic

adoration, music, and lectures by Catholic

speakers in both English and Spanish.

enthusiasm rising from the pews.

“It’s like an exploding powder keg,” described Stefanick.

“We’re giving people permission to rejoice again. It’s OK to

rejoice in this.”

Stefanick lives in Denver but said the event was a homecoming

of sorts: he was once a youth minister in Montebello,

and his wife hails from Venice. He said he sees the

revival as being about “creating a moment.”

“My hope is that people use this as an opportunity to be

proud of their faith again and invite others back with them

to the beauty of the Eucharist,” he said.

Like many others in the audience, Joyce Ann Armijo of

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Hermosa Beach came

away from the presentation visibly moved. “He touched my

heart,” she said. “His words reinforced everything I believe.”

Dozens of LA seminarians were scattered around the cathedral

to direct attendees or assist with the liturgy. Among

them was Deacon Emmanuel Sanchez. With only one year

left of seminary, he looks forward to becoming a priest and

leading by example when it comes to embracing the Real

Presence.

“You can preach as much as you want in your homilies

but unless you really start living it, really having an intense

prayer life with the Lord, it’s not genuine,” said Deacon

Sanchez. “I just hope when I’m celebrating Mass 50 years

in the future … that fire never leaves me.”

Father Juan Ochoa, director of the archdiocese’s Office of

Worship, was the event’s lead organizer. After four months

of planning and countless employee hours from multiple

departments, the end result he said, exceeded his expectations.

He has only one more wish.

“My hope is that people did not leave the same as they

came,” said Father Ochoa, who is also pastor of Christ The

King Church near Hancock Park. “Encountering Christ is

not just attending an event. … I wanted people to encounter

a living God and leave transformed by God.”

At the end of Mass, Father Ochoa announced there are

more congresses to come, one in each of the five pastoral

regions of the archdiocese. He also revealed there will be

special events for children and young people; exciting news

for teens in attendance, even if their friends don’t always get

it.

“Sometimes they [friends] say, ‘Oh church, that’s good,’

and sometimes they say, ‘Don’t you get bored?’ ’’ explained

Fatima Orozco, age 14, of St. Clement Church in Santa

Monica. “I’m like no, because I am there in the presence of

Jesus!”

For more information about about National Eucharistic

Revival, visit eucharisticrevival.org.

Natalie Romano is a freelance writer for Angelus and the

Inland Catholic Byte, the news website of the Diocese of San

Bernardino.

18 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

TK and kindergarten students from Our Lady

of Guadalupe School in East LA with teacher

Ashley Juarez on Aug. 25. | VICTOR ALEMÁN

Blessings of a bounce back

As a new school year begins, LA Catholic schools are showing signs of

surprising post-pandemic growth.

BY TOM HOFFARTH

A

$6 million philanthropic effort

has enabled an increase in

salaries of teachers and principals

in some of the Archdiocese of

Los Angeles’ highest-need areas. It is

also being credited as a key factor in

the Department of Catholic Schools’

(DCS) 4% increase in student

enrollment heading into the 2022-23

academic year.

It’s what DCS senior director and

superintendent Paul Escala calls “a

milestone moment” as private school

districts across the country struggle

with declining admissions and dropping

test scores.

Some 68,000 students from pre-K

to 12th grade currently attend more

than 260 campuses in LA, Ventura,

and Santa Barbara counties, up about

2,800 from the 2020-21 school year.

Those numbers are expected to hold

steady through 2022-23, said Escala.

The district had seen an 11% overall

enrollment dip from 73,000 in the

2020-21 school year when the COV-

ID-19 pandemic forced students into

distance learning.

“I keep hearing about how these

were ‘lost years,’ ” said Escala. “They

ask, ‘Will kids ever get those years

back?’ I am dismayed by that idea.

Children are resilience. We can

rectify and remedy what has been lost

along the way and use it as a lesson

for growth moving forward. We must

rebuild.”

The pay increases are the fruit of

an initiative involving Shea Family

Charities and the Catholic Community

Foundation of Los Angeles. The

funding allowed schools to retain and

recruit 655 full-time teachers, as well

as 74 principals in 74 schools — with

a commitment to grow those numbers,

according to Escala.

Escala said a survey of schools reported

that 54% of teachers who left their

positions at the end of last school year

cited salaries and benefits as a strong

reason why.

“It forced us to take a long and hard

look at things,” said Escala. “The data

showed that while teaching is a minis-

20 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

try, we must have competitive salaries

to compete in this labor market and

reflect their talent and skill.”

Data from the archdiocese shows

that during the 2021-22 school year,

the national STAR assessment exams

for early literacy showed more than

a 65% jump for kindergarteners and

first-graders. It also had a 4.2% growth

in benchmark reading and 6.8%

growth in benchmark math for second-

and eighth-graders. Ninth-graders

showed a 55% growth in math and

54% in reading.

Additionally, Escala noted, LA

Catholic schools continued to conduct

testing during the pandemic

while public school districts in the

state did not.

The funding has proved to be a

godsend for schools like Our Lady

of the Holy Rosary School in Sun

Valley, which this summer saw the

departure of the women religious that

had staffed the school for more than

40 years, the Sister Servants of the

Blessed Sacrament.

