Angelus News | July 12, 2024 | Vol. 9 No. 14

ANGELUS
SAVING
PURGATORY
Is it real, or a
medieval poet’s
invention?
July 12, 2024 Vol. 9 No. 14

July 12, 2024
Vol. 9 • No. 14
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ON THE COVER
PIETRO FRATICELLI/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
A PBS series recently suggested purgatory was the “invention”
of 14th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Could it
be true? Does such a place — somewhere between heaven
and hell — really exist? On Page 10, contributing editor
Mike Aquilina details purgatory’s biblical roots in the Old
and New Testaments, all of which point to the hope and
forgiveness God promises “in the age to come” to believers.
THIS PAGE
VICTOR ALEMÁN
Hundreds of LA Catholics, including more than a
dozen priests, gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Church in El Monte (“La Lupita”) for a Memorial
Mass in honor of former pastor Father Julio Ramos,
MG, who died June 6 in Mexico from cancer at the
age of 51. Ramos was the chair of the archdiocesan
“Guadalupano” committee, which organizes annual
Our Lady of Guadalupe-themed celebrations.
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CONTENTS
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
14
16
18
20
24
26
28
30
A Long Beach parishioner tells her heart transplant story
Full list of new pastors and administrators in Archdiocese of LA
LA’s Eucharistic Congress pilgrims ready for a real revival in Indianapolis
John Allen on the unifying effect of Archbishop Viganò’s schism trial
Robert Brennan: George Washington as America’s first ecumenical prophet
Review of Disney’s ‘Inside Out 2’: Is it all really in our heads?
20 years later, ABC’s ‘Lost’ deserves another look
Heather King looks back at a 1968 warning on the dangers of ‘sameness’
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 1

POPE WATCH
Traffickers of death
The following is adapted from the
Holy Father’s weekly General Audience
catechesis in St. Peter’s Square on June
26 for the International Day Against
Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
St. Pope John Paul II once affirmed
that “drug abuse impoverishes
every community where it exists.
It diminishes human strength and
moral fiber. It undermines esteemed
values. It destroys the will to live and to
contribute to a better society.”
But we cannot ignore the evil
intentions and actions of drug dealers
and traffickers. They are murderers.
During a visit to a therapeutic community,
Pope Benedict XVI urged drug
dealers to “reflect on the grave harm
they are inflicting on countless young
people and on adults from every level
of society: God will call you to account
for your deeds.”
A reduction in drug addiction is
not achieved by liberalizing drug
use — this is a fantasy! — as has been
proposed by some, or has already been
implemented in some countries. It’s
like this: you liberalize and drugs are
consumed even more. Having known
so many tragic stories of drug addicts
and their families, I am convinced that
it is a moral duty to end the production
and trafficking of these dangerous
substances.
Drug traffickers are traffickers of
death, driven by the logic of power and
money at any cost! And this scourge,
which produces violence and sows
suffering and death, demands an act of
courage from our society as a whole.
Drug production and trafficking
also have a destructive impact on our
common home. This has become
increasingly evident, for example, in
the Amazon basin.
Another key way to counter drug
abuse and trafficking is through
prevention, which is done by promoting
greater justice, educating young
people in values that build personal
and community life, accompanying
those in need, and giving hope for the
future.
In my journeys in different dioceses
and countries, I have been able to visit
several recovery communities inspired
by the Gospel. They are a strong and
hopeful witness to the commitment of
priests, consecrated men and women,
and laypeople to put into practice
the parable of the Good Samaritan.
So, too, I am comforted by the efforts
undertaken by various bishops’ conferences
to promote just legislation
and policies regarding the treatment
of people addicted to drug use, and
prevention to stop this scourge.
Dear brothers and sisters, faced with
the tragic situation of drug addiction of
millions of people around the world,
faced with the scandal of the illicit production
and trafficking of such drugs,
we cannot be indifferent.
The Lord Jesus paused, drew near,
healed wounds. In the style of his
closeness, we too are called to act, to
pause before situations of fragility and
pain, to know how to listen to the cry
of loneliness and anguish, to stoop to
lift up and bring back to life those who
fall into the slavery of drugs.
We pray, too, for these criminals who
spend and give drugs to the young:
They are criminals, they are murderers.
Let us pray for their conversion.
Papal Prayer Intention for July: We pray that the sacrament
of the anointing of the sick confers to those who receive it
and their loved ones the power of the Lord and become ever
more a visible sign of compassion and hope for all.
2 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

NEW WORLD OF FAITH
ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ
Making this a more spiritual summer
For most of us, summer gives us
a chance to slow down a bit, it
gives us some time to enjoy the
fellowship of family and the beauty of
God’s creation.
It’s also a time when maybe we can do
a little more spiritual reading, and try to
renew and deepen our friendship with
Jesus.
Jesus wants to be with us, he wants to
be our friend, and he wants us to have
a life that is full of love and joy that will
lead us and our loved ones to heaven.
So, we want to work on that friendship,
we want to know him and love
him more and more. And the best way I
know to do that is through the Gospels
and the Eucharist.
If you find that you have more time in
these summer months, I encourage you
to try to make a special effort to meet
Jesus in the Eucharist and in the pages
of the Gospels.
Reading a passage of the Gospels every
day is a good habit to get into, and it
really helps us to grow in our love for
Jesus, and our understanding of his
teachings.
Some people like to read a little of
the Gospels every day, others read and
reflect on the Gospel passage that is
proclaimed in each daily Mass.
However you choose to read, make
sure you read with prayer. Simply ask
Jesus to speak to your heart through the
words on the page.
Jesus speaks to us directly in the pages
of the Gospels, just as he did to the first
disciples.
We read the Gospels to know what
Jesus teaches and what he promises, to
know why he came into the world, and
how he wants us to live.
More than that, when we read the
Gospels, we learn from his example —
how he treats people, how he responds
in different situations.
When we read every day, we become
companions of Jesus, fellow travelers.
We “see” what his first followers saw,
we “hear” his words as they did; we are
“witnesses” of his miracles.
But we need to remember when we
read the Gospels, that we’re not only
looking for information. We are seeking
transformation.
By meditating on Our Lord’s life and
words in the pages of the Gospels, we
are praying to become more and more
like him.
Jesus said, “Learn from me.” Reading
the Gospels a little every day is how we
learn.
We want to think like him and act
like him. We want to have the same
compassion, the same priorities and
attitudes.
The other way that we become more
like Jesus is through the mystery of the
Eucharist.
I’m looking forward to attending the
National Eucharistic Congress along
with many of you later this month.
As I said in my last column, we are
truly witnessing a Eucharistic revival in
our time. That is a beautiful thing, and
I am praying that it continues to grow
and spread.
For each of us, the Eucharist should
be our “daily bread” for the journey of
our life. The Sunday celebration of the
Eucharist should be the heart of our
lives as Christians.
We also need to make time to just
“be” with Jesus in his presence in the
Blessed Sacrament.
For many of us, it’s not possible or
practical to make visits during the week
to a church or chapel. But you can still
make great progress in your relationship
with Jesus if you get in the habit
of coming early to Mass and spending
time quietly in your pew praying before
the tabernacle.
The beautiful mystery is that Our
Lord is truly present with us in the
tabernacle, just as he was when he was
with his first disciples.
When you are in the Lord’s presence,
just talk to him, like a child talking to
your Father.
Adore him, thank him, tell him that
you love him. Tell him what you’re
worried about. Ask him to protect the
ones you love. Ask him for the strength
to follow him more closely.
But also take time to be silent, to just
“be” with Jesus. Let him speak to your
heart.
It takes practice to learn to be silent
with Our Lord. It’s not always easy to
settle your heart and mind. The only
We need to remember when we read the Gospels,
that we’re not only looking for information.
We are seeking transformation.
way we can learn is by just doing it.
Meeting Jesus in the Eucharist, we
want to be changed to be more like
him. We want to let him shape our lives
in his image, just as he changes the
bread and the wine.
So, two simple suggestions for you to
consider in these summer days.
Pray for me and I will pray for you.
And may Holy Mary our Blessed Mother
help all of us this summer to draw
closer to her Son.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 3

WORLD
■ Italian mother completes
key step toward sainthood
The sainthood cause of Chiara Corbella
Petrillo, an Italian mother who
refused cancer treatment to save her
unborn child, has taken an important
step forward.
On June 21, the Diocese of Rome
completed the cause’s diocesan phase,
a period of intense investigation into
Corbella’s life and virtue.
Born in 1984, Corbella married
Enrico Petrillo in 2008. Their first two
children died of physical abnormalities
shortly after they were born and
while pregnant with her third child,
Francesco, Petrillo was diagnosed with
carcinoma of the tongue and delayed
treatment until after she gave birth. She
died in 2012 at 28 years old.
“If the Lord has chosen this for me, it
means that it is better this way for me
and for those around me,” Petrillo told
her mother, according to a diocesan
edict. “Therefore, I am happy.”
Ready for reconciliation — Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver, Canada, joined spokeswoman Racelle
Kooy (top right), and Chief Rosanne Casimir, both of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, to answer
questions over Zoom June 26 about the “Sacred Covenant” signed earlier this year. The agreement recognized
the Catholic Church’s role in a government education program at Canadian residential schools that were
administered by some religious orders over nearly 100 years, and pledged to learn more. The native tribe is
currently investigating a radar survey’s discovery in 2021 of more than 200 suspected burial sites near one of
the residential schools in Kamloops, British Columbia. | COURTESY B.C. CATHOLIC VIA OSV NEWS
■ Churches begin to rise in Egypt
Christians have begun rebuilding churches in Egypt as legal encumbrances
against the religious minority ease.
“Now that the government has lifted the obstacles to building new churches,
all the dioceses have building projects,” Archbishop Ibrahim Sidrak, Coptic
Catholic patriarch of Alexandria, told Aid to the Church in Need International
in a June 19 report.
Construction projects include the restoration of the Luxor Cathedral, which
burned down in 2016.
“Churches are the heart of our communities and are difficult to access for
many parishioners. Those who live far away have to spend up to a quarter of
their salary to be able to take their family by bus to church for Sunday Mass,”
the archbishop said.
Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo months before
her death in 2012. | COURTESY CHIARACORBELLA-
PETRILLO.ORG
■ Vatican City to get energy makeover
The Vatican is “going solar,” Pope Francis announced June 26.
“We need to make a transition toward a sustainable development model that
reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere,” read Fratello Sole
(“Brother Sun”), a motu proprio that announced the change.
Various Vatican governing bodies will coordinate with the Italian government
to have solar energy become the main electricity source for Vatican City. An
“agrivoltaics system” will also be built at Santa Maria di Galeria, a Vatican
territory outside of Rome, for farming and additional solar production.
This effort will add to the 2,400 solar panels that were installed in 2008
during the Pope Benedict XVI pontificate, and follows the Vatican switching to
all-electric cars in 2023.
4 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

NATION
■ Let Rupnik’s art be,
Vatican leader says in
Atlanta
Dr. Paolo Ruffini, head of the Vatican’s
Dicastery for Communication, defended
the continued use of art by Father Mark
Rupnik during the Catholic Media Conference
in Atlanta June 21.
Ruffini was asked about his department’s
regular practice of posting Rupnik’s
art on the Vatican News website and
social media.
Opinion over how to treat Rupnik’s
distinctive mosaics, which are found at
more than 200 Catholic centers worldwide,
has been divided since sexual
abuse allegations against the priest were
made public in December 2022. Rupnik
is accused of sexually and spiritually
abusing between 20 to 40 women and is
currently under canonical investigation.
“As Christian[s], we are asked not to
judge,” Ruffini said, later adding, “There
are things we don’t understand.”
“Do you think that if I put away a photo
of an art from ... our website, I will be
more close to the victims? Do you think
so?” Ruffini asked journalists. When an
answer was given in the affirmative, Ruffini
responded, “I think you’re wrong.”
■ An ecumenical land
trade in Oklahoma
A 74-acre property in Shawnee, Oklahoma,
is returning to the Benedictine
monks of St. Gregory’s Abbey in a unique
expression of ecumenism.
Originally founded in 1875 as a high
school, St. Gregory’s University filed for
bankruptcy in 2017 and became the
Green Campus for Oklahoma Baptist
University (OBU).
Now, St. Gregory’s Abbey will receive
the property in exchange for two parcels
of farmland, the abbey announced June
7, the fruit of two years of dialogue with
OBU.
“While we are honored to have stewarded
this gift for the past several years,
we are thrilled that the historic heritage
of the Green Campus will go back to
the abbey. It is fitting and right,” OBU
president Heath Thomas said.
■ Catholic radio icon
Al Kresta dies
Al Kresta, famed Catholic radio host and
founder of Ave Maria Radio, died June 15
at the age of 72.
Raised Catholic, Kresta became an
evangelical Protestant while a student at
Michigan State University. He began his
long career in radio hosting a show for
evangelicals, but returned to his Catholic
faith in 1992 after hosting a priest on his
program.
In 1997, Kresta helped found Ave Maria
Communications, which later became a
major affiliate of EWTN. He hosted the
popular daily show “Kresta in the Afternoon,”
which was carried on hundreds Al Kresta | OSV NEWS/AVE MARIA RADIO
of radio stations nationwide.
“Aside from his goodness, his greatness as a father, husband, and friend, his
passing will be a massive loss to the Catholic cause,” Matthew Bunson, vice
president and editorial director of EWTN, said.
Kresta is survived by his wife, Sally, as well as five children and many grandchildren.
A legend gets her due — Gretchen R. Crowe, editor in chief of OSV News and president of the Catholic
Media Association (left) presented Ana Rodriguez-Soto (right), recently retired editor of the Florida Catholic’s
Miami edition, with the 2024 St. Francis de Sales Award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions to
Catholic journalism.” Rodriguez-Soto worked for 40 years as a journalist for the Archdiocese of Miami’s English
and Spanish news publications. “I’m just so grateful that I was able to have a job that wasn’t a job, that was
really kind of the love of my life — family aside,” she said in her acceptance speech. | OSV NEWS/BOB ROLLER
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 5

LOCAL
■ Relics of Vietnam
martyrs hosted at Santa Fe
Springs parish
More than 20 bone relics from the
Holy Martyrs of Vietnam were on display
at St. Pius X Church in Santa Fe
Springs during Masses the weekend of
June 22-23.
St. Pius X’s pastor, Father Artur
Gruszka, spoke about the significance
of the martyrs during each of the
Masses, while the local Knights of
Columbus guarded the relics.
The 117 Martyrs of Vietnam
represent the estimated hundreds of
thousands of people killed during
intense religious persecution in that
country in the early to mid-1800s.
The 117 were mostly Vietnamese, but
also included French and Spanish
missionaries. St. Pope John Paul II
canonized all 117 in 1988.
■ Volunteers spend Father’s Day
at Mexicali migrant shelter
Members of the SoCal Immigration Task Force — which includes the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles — traveled to Border Compassion’s migrant
shelter in Mexicali, Mexico, for its annual Father’s Day event on June
22.
Volunteers brought donations for the men, including clothes, shoes,
and toiletries, while each father was gifted a new wallet and cash. The
day was spent praying with the fathers and playing interactive activities
with the families.
Border Compassion is a nonprofit, faith-based organization that addresses
the needs of
asylum seekers
who have
migrated to
Mexicali. The
shelter houses
up to 300 people.
This is the
third year the
task force has
partnered with
Border Compassion
for this
mission trip.
To learn
more about
A parish’s Juneteenth connection — Catholics from around the archdiocese celebrated a special Juneteenth
Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Wilmington on June 19. During the Mass, pastor Father Claude Williams,
O.Praem., pointed out that the parish was first built in 1865 by Union soldiers just months after the original
Juneteenth. Later this year, Sts. Peter and Paul will host a regional Black Catholic Congress Nov. 22-23. | DIEGO
ORTIZ
Ortencia Ramirez, Carlos May, Border Compassion founder Sister Suzanne
Jabro, CSJ, and the Archdiocese of LA’s Director of Immigration and Public Affairs
Isaac Cuevas, smile at the Father’s Day event in Mexicali. | ISAAC CUEVAS
the shelter, visit
border-compassion.org.
■ 103-yearold
sister
honored for
85 years of
service
Sister Arlene
Welding
A 103-year-old
religious sister
who previously
served in the
Archdiocese of
Los Angeles is
celebrating 85
years of service.
School Sister
of St. Francis
Arlene Welding served in the LA Archdiocese as
a campus minister at the Newman Center in Los
Angeles from 1979 to 1982, and then as director
of operations at Caring Hands from 1982 to
1985. She is now retired and lives in Greenfield,
Wisconsin.
Welding was born in Oakdale, Nebraska, and
received a bachelor’s degree from Alverno College
in Wisconsin, and a master’s degree from
the University of San Francisco.
Cards and donations can be mailed to the
sister’s attention, c/o Jubilee Committee, School
Sisters of St. Francis, 1545 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee,
WI 53215.
Y
6 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