“The transition of seeing the sisters

leave for this year was very sad, and

hard,” acknowledged teacher Rosa Anderson,

who was tasked with helping

recruit new staff.

The partnership with Shea Family

Charities, officially known as

the Catholic Educator Investment

Initiative, helped

the school find

and hire Araceli

Esparza as Our

Lady of the

Holy Rosary’s

next principal,

whom Anderson

believes is “an

angel sent to us.”

Fifth- and sixth-graders

at St. Louis of France

STEM Academy in La

Puente keeping busy

during class in August.

| ST. LOUIS OF FRANCE

STEM ACADEMY

“She instills the same passion for

our strong Catholic identity here in

school, which makes our parents very

happy,” Anderson told Angelus.

The Catholic STEM and Dual Language

Immersion school network also

increased from seven to 10 campuses

in 2021-22, adding Holy Cross School

in Ventura, St. Louis of France School

in La Puente, and Sacred Heart Elementary

School in Los Angeles.

Jim Ryan of Holy Spirit STEM

Academy in the Mid-City area of LA

was promoted to fill one of the 30 new

principal openings in the archdiocese

this year. The school currently has

140 students this year, up from 80

at the start of COVID. Ryan credits

the Catholic Education Foundation’s

New Enrollment Initiative program

with making school tuition accessible

to more families.

“I’m a product of Catholic school,

started my educational career at Holy

Spirit and was lucky enough to participate

in the Onward Leaders program

thanks to the Smet Foundation,” said

Ryan. “We are off to a tremendous

start.”

Ashley Giron, principal at St. Jane

Frances de Chantal School in North

Hollywood, said she is starting the

year with 337 students, up from 248

last year and coming close to doubling

the 183 when she first came to the

school in 2018-19. There is a waitlist

for preschool,

Third-graders during the

first week of school last

month at Holy Cross School

in Ventura, one of the archdiocese’s

STEM schools.

| HOLY CROSS SCHOOL

TK, first and

sixth grade

classrooms.

“These past

three years

have been the

hardest years

we have ever

experienced,”

said Giron. “New families found our

school after the pandemic through

their friends’ and family members’

recommendations. I believe we were

able to provide a safe and stable

environment in the midst of a chaotic

time, and parents have remained in

our community even after their public

schools opened up due to the community

they found at St. Jane Frances de

Chantal.”

Tom Hoffarth is an award-winning

journalist based in Los Angeles.

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 21

What’s in a red hat?

Thoughts on the new elevation

of a progressive American prelate

and the passing of an old one.

BY JOHN L. ALLEN JR.

ROME — On Saturday, Aug. 27, Pope Francis created

20 new cardinals, including 16 under the age of 80

and thus eligible to vote for his successor. In the

U.S., much is being made of which American Pope Francis

chose to elevate and what it says about the pontiff’s vision

for the future of the American church.

The choice of 68-year-old Bishop Robert McElroy of San

Diego, who is — by most accounts — a fellow progressive

on most matters, is perceived as a further step in Pope

Francis’ efforts to reorient the American church away from

the neoconservative center of gravity it possessed during

the Popes John Paul II/Benedict XVI years, returning to the

reform-oriented spirit of the Second Vatican Council and

the papacies of Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI.

In what some may see as providence, others perhaps as

poetic justice, Bishop McElroy received his red hat the

same week that another American prelate who never was

inducted into the Church’s most exclusive club, but who

arguably incarnated that progressive

“spirit of Vatican II” better

than any other single American

cleric, went to his reward.

It’s undoubtedly unfair to associate

Bishop McElroy with anyone

else, especially a prelate whose

career ended in disgrace, but for

those with long memories it’s still

hard to avoid feeling a certain sense of déjà vu.

Pope Francis places a red

biretta on new U.S. Cardinal

Robert W. McElroy of San

Diego during a consistory

in St. Peter’s Basilica at the

Vatican on Aug. 27.

| CNS/PAUL HARING

Younger American Catholics today probably remember

Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee only for the

way his career ended, as part of the Church’s burgeoning

sexual abuse scandals. He retired as the archbishop of

Milwaukee in 2002 amid revelations he’d used almost a

half-million dollars of diocesan funds to settle a lawsuit

against him filed by a former seminarian. Archbishop

Weakland vigorously denied the abuse charges, but acknowledged

that he’d had a sexual relationship.

In a 2009 memoir titled “Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church,”

Archbishop Weakland publicly came out as gay.

Beyond that part of his record, however, he also looms as

one of the titans of the American church in the post-war

period, perhaps the most influential progressive voice in

American Catholic affairs other than the late Cardinal

Joseph Bernardin of Chicago.

As a teenager, Weakland attended a Benedictine minor

seminary in Pennsylvania and he entered the order in

22 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

1945. He went on to study at the prestigious Benedictine-run

Sant’Anselmo in Rome, the Church’s premier institute

devoted to liturgy. An accomplished pianist, he also

studied at the Juilliard School in New York and eventually

earned a doctorate in musicology from Colombia.

He became the abbot primate of the Benedictines in

1967, among other things hosting an inter-religious monastic

conference in Thailand in 1968 where Thomas Merton

died. It was Weakland who gave Merton the last rites, and

arranged for his body to be flown back to the United States.

St. Pope Paul VI

named him the archbishop

of Milwaukee

in 1977, in what was,

at the time, considered

both the crowning

act of Belgian Archbishop

Jean Jadot, the

pope’s ambassador in

the States, and also a

personal gesture by the

pontiff, who had distant

relatives in Milwaukee

and therefore had a

personal stake in who

would become their

shepherd.

From that point

forward, Archbishop

Weakland became the

leading liberal voice in

the American hierarchy.

At the time everyone believed

he was destined

to become a cardinal,

although as it turns out,

Pope Paul died just a

few months later and,

given the new direction

being set by Pope John

Paul, he never got the

red hat. Despite the fact

that he found himself

out of fashion, he carried on his defense of what he saw as

the reform agenda of the council.

For instance, he launched an ambitious renovation of

the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Controversial steps

included moving the altar out of the sanctuary, placing the

tabernacle in a Blessed Sacrament chapel and an organ in

the former sanctuary.

The plan did not sit well with some conservative Catholics,

who enlisted the activist group Catholics United for

the Faith to file a canonical appeal with the Vatican’s Congregation

for Divine Worship run at the time by Chilean

Cardinal Jorge Medina. Cardinal Medina wrote to Archbishop

Weakland to demand that work be suspended until

the questions were resolved.

In the end, the work was completed according to Archbishop

Weakland’s specifications. Just to show he had not

lost his sense of humor, he commissioned a marble plaque

for the back of the cathedral to commemorate the renovation.

Its tongue-in-cheek Latin inscription reads that the

cathedral was redesigned “in accordance with the principles

of the Second Vatican Council ... notwithstanding

certain difficulties.”

At around the same time, he also fought a strenuous and

ultimately losing battle to stop a new translation of the texts

for the Catholic Mass into English, arguing that the new

version was overly fussy and inconsistent with Vatican II’s

call for

“full,

conscious

and

active

participation”

of the

faithful

in the

liturgy.

For the

better

part of

three decades, he was a

hero to the liberal wing

of the American church.

The fact that he was

never made a cardinal

always rankled Catholics

in the U.S. who sympathized

with his views,

and who felt that his

intellectual and pastoral

accomplishments merited

the honor.

Thus there’s a sense in

which Bishop McElroy

has claimed the red hat

Archbishop Weakland

never received.

Once again, Bishop

McElroy represents a diocese that hasn’t traditionally been

led by a cardinal. Once again, he also holds a doctorate

from a citadel of secular thought in the United States —

Columbia in Archbishop Weakland’s case, Stanford for

Bishop McElroy.

And, once again, he’s seen as a tribune of the reform

agenda associated with Vatican II and the liberal wing of

Catholicism.

Bishop McElroy is, of course, his own man. Yet for all

those who were rooting for Archbishop Weakland during

his long, dry season, before they knew the rest of the story

— which, frankly, is most of the progressive American

Catholic establishment — the Bishop McElroy elevation

still may seem a long overdue payment on an old debt.

John L. Allen Jr. is the editor of Crux.

The late retired

Archbishop Rembert

G. Weakland

of Milwaukee

enters St. John

the Evangelist

Cathedral in Milwaukee

on March

29, 2009. | CNS/

SAM LUCERO

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 23

McLuhan’s microscope

Informed by his Catholic faith, a quirky media scholar’s

warnings about mass media have proven prophetic.

BY NICK RIPATRAZONE

it is axiomatic that we

live in a global space fed

“Today

by information from every

point on the sphere at the same time,”

noted the “Report on Project in Understanding

New Media,” an ambitious,

nearly 300-page analysis of changes in

communication. “Electronic media,”

the report continued, “demands the

utmost spontaneity and resilience” on

the part of its users.

Younger generations are more deft

and comfortable with the new media

than their parents and teachers. To

borrow the language and spirit of the

report, kids understand the “grammar”

and “structure” of the new media.

They are not merely literate; they are

experts.

The comprehensive report offers a

wealth of knowledge for educators,

administrators, and parents. It is also

more than 60 years old — and was

the work of a devout Catholic named

Marshall McLuhan.

A quirky media theorist from the

1960s, now mostly known for his aphoristic

statements (“the global village,”

“the medium is the message”), McLuhan’s

confident and sometimes cryptic

arguments have come to fruition. As

the consequences of the digital revolution

become more painfully clear, he

is finally getting the respect that he deserves,

and yet many

of his admirers still

Marshall McLuhan ignore his Catholicism.

McLuhan’s

in 1967. | BERNARD

GOTFRYD/WIKIME- faith was not mere

DIA COMMONS ornamentation; it

was the anchor and

inspiration for his

media theories.

Born in 1911 in Edmonton, Canada,

and raised in what his son would later

call “a loose sort of Protestantism,”

McLuhan was culturally Christian,

but not devout. That all changed while

24 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

studying for his Ph.D. at the University

of Cambridge, where he became

enamored with the work of Catholic

writers like G.K. Chesterton and

Gerard Manley Hopkins.