V
IN OTHER WORDS...
Letters to the Editor
Women with true authority
I enjoyed Elise Italiano Ureneck’s contribution to the June 28 issue
“Answering the True Call” because it did two things: remind readers of
the impossibility of women’s ordination (recently confirmed by Pope Francis) and
lift up the stories of some incredible Catholic women.
On the second point, it’s important that the examples she cites from Bronwen
McShea’s “Women of the Church” book were women who did things for the
Church that men couldn’t, and commanded more spiritual authority and respect
than the most of the ordained ministers of their time (priests, bishops, and popes
included). None of them fell into the trap of thinking that joining the clergy
would make them more effective in their mission.
The history of the Church is rich with reminders that advocates of female ordination
should be careful what they wish for.
— Maria Barba, San Antonio, Texas
Correction
Junipero Serra High in Gardena is a co-ed Catholic school. On Page 12 of the
June 28 issue of Angelus, the school was incorrectly stated as an all-boys campus.
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.
Turning to him ‘with all your heart’
“People tell me I’m crying
over someone I never met
before.”
~ Thomas Kearns, who lost his preborn daughter
to an abortion, in a June 25 Catholic News Agency
article on him speaking at a Celebrate Life Rally.
“You’re only as sick as your
secrets.”
~ Father Paul Hoesing, rector of Kenrick-Glennon
Seminary in St. Louis, in a June 24 America article
on the changing face of seminary formation.
“These are the people who
believed that God would
make a way out of no way.”
~ Linda Gray, in a June 26 National Catholic
Reporter article on a Washington, D.C. Catholic
Church asking forgiveness for its racist past.
“When you live in a dorm,
there is almost always
someone in their room
who can keep an eye on
a monitor or listen for any
crying babies.”
~ Katie Chihoski, recent graduate from University
of Mary in North Dakota, in a June 23 Aleteia article
on her being the first graduate of a special program
for student moms.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles helped produce this month’s “Pope Video” for Pope Francis’ prayer intention for
July, which focused on the pastoral care of the sick and the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. Watch the video at
thepopevideo.org. | ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES
“She typifies the Palm
Springs attitude. Very
carefree.”
~ Greg Robertson, a real estate agent in Palm
Springs, in a June 18 Slate article on the controversy
over a 26-foot Marilyn Monroe statue.
To view this video
and others, visit
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.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 7

IN EXILE
FATHER RONALD ROLHEISER, OMI
Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father
Ronald Rolheiser is a spiritual
writer; ronrolheiser.com
What has been given you to carry?
What has been given you to carry?
Where do the needs and
pains of others conscript your
freedom? When is freedom mitigated
by circumstance? What are the situations
that you are born into or meet in
life to which you must respond, perhaps
even at the cost of your life? What may
you not walk away from?
These are important questions, not
easy to answer. But they are key questions
vis-a-vis discerning one’s vocation:
what is that special task to which each
of us is asked to give over our lives?
Each of us comes into this world
with a God-given vocation. In essence,
that’s easy enough to pinpoint. Simply
put, we are all asked to love God and
love one another. That’s the same for
everyone. However, beyond that bald
essence, it’s no longer the same for
everyone because we are all born into
and meet different circumstances in
life.
We are born into different families,
different countries, different times in
history, different cultures, different situations
of poverty, or affluence, different
faiths, different kinds of intelligence,
different natural aptitudes, and different
physical bodies that vary greatly in
terms of health, strength, and physical
attractiveness. Philosophers call this
your “existential” situation. In that, in
that particularity, like snowflakes, no
two persons are ever the same. And
that uniqueness will color and perhaps
fundamentally define your vocation
and help dictate what will be given you
to carry.
Here’s what’s at stake. We are all born
free, yes, but many things both conscript
and constrict our freedom.
Let me illustrate with a personal example.
I was born the twelfth child in a
large family. My parents, first-generation
immigrant farmers who during many
years of marriage and child-rearing,
were unable to fully support our family
from the farm alone. We needed some
added income. Also, our outback rural
community had only an elementary
school, and any education beyond the
eighth grade required leaving home to
attend a boarding school, something my
parents could not afford.
Because of that, five of my older
siblings had to end their education after
elementary school, not because they
wanted to or because they lacked the
desire or intelligence for higher education,
but rather because our financial
need and the absence of a local high
school necessitated that they leave
school and take jobs to help support the
family.
For all of them, particularly for a couple
of them, this was a hard sacrifice.
Everything in them hungered for more
freedom and choice; but, given their
circumstances, this was what they were
given to carry. And that sacrifice, that
giving over of themselves for something
beyond themselves, very much defined
their vocation and their very persons.
A large part of their vocation was to
sacrifice many of their own dreams and
ambitions for the sake of the family.
Among other factors, my own opportunity
for an education was largely
predicated on their sacrifice.
However, in this, they are not exceptional.
Their sacrifice is mirrored in the
lives of millions of men and women all
over the world: immigrants who need
to sacrifice their own ambitions in order
to work in the fields or take menial jobs
to support their families; young women
and men from developing countries
who have to leave their families and go
abroad to earn money to send back to
their families; millions of young people
who cannot attend university because
of cost; countless women and men
who need to sacrifice whole seasons of
their lives to take care of an ill or aging
parent; and billions of women who have
to sacrifice career to raise children. This
is what has been given them to carry —
and their sacrifice helps constitute the
heart of their vocation.
Beyond these things which can
conscript our freedom and radically
dictate our vocation, there are still
other things which either constrict or
open our freedom and so help dictate
our vocation: having robust physical
and mental health as opposed to being
physically or mentally fragile; having
an athlete’s body as opposed to having a
physical disability; being an alpha male
or a homecoming queen as opposed
to being the one who is bullied and
shunned; being temperamentally
aggressive as opposed to being temperamentally
gentle and accommodating; or
being the one who comes from privilege
as opposed to being the one who comes
from a background without privilege.
Each of these not only helps dictate
your vocation, but each also helps to
specially equip you for your vocation. If
you are on the fragile and wounded side
of the equation, your seeming human
shortcomings can give you special
powers to be a healer for others. Being
wounded, you have special powers to
become a wounded healer.
Conversely, if you are on the privileged
side of the equation, that privilege also
dictates your vocation and your special
gift, namely, you are now the one to
whom much is given and consequently
from whom much is expected.
What has been given you to carry?
8 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

Purgatory and the poet
“Dante Alighieri with
Florence and the Realms
of the Divine Comedy
(hell, purgatory, paradise),”
by Domenico di
Michelino, 1417-1491,
Italian. | WIKIMEDIA
COMMONS
Did Dante invent the afterlife? Or just describe it?
BY MIKE AQUILINA
He spoke as a patriot, proud of his
countryman, and in his enthusiasm
Riccardo Bruscagli made
bold claims.
“The realm of Purgatory is really
Dante’s invention — from a theological,
moral, psychological, and even topographical
point of view … Purgatory
really was not a very well defined place
before Dante got his hands on it.”
Bruscagli is emeritus professor of
literature at the University of Florence,
and he was speaking on camera in
a four-hour documentary recently
broadcast on PBS: “DANTE: Inferno to
Paradise.”
Given time to draft a statement, he
might have qualified or modified his
claims. But the cameras were rolling,
and Dante is a poet whose singularity
invites exaggeration. Professor Bruscagli
eagerly accepted the invitation.
His claim is forgivable, but historically
false, and since it touches upon Christian
doctrine — and was broadcast
widely — it merits attention and the
correction the professor himself might
10 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

apply in a recollected moment.
• • •
Purgatory has always been part of
biblical religion. Even before the rise
of Christianity, it was implicit in the
sacred texts and practices of the Jews.
Scholars identify purgatory with
Sheol, the abode of the dead, which is
mentioned more than 60 times in the
Old Testament. Sheol is clearly not
hell. It is populated by Israel’s heroes
as well as its questionable characters.
Job asks to be sent there for “a set
time” until God’s “wrath be past” (Job
14:13). It is possible to be sent to Sheol
“in sorrow” (Genesis 44:29). It is also
possible to “go down to Sheol in peace”
(1 Kings 2:6).
In Scripture, Sheol is imagined
vaguely as a place underground, where
disembodied souls persist as “shades”
(Isaiah 14:9).
The condition of the dead in Sheol
can be improved by the sacrificial
prayers of the living. In the Second
Book of Maccabees, written around
a hundred years before the time of
Christ, the general Judas Maccabeus
learns after battle that some of the
Jewish casualties had been found with
superstitious amulets.
Intending to remedy the sin, he “took
up a collection” from his living soldiers
and “sent it to Jerusalem to provide for
a sin offering.”
The chronicler of the battle then adds
Text of El Malei
Rachamim (“Merciful
God”) on a tombstone at
Powązki Jewish cemetery
in Warsaw, Poland. |
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
a personal judgment: “In doing this he
acted very well and honorably, taking
account of the resurrection. For if he
were not expecting that those who had
fallen would rise again, it would have
been superfluous and foolish to pray
for the dead. But if he was looking to
the splendid reward that is laid up for
those who fall asleep in godliness, it was
a holy and pious thought. Therefore he
made atonement for the dead, that they
might be delivered from their sin” (2
Maccabees 12:43–45).
The Jewish practice of praying for the
dead has endured through history and
continues today in prayers such as El
Malei Rachamim (Hebrew for “Merciful
God”), which begs mercy for the
departed soul and a “resting place … in
the Garden of Eden.”
• • •
With the New Testament the fate
of the dead becomes clearer. Sheol
is shown to be an intermediate state
between bodily life on earth and eternal
life in heaven. It is temporary, for judgment
and purification.
The Book of Revelation makes clear
that “nothing unclean shall enter”
heaven (21:27). Yet we know from St.
Paul that “all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
How, then, will those who have sinned
get through the gates?
Paul describes the process by which
the souls of the dead are prepared for
heaven. “Each man’s work will become
manifest; for the Day will disclose it,
because it will be revealed with fire,
and the fire will test what sort of work
each one has done. If the work which
any man has built on the foundation
survives, he will receive a reward. If any
man’s work is burned up, he will suffer
loss, though he himself will be saved,
but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians
3:13–15).
So there is a purification after death.
Fire is the best metaphor Paul can find
for the operation. It burns up what is
useless and proves and preserves what is
everlasting.
Jesus speaks of a forgiveness God
extends “in the age to come” (Matthew
12:32), and Paul explains how God
does it.
The devotional life of the early
Church reflects this belief. Many of the
Fathers refer to prayers for the dead and
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 11