To McLuhan, these writers showed

how talented Christian artists could be

profoundly intellectual. Rather than

neutering their art, their Catholic identities

compelled them to seek moral

complexity. McLuhan was hooked. In

1937, he converted.

Inspired by his Catholic predecessors,

McLuhan wrote in a 1946 letter, “I am

conscious of a job to be done, one that

I can do, and, truly, I do not wish to

take any step in it that is not consonant

with the will of God.”

McLuhan believed that his faith was

a source of clarity and coherence; he

believed that “Catholics can penetrate

and dominate secular concerns —

thanks to an emotional and spiritual

economy denied to the confused secular

mind.” McLuhan began a career of

examining the various forms of media,

from telephone to radio to television,

focusing on how that media changed

its users. His Catholic faith was an

all-revealing microscope, enabling him

to see the world clearly — and he endeavored

to help others to do the same.

In 1959, the National Association of

Educational Broadcasters commissioned

McLuhan to research and write

the “Understanding Media Project,”

the goal of which was to “develop

materials and the basis for instruction

in the meanings and uses of the new

media of TV and radio (in the context

of other media) in American elementary

and secondary schools.”

McLuhan thought the project was

essential. He argued that “for centuries

educators have lived under the

monarchy of printing,” but with the

newer media of “photography, movie,

telegraph, telephone, radio, and television,”

educators “now face students

who, in terms of the information-flow

of their experience, spend all their waking

hours in classrooms without walls,

as it were.” From McLuhan’s perspective,

if teachers could be converted to

thinking with and through the new

media, then the populist results could

be significant.

McLuhan’s project was not geared

toward undergraduates or doctoral

students; his aim was to modify the way

that high school students were instructed.

High school was the great populist

education experiment, where the mass

users and consumers of the media

resided. It remains so today.

His final report was ambitious, and

rather impractical — for its time. Now,

though, McLuhan’s vision has become

reality, and his radical reconsideration

of education and media studies is

exactly what teachers — including me

— need to help kids.

For example, in his summary of

the aims for his high school project,

McLuhan observed that “obsession

with ‘content’ seems infallibly to

obscure the structural changes effected

by media.” If we only teach students

to get “better” at being online, without

more conceptual awareness of how

digital life creates an “environment” or

experience that itself changes how we

think, we risk falling into McLuhan’s

observed trap of content obsession.

Although it might make us feel better

to bark at kids to put away their phones,

we need to understand what they seek

to find in those digital spaces.

One of McLuhan’s especially Catholic

observations was his skepticism of

what he called the “global village.”

The concept sounds nice enough —

the idea that once united by instant

communication, we can feel closer to

people on the other side of the globe

— but McLuhan realized that we

should never misconstrue connection

with community.

While it is true that we need to connect

with others in order to form physical

and digital communities, we must

do so authentically. Long before social

media was invented, McLuhan knew

that a lack of privacy and contemplation

could create antagonism.

Although McLuhan was skeptical of

the increasingly connected world, he

saw an opportunity for God’s presence

to be discerned around the globe. He

compelled all who would listen to

think creatively and critically about

what it means to connect with others

from a distance. Even television could

be seen as an opportunity: in McLuhan’s

era, a family sitting around a television

was a family together. With an

open, Christ-focused mind, McLuhan

was able to find the good in media.

McLuhan is fun to teach because he

looks, acts, and talks like someone who

shouldn’t have been “with it” in the

1960s, and appears even more dated to

contemporary students. In McLuhan’s

own time, the younger generations

most appreciated him. Older folks were

the skeptical ones.

Most essentially, McLuhan compels

us to remember that, in Christ, we are

incarnationally united. That truth is

digitally revealed when we recognize

that being online is most dangerous

when we are discarnate (and act as if

we, and those whom we encounter

online, are without bodies and souls).

Although his original media report fell

on skeptical ears, McLuhan is just the

Catholic we all need — old and young

— to understand how to live intentionally,

and faithfully, online.

Nick Ripatrazone is a culture editor

for Image Journal and a high school

literature teacher in New Jersey. He is

the author of the new book, “Digital

Communion: Marshall McLuhan’s

Spiritual Vision for a Virtual Age”

(Fortress Press, $26.99).

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 25

WITH GRACE

DR. GRAZIE POZO CHRISTIE

Of smartphones and snakes

SHUTTERSTOCK

of you, if your son

asks for a fish, will give

“Which

him a snake?”

Jesus famously asked his listeners

this question (Luke 11:11), and asks

us still today, when explaining the full

breadth and depth of God’s providential

care for his children. In helping us

understand the importance of prayer,

he appeals to the universal urge in

humans to protect and nurture their

young. Certainly, if that urge wasn’t

built into us, the human race would

have long since been extinguished.

Every time I see a little hand holding

a smartphone and childish eyes staring

mesmerized at the screen, I remember

those Gospel words and imagine the

phone is a rattlesnake.

The fact is we’ve collectively handed

our children and adolescents smartphones

— and done so at the most

crucial phase of their moral, spiritual,

and personal development. Just as they

are emerging from the cocoon of the

family and trying to apply the good

things learned there in a troubled

world, we’ve handed them over to tech

companies and platforms that care for

nothing but columns on spreadsheets.

The experiment has gone on long

enough, and the results are in: depression,

loneliness, anxiety, suicidal

ideation have all skyrocketed among

adolescents in developed countries.

So has sexual confusion and gender

dysphoria, with almost 40% of 18-24

year-olds describing themselves as

nonheterosexuals.

Make your way through the “stories”

of young people on Instagram, or

spend a little time on TikTok, and

these sad numbers begin to make

sense.

Young people live public, heavily

curated lives on Instagram, documenting

every moment in a way calculated

to arouse admiration and envy — or

just arouse. The herd mentality on

that app — in which deviating from

whatever is “in” at the moment seems

unthinkable — breeds superficiality,

envy, negative body image, and loneliness

in a way that is hard to fathom

for adults raised in simpler times, in

which adolescence was already fraught

with difficulties. The online connections

substitute for and crowd out real

relationships — the kind that once

helped teens weather the emotional

storms that are an inevitable part of

growing up.

TikTok is by most accounts even

worse. By intent and design, the video

platform serves up increasingly gross

content to children and teens who

initially go there to watch innocuous

dance videos. Investigative journalists

from The Wall Street Journal, using

accounts of fake children, documented

how TikTok lured them into “rabbit

holes” of coarse sexuality and drug use,

sometimes within just a few clicks.

Another Journal investigation showed

how the app “inundates teens with

eating disorder videos.” And traffickers

love TikTok for the ready access it

gives them.

Those worried about the rapid rise of

gender dysphoria in teen and preteen

girls should look no further than the

effects of this app, which glamorizes

and grooms girls into thinking radical

hormonal and surgical alterations will

solve their angst.

Putting aside specific platforms and

apps, think of all the things children

and adolescents aren’t doing when

they are staring into their phones: playing

games, reading books, exploring

the woods, riding their bikes to Dairy

26 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie is a mother of five

who practices radiology in the Miami area.

Queen on a hot summer day, giggling

with a friend, having one of those deep

conversations that changes their lives

for the better.

They could be falling in love with

someone’s beautiful personality, or

their sense of humor, long before they

know what she looks like in a swimsuit.

Economists call this “opportunity

cost.” And what a cost.

I don’t preach from an impregnable

position. I’ve been guilty of going with

the flow with my five children. It’s

hard not to. But parents can ask state

governments for help, as there is much

they can still do to protect American

children and teens from the worst

excesses of big tech.

For instance, state legislatures could

pass laws requiring sites that host

pornographic content to adopt age verification

measures to keep those who

are under 18 off their platform. Age

verification should also be required to

keep children under 13 from creating

social media accounts (a law that

currently goes unenforced).

Another idea: pass laws requiring

platforms to give parents full access

and control of their minor children’s

accounts. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Another, my personal favorite:

states could pass laws requiring social

media companies to turn off access to

minors during bedtime hours. Eight

hours of sleep would help lots of teens

weather the emotional storms of high

school.

The urge to protect is strong in all

parents, as Jesus intuited. But tech

companies aren’t caring parents.

They are actively handing our children

snakes or scorpions, and happily

watching their bottom lines and

valuations grow. There is absolutely

no reason to continue to trust them

with our children, and we should all

be supportive of any initiative that

breaks the tech companies iron hold

on them.

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 27

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 27

NOW PLAYING BETTER CALL SAUL

THE SINS OF SAUL

In a surprising twist, the series finale of the ‘Breaking

Bad’ prequel preaches a higher justice.

Bob Odenkirk in “Better

Call Saul.” | AMC

VIA FACEBOOK

BY JOSEPH JOYCE

In that 2001 courtroom classic

“Legally Blonde,” a law professor

asks the class if they would prefer

to have a client who committed a

crime “malum in se” or “malum

prohibitum.” That is, would they

rather defend someone who committed

a crime recognized by society as

inherently immoral, or a crime that is

wrong merely because it’s prohibited?

Reese Witherspoon, in her flaxen

naiveté, insists that she wants a client

who is innocent of any crime. The

class laughs, but there is wisdom out

of the mouths of babes. That such a

distinction exists at all implies that law

is not a clear arbiter of morality — and

if it has surrendered such a role, then

what exactly is its purpose?

AMC’s “Better Call Saul” recently

wrapped up its sixth and final season

exploring this discrepancy. The prequel

series to “Breaking Bad” follows

Saul Goodman, an alias for one Jimmy

McGill. Jimmy is a former con man

turned lawyer who wants to stay on the

straight and narrow, but whose proclivity

for cutting corners often finds him

on the wrong side of the law.

While often hysterical, Jimmy’s struggle

is a tragedy because the audience

knows that one day he will serve as

legal consigliere to a drug empire in

“Breaking Bad,” and eventually hide

from the law under an assumed name

as that empire crumbles. Like “Breaking

Bad,” his journey charts how even

a good man can turn evil degree by

degree. But while sharing a similar

arc (and much of the same writing

staff), the two shows draw very different

conclusions about morality and

redemption.