Altar artwork depicting purgatory in Iglesia
de la Concepción, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. |
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Masses for the dead. Tertullian, a North
African Christian who lived in the late
100s, said it is the duty of every widow
to pray for her deceased husband.
“Indeed, she prays for his soul, and requests
refreshment for him … and she
offers her sacrifice on the anniversaries
of his falling asleep.”
The doctrine continues in the writings
of St. Perpetua, St. Cyprian, St. Clement
of Alexandria, Origen, St. Ambrose,
and especially St. Augustine, who
observed that “this usage is clear of the
whole Church … that in the prayers of
the priest which are offered to the Lord
God at his altar, the commendation of
the dead has also its place.”
In the Roman catacombs, ancient
graffiti, and inscriptions beg prayers
on behalf of the dead: “If any of the
brethren reads this, let him ask that this
holy and innocent soul may be received
by God.”
St. Pope Gregory the Great, at the end
of the sixth century, applied the word
“purgatory” to the state of final purification
after death and before entrance
into heaven.
Like the word “Trinity,” it does not
appear in the Bible, but it is implicit
in both the Old Testament and the
New and confirmed by the beliefs and
practices of the early Church.
Gradually, the Church makes explicit
what is implicit in Sacred Scripture.
This is called the development of doctrine,
and it was practiced by Christians
from the beginning.
No, Dante did not invent purgatory
in the 14th century. He did something
better. In this matter as in many others,
he gave deeply memorable imaginative
expression to the constant doctrine of
the Church.
Mike Aquilina is a contributing editor
to Angelus News and the author of
many books, including “The Fathers
of the Church” (Our Sunday Visitor,
$18.95).
What do Catholics believe about purgatory?
Poets and mystics have left us vivid
and detailed descriptions of purgatory,
but these are metaphorical.
Since purgatory is a spiritual state,
it can only be described by analogy
with temporal, tangible things. The
Church’s official doctrine on the matter,
expressed in the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, is fairly minimal.
— All sins, even “smaller” sins, manifest
an unhealthy preference of created
things over God. Thus they must be
purified either on earth or after death
in purgatory (Catechism, 1472).
— The suffering in purgatory is
entirely different from the punishment
of the damned (Catechism, 1031).
— The punishment of purgatory is
not a kind of vengeance inflicted by
God. It is a consequence following
from the very nature of sin (Catechism,
1472).
— Purgatory is “a state of final purification
after death and before entrance
into heaven for those who died in
God’s friendship, but were only imperfectly
purified.” It’s “a final cleansing
of human imperfection before one is
able to enter the joy of heaven” (Catechism,
glossary).
— Through indulgences the faithful
can obtain the remission of temporal
punishment resulting from sin for
themselves and also for the souls in
purgatory (Catechism, 1498).
— We on earth share one Church
with the souls in purgatory and the
saints in heaven. We are joined by “a
perennial link of charity.” Thus we can
share the burdens of those who are
being purified (Catechism, 1475).
— Mike Aquilina
12 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

2024 Catholic Media Awards
Angelus was honored with a total of 22 awards from the
Catholic Media Association for work published in 2023.
FIRST PLACE
Best Writing — In-Depth
“Searching for ‘Saint’ Charlene” by Rafael Alvarez
Best Newsletter
Always Forward
Best Regular Column — Art, Leisure, Culture, and Food
“Desire Lines” by Heather King
Best Regular Column — General Commentary
“Intersections” by Greg Erlandson
SECOND PLACE
Best Guest Column/Commentary
“The Currency of the Heart” by Jennifer Hubbard
Best Regular Column — Family Life
“With Grace” by Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie
Best Essay — Diocesan Magazine
“The Benedict Generation” by Elise Italiano Ureneck
Best Original Poetry
“From guilt to grace” by Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie
Best Writing — Analysis
“A mystery mission” by John L. Allen Jr.
THIRD PLACE
Best Essay — Diocesan Magazine
“Here come the ‘Tradwives’ ” by Elise Italiano Ureneck
Best Reporting on Catholic Education
“Small school, big difference” by Ann Rodgers
Best Review
“A self-conscious quest” (Review of “Barbie”) by Joseph Joyce
HONORABLE MENTION
Editor of the Year
Pablo Kay
Best Reporting of the Celebration of a Sacrament
“The Eucharist: When God gets close” by Mike Aquilina
Best Magazine
Angelus
Best Cover — Color
“The genius of St. Thérèse” by Jacob Popcak
Best Coverage — Disaster or Crisis
“Mourning a peacemaker” by Pablo Kay; “Asking for
answers” by Tom Hoffarth; “Signs to carry on” by Ann
Rodgers
Best Essay — Diocesan Magazine
“St. Thérèse of Lisieux: A giant for the small ones” by
Father Peter Cameron, OP
Best Interview
“A shepherd at the end of the world” by Pablo Kay
Best Reporting on Vocations
“Saying Goodbye to ‘Uncle Dave’ ” by Pablo Kay
Best Review
“A messy machine story” (Review of “Mrs. Davis”) by Amy
Welborn
Best Directory
Archdiocese of Los Angeles Catholic Directory (2023-2024)
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 13

Kathleen Anderson
sits inside St. Cornelius
Church in Long Beach,
where she is a longtime
parishioner.
HEART
TO
HEART
A Long Beach woman
needed a replacement
heart for years, but
it took more than a
transplant to heal her.
STORY BY THERESA CISNEROS /
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ISABEL CACHO
For 70 years, Kathleen Anderson’s
congenital heart disease had
eroded her health and brought
her to her knees in prayer.
As she finally prepared to undergo
a heart transplant, she paused to pray
and hoped to find healing and respite
when she emerged from surgery.
Although she awoke with a healthy
new heart in her chest, the ordeal triggered
a monthslong spiritual battle in
her that caused her to cry out to God.
Today, Anderson says that God has
physically — and spiritually — healed
her heart and says that her Catholic
faith, her commitment to prayer, and
the support of others helped her to
persevere.
“My advice to those who are suffering
is to never give up hope and to
turn to Jesus, because he will give
you the peace that you need,” said
Anderson, a longtime parishioner of
St. Cornelius Church in Long Beach.
Anderson was born into a devout
Catholic family and prayed the rosary
every night with her parents, asking
God to heal her heart. She went on to
get married and have three children,
even after doctors weren’t sure she
could have kids because of her illness.
With time, Anderson’s condition
worsened. She had her first heart surgery
at 52, and underwent additional
procedures in the following years.
Ultimately, doctors placed her on
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s heart
transplant list but warned her that it
could take years for her to get a new
heart. Having a heart transplant is also
still fairly rare — 4,545 in the U.S. in
2023, according to tracking data —
despite it being well known.
“I had faith,” she said. “I prayed. I
said ‘thy will be done.’ ”
But that faith was tested with several
letdowns. Twice, Anderson was called
into the hospital to receive heart
transplants but was turned down at the
last minute.
She was later told she was being
removed from the transplant list as
the COVID-19 pandemic began to
unfold. She wasn’t sure when — or
14 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