Vince Gilligan, creator of “Breaking

Bad” and co-creator of “Better Call

Saul,” once tried to outline his religious

worldview in an interview to The

New York Times. An admitted lapsed

Catholic, Gilligan nevertheless held

on to something of a moral code. Or as

he phrased it, “I want to believe there’s

28 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

a heaven. But I can’t not believe there’s

a hell.”

Indeed, both of his shows follow

a strict karmic justice, where virtue

isn’t rewarded but sin is patiently yet

inevitably punished. Walter White

doesn’t get a happy ending, but he at

least ensures that his enemies don’t

get one either. “Better Call Saul” also

has such firm morality, which it often

contrasts with the supposedly stalwart

legal system.

Jimmy often exploits loopholes and

engages in legally gray behavior, but

usually in the pursuit of actual justice

for his clients. His fellow attorneys

look down on such conduct, all while

engaging in dubious but sanctioned

behavior. Some have argued that the

show believes in the sanctity of law, but

if the law is sacred then its priests are

corrupt. Justice is owed, and it won’t

wait for the proper channels to deliver.

One of Jimmy’s associates, the former

cop turned muscle/hitman/general

problem-solver Mike Ehrmantraut,

phrases it so: “I’ve known good criminals

and bad cops, bad priests and

honorable thieves. You can be on one

side of the law or the other, but if you

make a deal with somebody, you keep

your word.”

Filmed in the high deserts of Albuquerque

(for tax purposes), the stark

aridity suits “Better Call Saul” perfectly.

The world of Saul Goodman is essentially

the wild west, where the only

real currency is your personal integrity,

and the only justice you can achieve is

what you seek out yourself.

Yet if “Breaking Bad” is preoccupied

with retribution, “Better Call Saul” has

nobler possibilities on its mind. Something

like the Old and New Testament,

the first show is firm on the rules and

its calculation, while the latter hesitantly

broaches the possibility of redemption

(spoilers ahead).

The much-awaited final episode of

“Saul,” which aired Aug. 15, starts

with the trial of Saul, finally caught

by police committing more crimes

in Omaha under another fake name.

But the finale features flashbacks

to earlier times, when Jimmy asked

colleagues about time travel and what

they would change if given the chance.

The answers vary, but most settle on

the notion that such speculation is a

waste of time, that whatever sins you’ve

committed can never be undone.

At first it seems that Saul has internalized

that lesson. He negotiates his

life sentence down to seven years in a

cushy prison (one of the show’s implicit

criticisms of the law, for thinking it has

the power to mitigate such sin). But to

the surprise of the court, including his

ex-wife in attendance, Jimmy rejects

that plea and instead confesses to all

his crimes, across all three of his different

identities.

The saddest and most cathartic of

these confessions is his admission that

he got his brother Chuck’s malpractice

insurance revoked, pushing him out

of the law and into suicide. Jimmy’s

lawyer, already aghast at his case falling

apart, hisses, “That wasn’t even a

crime!’

“Yeah, it was,” replies an unburdened

Jimmy. This isn’t a mere admission of

guilt; this is a confession. His associates

were right in that you can never

change the past, but what they never

considered is that you can change the

context. A thousand mistakes become

a thousand nudges toward salvation if

you decide to repent. Jimmy realized

that it wasn’t his past that doomed him,

but rather his present.

Jimmy’s sentence is upped to 86 years,

maximum security. But if his revelations

in court were a secular confession,

then his prison sentence is like a

man retreating to the monastery for further

repentance. He certainly doesn’t

seem unhappy with his predicament.

He has peace of mind and something

of a reunion with his beloved ex-wife.

Jimmy manipulates the law one last

time to ensure justice, and it’s to put

himself behind bars forever. Jimmy

didn’t deserve such a happy ending,

but then again, do any of us?

Joseph Joyce is a screenwriter and freelance

critic based in Sherman Oaks.

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 29

DESIRE LINES

HEATHER KING

In the footsteps of St. Kevin

A sculpture of St.

Kevin, by Fergus

O’Farrell, in the

garden at St. Kevin

Church in Glendalough

Hermitage.

| HEATHER KING

Last month I spent three weeks

in Ireland, dividing my time

between Dublin and the Glendalough

Hermitage, an hour south of

the city.

Glendalough (meaning “valley of two

lakes”) is an ancient monastic site and

a former center of Celtic Christian

spirituality. Pilgrims of various kinds,

from all over the globe, descend here

— especially in summer. The area

is closely associated with St. Kevin, a

seventh-century hermit who came to

the valley seeking silence and solitude.

Legend holds that he slept on a little

stone shelf in the cliffs, by what is now

known as the Poulanass Waterfall.

My own free-standing stone hermitage

was run by the Sisters of Mercy and situated

up on a hill, away from the traffic

and crowds. That way, when I did visit

the Monastic City, as it’s called, I could

do so on foot, walking from town the

long way around on a footpath called

The Green Road that winds through

forest, bracken, and fern.

While there, I visited the Monastery

of Saint Saviour Church, the Round

Tower, the Lower Lake, the Upper

Lake, the site of St. Kevin’s Cell — an

isolated perch beneath the trees far

above the Upper Lake — and Reefert

Church, where he is said to be buried.

On the footpaths, many languages

were spoken. Teenage girls ambled

arm-in-arm, couples snapped selfies,

fathers pushed baby strollers, and

mothers toted picnic baskets.

I learned that the custom is to walk

three times around a church before

entering. I learned to honor a tree by

walking around it clockwise — and

what trees! Yews, rowans, silver birch.

Tradition holds that when St. Kevin

first arrived, 1,400 years ago, he first

sought shelter under an oak tree.

The landscape and history are fascinatingly

mysterious.

But when push came to shove, I

found that I was just as happy at St.

Kevin’s, the local parish, which was just

through a wooden gate up from my

hermitage.

In direct line of succession from the

small community that gathered around

St. Kevin in the sixth century, the

church — stone with a slate roof —

was built during “famine times” and

opened in 1851. Under the aegis of

Father Sean O’Toole, the parish priest

30 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

Heather King is an award-winning

author, speaker, and workshop leader.

in 2000, St. Kevin’s was restored to its

original simple glory, and a meditation

garden was installed.

“The hermitage garden is designed to

provide a place where nature, scripture,

and Glendalough’s history are

combined in harmony, delighting the

eye, comforting the soul, and leading

pilgrims to prayer and a deeper awareness

of God,” reads the brochure.

That garden, including the cemetery

out back, became a sanctuary during

my two-week stay. Designed by Dublin-based

landscape architect David

Shortall, the space unfolds itself slowly.

Many of its features — engraved

reflections, stone markers, a shrine to

St. Thérèse of Lisieux — were contributed

by local artists or donated by local

parishioners.

Pathway One — the way of Kevin —

tells the history of Glendalough, which

has included foreign invaders, internal

tribal warfare, and fissures within the

Church. Backbones of the community

throughout the years — miners, foresters,

and members of the faithful — are

honored.

Tucked beneath a ledge, easy to

miss, is a sculpture by Brother Joseph

McNally — an elongated bronze arm,

its palm cradling a clutch of eggs.

Legend has it that as St. Kevin prayed

in his cell one day, arms outstretched,

a blackbird came along and laid her

eggs in his hand. He stayed in the same

position, his flesh a warm nest, until

the fledglings hatched.

Pathway Two comprises a labyrinth,

spiraling and green, the “lines” edged

by boxwood. Path Three, The Path of

Golgotha, consists of three “stations”

inviting the pilgrim to reflect upon

Jesus’ seven last words on the cross.

Pathway Four is the Pathway of

Choices. “The way that leads to

destruction is wide and many take

it,” reads one side of a granite marker

leading up a set of wide wooden risers.

“Enter by the narrow gate” reads the

other, with a second, smaller path

leading up to the right. The three

overhanging yew trees represent the

Trinity. A large boulder symbolizes the

Resurrection.

The whole garden is beautifully

landscaped with trees, shrubs, and

perennial borders. Sheep bleat from

the pasture above. Along the back

stone wall grow wild blackberries and

old-fashioned flowers I remember

from my grandmother’s house in New

England: pinks, black-eyed Susans,

bleeding hearts.

The ruins of the Monastic City tell

one story. But it’s here, in the little

parish bearing his name, that the body

and blood for which St. Kevin laid

down his life live on.

The sun sets late in these northern

parts. Beneath the sheltering trees, I

think of my own earthly pilgrimage

and watch the light fade. A nearby engraving

of an ancient Irish hymn reads:

King of the Friday

Whose limbs were stretched on the

Cross

O Lord who didst suffer

The bruises, the wounds, the loss

We stretch ourselves

Beneath the shield of thy might

May some fruit from the tree of thy

passion.

Fall on us this night.

September 9, 2022 • ANGELUS • 31

LETTER AND SPIRIT

SCOTT HAHN

Scott Hahn is founder of the

St. Paul Center for Biblical

Theology; stpaulcenter.com.

The Psalms: Fit for a king

Third in a series on the Book of Psalms.

Most of what we know about the liturgical use of the

Psalms, we know from the period of the Second

Temple. Yet many of the psalms surely predate

that period. The “Psalter” attributes around half the psalms

to King David (84 in the ancient Greek translation, 73 in

the medieval Masoretic text). Others are credited to Moses,

Solomon, Asaph, Heman, Ethan, and the Sons of Korah.

Some of these appear in the Old Testament narratives as

renowned performers of sacred music (see 1 Chronicles

15:16–22; Nehemiah 12:41–46).

David, however, remains the

psalmist par excellence, even

though he did not live to see

the First Temple built. Second

Samuel calls him “the sweet

psalmist of Israel” (23:1). Jesus

acknowledged David’s authorship

“King David as Psalm Singer,”

by Leonard Schenk, 1691-

1767, Dutch. | WIKIMEDIA

COMMONS

of Psalm 110 (see Matthew 22:41–45), as Paul calls David

author of Psalms 32 and 69 (see Romans 4:6–8, 11:9–10).

The Letter to the Hebrews names David as author of Psalm

95 (Hebrews 4:7).