if — she’d be put back on the list,
but again clung to prayer and tried to
accept God’s will.
In November 2020, she was called
in for a heart transplant for the third
time but didn’t think it would actually
happen.
“I was wheeled into the operating
room and this time the doctor was all
suited up,” she said. “He looked at me
and he said, ‘Are you ready for battle?’
And I knew that it was time.”
When Anderson awoke from surgery,
she quickly realized that her battle
would be more spiritual than physical
— something that she did not expect.
She found that her new heartbeat felt
“different.” She feared her body might
reject her new heart. And she didn’t
feel the “euphoria” that she thought
she should feel.
“I wanted to feel the happiness because
I could see that everyone was so
happy for me,” she said. “Instead I felt
fear, confusion. Almost not knowing
how to feel. Almost not feeling at all.”
Anderson returned home to a strong
support system and supportive church
community, but still couldn’t shake
her feelings.
It took several months for her to
rebound, but she remained steadfast
in prayer and looked to the lives of the
saints for inspiration and guidance.
“Little by little, I felt Jesus and I
felt God helping me through all the
prayers, through all the support,” she
said. “And I started to feel that lifting.
And I started to feel the joy.”
As the first anniversary of her heart
transplant neared, she felt invigorated
and grateful.
She planned a big party at a park
near her house to thank her supporters
for their support, love, and prayers.
COVID restrictions were starting to
lift and she wanted to see everyone in
person.
“I didn’t want to just send notes,” she
said. “I wanted to feel them, I wanted
to touch them. I wanted to really let
them know that I was here.”
Today, Anderson is 74 and has been
married for 48 years. She is a grandmother
of seven and has been active
at her parish for more than 20 years.
She’s also struck up a friendship with
her heart donor’s husband and two
daughters. She visited them a few years
ago in San Diego, where they spent
several hours telling Anderson about
their beloved wife and mother and
sharing family photo albums with her.
“I now hold two hearts within me: one physical,
and one spiritual, sharing in the wonders of God’s
glorious works.”
“It was a good meeting,” she said.
“To this day, we still keep in contact.”
These days, Anderson is focused on
teaching her grandchildren how to
turn to God in good times and in bad.
She’s also intent on sharing her story
with others as a way to spread hope
and healing.
“My purpose is to reach out and to
let people know what God did for me,
what Jesus did for me, what people did
for me,” she said.
Those who know Anderson said she’s
happy with life and goes the extra
mile to help bring others to Christ.
“It was such a bittersweet moment,”
said Anderson’s daughter, Jaclyn
Padgett, who also attends St. Cornelius.
“Somebody lost their life to
give a life and she’s held that very near
and dear to her heart.
“She’s just got a sense of wonder and
amazement about this gift. I think she
truly feels like it’s such a gift for her
to be able to continue living and to
continue serving.”
Msgr. Jarlath Cunnane — known as
“Fr. Jay” — pastor at St. Cornelius,
described Anderson as a dedicated
parishioner who is involved in various
groups and often speaks about her
transplant and faith journey during
parish retreats.
“I think her testimonies are always
very impactful because of the depth
of her sharing and the faith involved,”
he said.
Looking toward the future, Anderson
said she’s trying to live in the moment,
and not worry about what tomorrow
may bring.
As always, she remains consistent in
her willingness to follow God’s plan.
“I now hold two hearts within me,”
she said, “one physical, and one
spiritual, sharing in the wonders of
God’s glorious works. And I thank
God every day.”
Theresa Cisneros is a freelance journalist
with 24 years of experience in
the news industry. She is a fourth-generation
Southern California resident
and lives in Orange County with her
husband and four children.
Kathleen Anderson holds a photo of the woman
whose heart was donated and transplanted into her.
Anderson still keeps in contact with the woman’s
family.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 15

LA Archdiocese
parish leadership
assignments
for 2024
Archbishop José H. Gomez has approved the following
priests to be appointed pastors, effective July 1.
Our Lady of the Angels Region:
Fr. Augustine Chang, St. Teresa of Avila Church,
Los Angeles*
Fr. Alexis Ibarra, St. John Chrysostom Church, Inglewood
San Fernando Region:
Fr. Brian Chung, Holy Trinity Church, Los Angeles
(Atwater)*
Fr. Jeejo Vazhappilly, St. Bridget of Sweden Church,
Lake Balboa
Fr. Marlon Mateo, St. Clare of Assisi Church,
Santa Clarita
San Gabriel Region:
Fr. Ricardo Viveros, Holy Family Church,
South Pasadena*
Fr. Enrique Huerta, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
(Hammel), Los Angeles*
Fr. Juanbosco Jimenez, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
(Rosehill), Los Angeles*
Fr. Cesar Magallon, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Chursh,
Rowland Heights*
Fr. Richard Sunwoo, St. Louise de Marillac Church,
Covina*
Fr. Spencer Lewerenz, St. Anthony Church, San Gabriel
San Pedro Region:
Fr. David Loftus, Our Lady of Refuge Church, Long Beach*
Fr. Matthew Murphy, Redondo Beach Church, St. James*
Fr. Chan Lee, St. Paul of the Cross Church, La Mirada
The following priests will be appointed or reappointed
administrators:
Our Lady of the Angels Region:
Fr. Paul Sustayta, Blessed Sacrament Church, Los Angeles
Fr. Justin Oh, Christ the King Church, Los Angeles
Fr. Jose Pimentel, MCCJ, Mother of Sorrows Church,
Los Angeles*
Msgr. Charles Chaffman, Our Lady of Malibu Church,
Malibu
Fr. Matthew Wheeler, Our Savior Church, Los Angeles
Fr. Chidi Epkendu, St. Francis of Assisi Church,
Los Angeles*
Fr. Christopher Felix, St. Frances X. Cabrini Church,
Los Angeles*
Fr. Francisco Jin, St. Gregory Nazianzen Church,
Los Angeles*
Fr. Paul Francis Kim, Visitation Church, Los Angeles
Fr. Roberto Rueda, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church,
Los Angeles
Fr. Tomas Karanauskas, St. Casimir Church, Los Angeles
Fr. Michael Joseph Wu, O.Carm, St. Clement Church,
Santa Monica
Fr. Doan Tien Hoang, SJ, St. Francis Xavier Church,
Los Angeles
Fr. Miguel Acevedo, St. Paul Church, Los Angeles
16 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

Fr. Prosper A. Hedagbui, Transfiguration Church,
Los Angeles
Santa Barbara Region:
Fr. Jose Maria Ortiz, La Purísima Concepción Church,
Lompoc*
Fr. John J. O’Brien, Our Lady of Sorrows, Santa Barbara
Church*
St. Francis of Assisi Church, Fillmore, will be entrusted to
the Rogationist Fathers, with a pastor to be named later.
San Fernando Pastoral Region:
Fr. Luis Estrada, Guardian Angel Church, Pacoima
Fr. Danilo Guinto, St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church, Encino
San Gabriel Pastoral Region:
Fr. Miguel Angel Ruiz, Our Lady of the Rosary of Talpa
Church, Los Angeles
Fr. Alexander Hernandez, C.Ss.R., Our Lady of Victory
Church, Los Angeles
Fr. Miguel Menjivar, St. Joseph Church, La Puente
San Pedro Region:
Fr. Diego Cabrera, SSC, St. Hilary Church, Pico Rivera
Fr. Raymont Medina, St. Mary of the Assumption Church,
Whittier*
Fr. Daniel Garcia, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church,
Downey
Fr. Oscar Martinez Gutierrez, St. Rose of Lima Church,
Maywood
Special Ministry:
Fr. Sang Man Han, The 103 Saints Korean Catholic
Center, Torrance
*Denotes parishes that were on the Open Pastorate listing
this term.
Let us pray for the above-mentioned clergy who have been
called to serve in leadership in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 17