Thus many of the psalms were likely composed even before

the time of Solomon’s Temple — and not only those that

bear David’s byline, but also those attributed to contemporaries

of David, such as Asaph. Still other psalms, such as 72

and 127, claim Solomon as author, and so trace their origins

to the First Temple.

One thing is certain: the “Psalter” is permeated with a

Davidic spirituality. Its prayers reflect the particular terms of

the covenant God made with the house of David. Throughout

the Psalms we find a more universalist message; for to

David God had given kingship not only over Israel, but over

“the nations” as well, the gentiles. Throughout the Psalms

we find a deep piety for the Temple, the house that David

had pledged to raise up for Yahweh. We find reverence for

Jerusalem, David’s capital city, and for the king who rules, in

God’s name, over a united Israel. Indeed, we see, in Psalm

110, the attribution of a priestly character to the king of

Israel (v. 4).

Nevertheless, it is accurate to call the “Psalter” the “Hymnal

of the Second Temple” — the Temple as it was rebuilt in

516 B.C., 70 years after its destruction in 586 B.C.

The last-written of the Psalms were certainly set down

in the time of the Second Temple. Psalm 137, for example,

refers to the Babylonian captivity. Most importantly,

however, it was during the Second Temple period that the

“Psalter” found its final form as a single book arranged in a

very deliberate way.

In our next column we’ll discuss the arrangement of the

book.

32 • ANGELUS • September 9, 2022

■ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Virgen de los Remedios Procession, Mass, and Crowning.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple

St., Los Angeles, 3 p.m. Presider: Archbishop José H.

Gomez.

■ MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

Four Days of Miracles: Exhibits and Presentations. Holy

Trinity Church, 209 N. Hanford Ave., San Pedro. Live presentations:

Eucharistic Miracles, Sept. 5 at 6:30 pm., Sept.

6 at 9:15 a.m., Sacred Cloths of the Passion, Sept. 6 at 6:30

p.m., Sept. 7 at 9:15 a.m., Life After Life, Sept. 7 at 6:30

p.m., Sept. 8 at 9:15 a.m. Exhibit browsing available 5-8

p.m. Monday-Wednesday or 9:15-11 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday.

For more information, email office@holytrinitysp.org.

■ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

Beginning Experience of Los Angeles Weekend for

Separated, Divorced, and Widowed Catholics. Holy

Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino. Retreat runs

Sept. 9-11 and will help participants move from the darkness

of grief to the light of a new beginning. Cost: $325/

single room, $275/shared room. $75 deposit required

in advance. For more information, call Maria (English or

Spanish) at 909-592-0009 or Brenda at 818-352-5265.

■ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

Closing Mass for Forward in Mission Jubilee Year.

Mission San Gabriel, 428 S. Mission Dr., San Gabriel, 10

a.m. Archbishop Gomez will celebrate a special Mass of

Thanksgiving in the Mission Church (reserved seating).

Mass will be livestreamed. Visit forwardinmission.com.

Autumn Silent Saturday Centering Prayer. Holy Spirit

Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Rd., Encino, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

With Marilyn Nobori and the Contemplative Outreach

Team. For more information, visit hsrcenter.com or call

818-784-4515.

“Hour of Our Death” Film Screening. AMC Burbank 16

Theaters, 125 E. Palm Ave., Burbank, 2 p.m. See an inspiring

documentary on the beauty of a peaceful death, featuring

the Little Sisters of the Poor. Tickets for the entire Saturday

festival are $20/person, purchased at burbankfilmfest.org.

Visit FamilyTheater.org for more information.

■ SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

Catechist Commissioning Ceremony. Cathedral of Our

Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, 10

a.m. Catechists from around the Archdiocese of Los

Angeles who continued to receive formation and training

during the COVID-19 pandemic will be commissioned as

catechists during Mass. Call Giovanni Perez at 213-637-

7344 for more information.

■ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

Memorial Mass. San Fernando Mission, 15151 San

Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, 11 a.m. Mass is

virtual and not open to the public. Livestream available at

CatholicCM.org or Facebook.com/lacatholics.

Women at the Well. Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316

Lanai Rd., Encino, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. With Sister Chris

Machado, SSS. For more information, visit hsrcenter.com

or call 818-784-4515.

■ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

“What Catholics Believe” weekly series. St. Dorothy

Church, 241 S. Valley Center Ave., Glendora, 7-8:30 p.m.

Series runs Wednesdays through April 26, 2023. Deepen

your understanding of the Catholic faith through dynamic

DVD presentations by Bishop Robert Barron, Dr. Edward

Sri, Dr. Brant Pitre, and Dr. Michael Barber. Free event, no

reservations required. Call 626-335-2811 or visit the Adult

Faith Development ministry page at www.stdorothy.org for

more information.

We Are All Children of the One God. Padre Serra Church,

5205 Upland Rd., Camarillo, 7 p.m. Talk led by Father Jim

Clarke on the necessary work of connecting with other religions

and philosophies. Free event. To RSVP, visit padreserra.org/children-of-god.html.

Angelus News | September 9, 2022 | Vol. 7 No. 18

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