Hundreds of parishioners walked with the Blessed
Sacrament during a six-mile Eucharistic procession,
led by Archbishop José H. Gomez, on March 25.
The local event was planned as part of the National
Eucharistic Revival. | VICTOR ALEMÁN
A PATH
FORWARD
LA pilgrims headed to the National
Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis
are excited for what lies ahead.
BY MIKE CISNEROS
Levi León considers the Eucharist
the reason he became a Catholic
in the first place.
He grew up Protestant, but as a student
at Whittier College, he remarked
to a Catholic classmate that the Eucharist
seemed to mean a lot.
“She responded, ‘Maybe one day
you’ll experience it as well,’ ” León said.
That led him down a path of faith
discovery that made him realize that
Catholicism was the true way.
“I fell in love with Jesus in the Eucharist,”
said León, today a parishioner at
St. Mary of the Assumption Church in
Whittier, and a member of its Eucharistic
Revival committee.
León will be among the hundreds of
LA-area priests, religious sisters, and
parishioners from the archdiocese
traveling to Indianapolis for the 2024
Eucharistic Congress taking place July
17-21, which organizers expect will
draw more than 40,000 pilgrims. There
hasn’t been a national Eucharistic
Congress in 83 years, the last one being
in Minneapolis-St. Paul in 1941 a few
months before the Pearl Harbor attack
and the U.S. entering World War II.
Indianapolis is also the final destination
for the four national pilgrimage
routes established as part of the event.
Since mid-May, pilgrims have participated
in Eucharistic processions along
the routes, which began in Texas, Connecticut,
Minnesota, and California
and are all scheduled to reach Indiana
the week of the big event.
The congress itself will feature exhibits,
special liturgies, and sessions led
by Catholic speakers including Father
Mike Schmitz, Bishop Robert Barron,
and “Chosen” actor Jonathan Roumie.
“Revival sessions” will end each day
at Lucas Oil Stadium, which seats up
to 70,000, while other experiences
will take place at the nearby Indiana
Convention Center. The event will also
feature a two-mile Eucharistic procession
through the streets of downtown
Indianapolis.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has
organized a special Mass for local
pilgrims at the Saints Peter & Paul
Cathedral in downtown Indianapolis
with Archbishop José H. Gomez.
The archbishop will also be leading a
Spanish-language Mass at Lucas Oil
Stadium July 20.
18 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

Vice Chancellor and Senior Director
of Ministerial Services for the archdiocese,
Father Parker Sandoval, said
expectations for what the congress can
do for participants — and the country
— are high.
“Revival is something only the Holy
Spirit can do,” Sandoval said. “Only
God can bring the dead to life, which
is what revival literally means. … Jesus
wants so much more for his Church
here. If we can tap into that more
through our participation at that event
and be instruments of the Spirit when
we return, there’s the reason we’re
going.”
Like many other parishes, the threeyear
Eucharistic Revival that the U.S.
bishops launched in 2022 has helped
spark a passion at St. Barnabas Church
in Long Beach to know Jesus more
intimately, said Father Antony Gaspar,
the church’s pastor who’s leading a
contingent clad in customized T-shirts
to Indianapolis.
St. Barnabas has initiated several activities
both grand (Eucharistic processions
and adoration) and unique (giving
free copies of Bishop Barron’s book on
the Eucharist during Christmas).
“For me personally it’s important in
the lives of the parishioners that the
more they connect to the Eucharist, the
more joyful they will be and the more
they will participate here in the parish,”
Gaspar said.
“We’re trying to get our parishioners
more activated, inviting people back
and being more evangelistic in their
faith,” said Brian Sapsky, who’s St.
Barnabas’ point person for the Eucharistic
Revival. “That’s the important part
is trying to get our parishioners back
and believe in the body, blood, soul
and divinity of the Eucharist.”
The same can be said for St.
Mary of the Assumption Church
in Whittier, where things like
Eucharistic processions have been
having an impact, said its pastor,
Father Raymont Medina.
“People nowadays think when
they see a bunch of people walking
down the streets they must be
protesting,” said Medina, who’s
traveling to Indiana with a group
from his parish. “No, we’re just
sharing the love of Christ.
“They’ll ask what are you guys
doing? What’s this all about? And
there will be people who say, ‘You
know what? I need to go back to
church. I need to go back to Jesus.’ ”
The archdiocese’s Director of Vocations,
Father Peter Saucedo, will
be leading a group of more than
20 men — a couple of priests,
seminarians, and those who are
discerning — on a road trip to
Indianapolis starting July 13.
Along the way, they’ll stop at
some sites based on historical figures
they’ve been learning about,
including Bishop Jean-Baptiste
Lamy and Blessed Father Stanley
Rother.
“We thought it would be a good
way for the guys to grow in fraternity,
in community,” Saucedo said.
“Having a familial aspect of the trip and
then adding a spiritual dimension to the
Eucharistic Congress. We’re kind of on
a journey.”
Whatever happens at the Eucharistic
Congress, many of those attending
hoped to see the fruits of their experience
going forward, especially as the
Eucharistic Revival enters its Year of
Parishioners from Our Lady of Grace Church created
an alfombra (carpet) dedicated to the Eucharistic
Revival. | SISTER SOPHIA FARKAS, SDSH
Mission where Catholics are invited
to share their Eucharistic zeal with the
world.
“Be open to the beautiful surprises
God has planned,” Sandoval said.
“This is not an ordinary trip. Not even
a vacation. This is a pilgrimage — or
a vacation, if you will, with the Lord.
… When you put that many people
together for a onetime event, there’s
bound to be hiccups, but bound to be
even more blessings.”
Mike Cisneros is the associate editor of
Angelus.
Parishioners from St. Barnabas, St. Lucy, St. Cyprian, and
St. Cornelius churches gathered for a showing of the
film “Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist” at Regal
Edwards theater in Long Beach on June 4. | IMAGE VIA
FACEBOOK @STBARNABASLB
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 19

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò,
then-apostolic nuncio to the United
States, during the departure of Pope
Francis from Philadelphia International
Airport following the pope’s
apostolic visit to the U.S. in 2015. |
CNS/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ
He’s not
with us
The schism charges
against Archbishop
Carlo Maria Viganò
are a reminder that
criticism of Pope
Francis comes in
different colors.
BY JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
ROME — When news broke
last month that the Vatican, at
long last, had formally charged
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò with
schism, the exultation on the Catholic
left was entirely predictable. What has
been perhaps slightly more surprising
has been the public support the move
has drawn on the Catholic right.
Here in Italy, the country’s most
prominent political fixer, and a man
long linked to conservative parties and
politicians, and perhaps the country’s
most influential conservative newspaper,
came out June 21 backing the
schism charge, and in both cases the
reaction could best be summed up as
“it’s about d*** time.”
Consultant Luigi Bisignani, a onetime
confidante of the late Italian
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, characterized
Viganò with open contempt
— among other things, calling him
a “ferocious family bureaucrat” and
suggesting his anti-Francis campaign
may be at least as much about money
as principle.
Meanwhile, an unsigned editorial in
the newspaper Il Foglio was even more
caustic, complimenting the pope for
taking action and saying the Catholic
Church is too serious a thing to
tolerate the sort of “trash” propagated
by Viganò.
To be clear, this is not the first time
mainstream conservatives have attempted
to distinguish themselves from
the former papal envoy to the U.S. Two
years ago, for example, after Viganò
issued a statement on the Ukraine war
largely echoing Russian propaganda,
George Weigel publicly wrote that
Viganò had “written the obituary for
what remained of his once-considerable
religious and moral authority.”
The fact that conservatives apparently
are so eager to toss Viganò under the
bus again now, however, underlines a
20 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

highly counterintuitive truth: There’s
an ironic sense in which for the last six
years, Viganò has been Francis’ best
friend.
From the beginning, mainstream
conservative reaction to Francis can
perhaps best be described as a mixed
bag. They don’t question the legitimacy
of his election or his rightful authority
as pope, they don’t believe he’s a
freemason, a communist or a heretic,
and they don’t want him deposed.
For the record, most also don’t
regard either the coronavirus or global
warming as hoaxes, they don’t defend
Vladimir Putin, and they don’t regard
Davos as a satanic cabal.
Mainstream conservatives generally
applaud some aspects of Francis’
papacy, while harboring reservations
about others. Some may wish the
pontiff was a bit more cautious in his
public statements. For instance, some
may regard his pastoral openness to the
LGBT community and other groups
as potentially misleading, while still
others may wonder about his hostility
to the Latin Mass.
Recently, many of those mainstream
conservatives were disappointed in
Fiducia Supplicans, the document of
the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the
Faith approving blessings for persons in
same-sex relationships.
None of this, for the record, amounts
to a rejection of Francis’ magisterium
tout court (plain and simple), and it
all falls into the realm of noninfallible
prudential papal judgments, about
which it’s perfectly possible for Catholics
of good faith and genuine obedience
to have different views.
However, as a matter of politics rather
than strict logic, it’s often been difficult
for many conservatives to voice such
objections for fear of being lumped in
with Viganò and the extremist crowd
which provides his natural base of
support.
Among Francis’ most ardent cheerleaders,
implying a link with Viganò,
has become a preferred rhetorical
trope for dismissing, or minimizing,
criticism of the pontiff.
In the wake of the recent decree, for
example, some commentators have
made a point of reminding the world
that a number of American bishops
One of Pope Francis’ most outspoken critics in the Catholic hierarchy, Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of
Astana, Kazakhstan, said that while Archbishop Viganò has been “irreverent and disrespectful” of the pope, he should
think twice about excommunicating him. “I think that today the Church has so much internal division that it would be
imprudent, even if there is some canonical ground to judge Archbishop Viganò,” he told Religion News Service June 24.
| CNS/COURTESY DOMINIC CASSELLA, THOMAS MORE COLLEGE
said back in 2018 that Viganò’s initial
accusations regarding the Theodore
McCarrick case deserved to be taken
seriously — as if it were possible back
then for an American bishop to dismiss
any abuse allegation outright, not to
mention to anticipate what Viganò
might later become.
With every subsequent step into the
mad hatter world of conspiracy theories,
and alleged globalist plots, Viganò
has not only discredited himself, but,
under the heading of guilt by association,
anyone else who might have
something critical to say.
Now, however, the Vatican’s action
provides those mainstream conservatives
with a natural opportunity to cut
Viganò loose, trying as much as possible
to put distance between themselves
and the orbit into which the former
papal envoy to the U.S. has drifted.
Assuming that a formal decree
of schism is issued, in effect it will
provide the mainstream right with a
clear dividing line to which they can
point: He’s been convicted of schism,
we haven’t.
Il Foglio’s reaction in this regard was
perhaps the most acerbic.
“Mercy and human patience are all
well and good, but in the end there’s a
limit,” the editorial said. “The church
is too serious a thing to allow the diffusion,
almost the metastasis, of trash
inside herself.”
Once upon a time, another public
figure who saw enemies everywhere,
Richard Nixon, publicly vowed that
“you won’t have Nixon to kick around
anymore.” Of course, that wasn’t true
— Nixon made the remark after losing
the 1962 California governor’s race,
but came back to win the presidency
and, frankly, to get kicked around more
than he could have possibly imagined,
most of it his own fault.
In a different key, much the same
thing may turn out to be true of
Viganò. He may well outlive a Vatican
condemnation, even using it to propel
himself to a new level of celebrity in
certain circles as a martyr.
If so — if, in fact, we will still have
Viganò to kick around for a while
— among those most pleased, oddly
enough, might just be Francis himself.
John L. Allen Jr. is the editor of Crux.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 21

22 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 23

AD REM
ROBERT BRENNAN
America’s ecumenical prophet
You probably didn’t
know this, but George
Washington once had
a brief correspondence with
Moses.
Moses Seixas, that is, who
back in 1790 was the warden
of the Touro synagogue
in Newport, Rhode Island.
The Bill of Rights was still
a year away from ratification,
and Washington was
the leader of a brand-new
country.
Washington was a man of
firsts: He was the nation’s
first president, the first
general of a new army, and
one of the first promoters of
religious liberty.
He could have been a dictator,
but he deferred advice
upon his election to the
highest office in the land
when someone suggested
his title should be “sire” and
opted instead for the simple
“Mister President.” He left
most of the heavy lifting of
forming a liberal democracy
to others. But when it came
time to implement some
of these lofty revolutionary
concepts, he had no equal.
After Washington’s groundbreaking
visit to the synagogue,
Seixas wrote him a
thank-you letter characterizing the event as one of many “…
blessings of civil and religious liberty which we enjoy under
an equal benign administration. …”
There was no instant messaging here, no BTWs, LOLs or
IDKs. This was a time when letters were the sole means of
nonverbal communication and, by the 18th century, writing
them had become an art form when quills were in the hands
of men like Seixas and Washington.
The president’s response to the letter from the warden of the
Pope Francis delivers an address from Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 2016. He
spoke near a statue of George Washington to an estimated crowd of 50,000 people. |
CNS/RICK MUSACCHIO, TENNESSEE REGISTER
synagogue was characteristically
formal and powerful.
“May the children of the
stock of Abraham who
dwell in this land, continue
to merit and enjoy the good
will of other inhabitants.”
Washington was our first
ecumenical prophet, too.
But his pursuit of religious
liberty did not begin in Rhode
Island in 1790, nor at the
Constitutional Convention
in Philadelphia in 1787, or
in 1774, when Washington
attended a Catholic liturgy.
He was by no means some
kind of “secret” Catholic,
but his actions meant a lot
in light of the recent rules
and regulations held fast
before the British were
uninvited to control the
American colonies.
Before the War of Independence,
Catholics in only
three of the 13 American
colonies were allowed to
vote. According to the National
Council for History
Education’s 2016 “Catholics
in America” project,
“most of the New England
colonies and the Carolinas
prohibited Catholics from
holding office; Virginia
would have priests arrested
for entering the colony; Catholic schools were banned in all
colonies except Pennsylvania. “
In 1775, the year before the Declaration of Independence,
General Washington was preoccupied with figuring out how
to not be obliterated by the power and might of the British
Empire. Yet, he took time to issue an order to his army that
had nothing to do with battlement, troop movements, or
strategy.
It was November and an anti-Catholic tradition that had
24 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

Robert Brennan writes from Los Angeles, where
he has worked in the entertainment industry,
Catholic journalism, and the nonprofit sector.
traveled well across the Atlantic to the colonies was about
to be celebrated. Apparently, Washington’s Continental
Army was going forward with their own plans to celebrate
Guy Fawkes Day, a day commemorating the failed “Gunpowder
Plot” when devout English Catholics attempted to
blow up the House of Lords. It was a day of revelry, bonfires
and fireworks … and all manner of anti-Catholic mockery.
Usually, the festivities ended with the burning of an effigy of
the current pope.
It must have come as a shock when Washington’s order filtered
down to the common soldier that Guy Fawkes Day had
been canceled with a reason given by Washington that was
explicitly clear: “As the Commander in Chief has been apprized
of a design form’d for the observance of that ridiculous
and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope.”
Washington was a “black swan” of a person, a once-in-a-century
rare person who had the courage of his convictions and
the ability to be revered by friend and foe alike. In retrospect,
he was idolized so much that he was rendered a one-dimensional
cardboard cutout of virtue. Though that is never wise,
the pendulum swinging in the opposite direction — in which
the tearing down of other forebears like Washington due to
their imperfections has become a national pastime — is not
culturally healthy, either.
Neither antisemitism or anti-Catholicism ended with
Washington’s forward-thinking gestures. And slavery, which
was bitterly debated at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia,
did not disappear with the deaths of George and Martha
Washington and the subsequent emancipation of their slaves.
That issue would be addressed more kinetically at places like
Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg and would need further
work a hundred years later with the Civil Rights Movement.
But the roadbed of religious liberty and civil rights was laid
by George Washington and for that, he deserves respect and
admiration. So as another Fourth of July comes and goes:
Happy birthday America, even with all your flaws, and on
behalf of all my fellow Catholics, thank you Mr. President for
putting an end to Guy Fawkes Day.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 25

NOW PLAYING INSIDE OUT 2
WHEN ANXIETY
WANTS A WELCOME
For all its rave reviews, ‘Inside Out 2’ risks
reducing our problems to an imbalance of
emotions. Faith tells us the truth is deeper.
Maya Hawke as “Anxiety” in
“Inside Out 2.” | IMDB
BY JOSEPH JOYCE
The human mind is like a
telescope: perfect for observing
everything but itself. Quantum
physics is grade-school homework
compared to decoding the difficulty
of asking out a girl who is interested
in you — scientists would pool their
Nobel Prize money for a way to crack
that particular nut.
To put it another way: Each generation
has its own metaphor to explain
why, for all our intelligence, we
remain such hot messes. Humors,
icebergs, Greek kings, even a ridiculous
thing called “neurons.” Today’s
artificial intelligence experts insist the
brain is a computer, but anecdotal
evidence suggests the brain remains
far more capable at spotting stop signs
in a photo.
Pixar’s latest creation, “Inside Out 2,”
has found its own symbol of psyche
pertinent to our moment: the work
committee.
Like the 2015 original, “Inside Out
2” (released in theaters June 14) depicts
each person as governed by five
personified emotions: Joy, Sadness,
Anger, Disgust, and Fear, who operate
at a command center inside the
brain. Peering through your eyes, they
determine the appropriate emotional
response and catalog memories from
those experiences. Those memories
form a tree like Sense of Self, the
manifestation of one’s belief system.
This brain belongs to Riley, a
13-year-old girl recently moved to San
Francisco from Minnesota. Like most
26 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

of our friends from the land of Ten
Thousand Lakes, Riley loves hockey
and is on her way to a training camp.
Riley is also just embarking upon puberty,
translated here as a blaring siren
alarm and contractors swarming in
and making a mess during construction.
(A brief aside to thank the Pixar
team for having the foresight to make
Riley a girl. An exploration of male
puberty would be a short film and a
horror one at that.)
This is already a delicate and smelly
time, but to make matters worse
Riley learns her new friends won’t be
attending high school with her next
year. What started as a mere hockey
camp is now an audition for new
friends and a new identity. Through
these cracks muscles in a new team of
emotions: Envy, Embarrassment, Ennui,
all following the lead of Anxiety.
Anxiety, though understandably
caffeinated, seems to get better results
than Joy, which gives her the courage
to jettison the original emotions and
Riley’s Sense of Self. Those emotions
try to return to headquarters and restore
the original Riley before Anxiety
rebuilds a whole new one based on
desperation and self-hatred.
All of this is well orchestrated. After
all, the Pixar machine is too well-oiled
by now to deliver a bad product. The
cacophony of sniffles I heard in the
theater suggests that if you called your
parents in the car driving home after
the last film, you will call them again.
But as Joy herself says in the film, as
you get older you have less need for
her.
I confess I’ve always had an issue
with the central premise of “Inside
Out,” which suggests we are but
puppets of our own emotions, the governing
force rather than a flavor. If the
Self careens so wildly based on how
you’re feeling at the moment, there
isn’t much there to begin with. We’ve
all run into people ruled entirely by
their emotions — usually in sandboxes
or in line for Pixar movies. Riley
is young but she is not a toddler, and
while we can’t choose how we feel,
the lesson should be how to control
those emotions, not to merely ride
the wave. (Such suppression might
give me an aneurysm at 35, but my
emotions will go down with my ship
knowing I was the captain.)
Moreover, none of us feel one
distilled emotion at a time. How often
are we embarrassed of our envy, or disgusted
of our anger, or maybe just sad
about all of it. Too often emotions are
a toxic tag team rather than a singular
grudge match.
As Steve Larkin of the Washington
Review of Books pointed out in his review
of “Inside Out 2,” the new emotions
arriving with puberty are not that
new at all, and don’t signal heightened
maturity. St. Augustine proved as
much with his pilfered pears: children
are complicated in their simplicity.
Hormones don’t introduce children
to the concept of envy, the serpent got
there first.
But the fatal flaw of “Inside Out 2”
is how it tries to replay the structure
that worked so well in the first film
without an understanding of why it
did. (I don’t care about spoilers, take it
up with Anger.) The first “Inside Out”
was about the reconciliation of Joy
and Sadness, with the former learning
that a healthy person needs the
latter to process life. Happiness means
nothing without grief in contrast, and
pretending sadness doesn’t exist is the
quickest way to create a basketcase.
“Inside Out 2” tries to replicate that
journey with Anxiety, despite her
almost sending Riley off the deep
end once more. Anxiety is forgiven
and given a place among the council
of emotions, even her own special
recliner when she gets too hectic.
But anxiety isn’t a core emotion. It’s a
malady, a disordered response to our
helplessness. Anxiety isn’t a moral
failing, and thinking so is yet another
permutation of its grip. Yet it remains
a maladjusted response to the problem
at hand, more deserving of a trap
door than a place at the table.
Anxiety lies to us, not by saying that
problems don’t exist, but implying
that it can control them. The worse
you feel, the more you cling to the
illusion — like a sick cycle of job
The central premise of the “Inside Out” films suggests
we are but puppets of our own emotions,
which are the governing force rather than a flavor.
security. In an increasingly precarious
world, true serenity comes not from
hiding or collaborating with those
fears, but accepting it isn’t all on you.
To think otherwise is vanity, a character
I’m sure will appear in “Inside
Out 3.”
Joseph Joyce is a screenwriter and freelance
critic based in Sherman Oaks.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 27

Promotional
image for the final
season of “Lost.” |
ABC VIA IMDB
The golden age of ‘Lost’
Perhaps the last live
TV drama to capture
a country’s attention
before the streaming
era, the hit ABC
show also took faith
seriously.
BY AMY WELBORN
It was a time, my children. A time
when a television series might have
as many as 25 episodes in a season
and — even stranger — the gap between
those seasons was measured in
months, not years. It was also a time
when a smart, entertaining television
series was born and lived at that pace,
directed, not at an algorithmic niche
with the virtue signaling to prove it,
but at a broad general audience and
was wildly successful at it.
That, my children, was the age of
“Lost.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary
of the beginning of the show’s six-season,
121-episode run on ABC. Since
then, it’s been available on DVDs and
various platforms. It’s currently on
Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix.
I was a bit of a latecomer to “Lost,”
initially put off by a remark in a preview
that was something like, “So, the
entire UCLA volleyball team crashes
on an island, and? …” I eventually
caught up — maybe during summer
reruns (yes, that was a thing too, children)
and was hooked.
You’d be hooked, too, if you watched
the first episode: without a question
one of the finest pilots ever made, beginning
with a single eye-opening, the
gradual consciousness of screaming
in the background, the heartbreaking
and terrifying aftermath of a plane
crash, a collection of intriguingly
distinctive survivors and ending, somehow,
with a monster in the jungle. I
mean, what was this?
“This” was indeed, something else.
Something unique to television at
the time, and since. An adventure
that straddled some space between
science fiction and fantasy, a drama
with sharp comedic elements, and an
absorbing, albeit frustrating mystery. It
was even an exploration of faith, in its
broadest sense.
Most of all, though, “Lost” is about
people. I’m going to maintain that the
deep, continuing appeal of “Lost” lies,
not in monsters or numbers or secrets,
but in its profoundly humane vision,
embodied in the adventure, the
conflict, the heroism, the sorrow, and
the winning, diverse cast of characters,
strangers but not, in communion without
even knowing it.
Quite simply, “Lost” is us.
A striking promo for “Lost” that aired
in England in 2005 featured the cast,
artfully made up and costumed, dancing
in artsy ways, the burning plane
behind them. The cast voice-overs
echo: one of us is a sinner … one of us
is a saint… all of us are lost.
And that, in my mind, is it. That’s the
appeal. That’s the reason why, under
YouTube recordings of Michael Giacchino’s
moving, perfect soundtrack
to the show, so many comments (e.g.,
“I hear the first few bars and I’m in
28 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

tears...”) are about the theme.
For who are we anyway but creatures
dropped, through no choice of our
own, on an island floating in the sea
of the universe? There’s a weird, undefinable,
unending mystery churning
around us. All kinds of crazy things
are happening, and who knows why?
We sense a purpose behind the chaos,
though we find connection, and in
the mystery and suffering we even find
redemption.
And so, yes, here we are, brought
to this place in this moment by this
strange combination of the flow of
life, chance, what’s been done to us,
and our own choices. What are we
going to do about it? How are we going
to live now?
There’s a scene in a first season episode
(“Whatever the Case May Be”),
in which two characters are sitting
on the beach (of course). Charlie is
despondent about something he’s
done. Rose, whose husband, rationally
speaking, did not survive the crash,
but who hasn’t given up hope, is comforting
him. Charlie begins to weep:
CHARLIE: Help me.
ROSE: Baby, I’m not the one that
can help you. … Heavenly Father, we
thank you. We thank you for bringing
us together tonight, and we ask that
you show Charlie the path. …
ends, convoluted
philosophies,
and unanswered
questions. That
said, I’ll gladly
die on this hill
defending “Lost”
against the caricature
of “That
old show where
everyone hated
the finale, right?”
Because no,
everyone didn’t
hate the finale,
and when you
tend to the real
mystery of the
show, beyond the Others and the
numbers and the hatch, all the important
questions are, in fact, answered,
as showrunner Damon Lindelof explained
in an oral history of the show:
“I feel that, ultimately, the fundamental
question that I’m most interested
in exploring is whether there’s a
purpose behind suffering and, more
importantly, do you have to suffer to
achieve a level of grace?”
L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Nadler and Dominic
Monaghan as Charlie Pace praying in a scene
from “Lost.” | SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE
Author’s note: A feature-length
documentary on the show, “Getting
Lost,” is currently in production, with a
September 2024 release planned: www.
instagram.com/gettinglostdoc.
Amy Welborn is a freelance writer
living in Birmingham, Alabama, and
the author of more than 20 books. Her
blog can be found at AmyWelborn.
wordpress.com.
What a striking exchange, not just
because Rose prays and acknowledges
God’s power to help, but also by what
she prays. Consider it. She begins,
not with questions or complaints, but
with thanks. There she is, crashed on
a weird island with no sign of rescue,
life as she knew it gone, and what’s
she got to say to God? Thank you for
this.
All of us are lost … yes we are. And
what are we going to do about it?
What, in the midst of this mystery of
good and evil, choice and chance?
That’s what this strange show, at its
core, asks us to wonder.
Now, I don’t want to oversell this.
We’re not talking Bergman here (or
maybe that is a selling point to you?)
Along with the wild entertainment,
banger plot twists, cliffhangers, and
opening scenes, “Lost” has its fair
share of confusing storylines, dead
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 29

DESIRE LINES
HEATHER KING
A playwright and prophet?
Measure of My Days”
(Penguin Books, $15), by
“The
playwright and Jungian analyst
Florida Scott-Maxwell, is a minor
classic.
Here’s how it starts:
“We who are old
know that age is
more than a disability.
It is an intense
and varied experience,
almost beyond
our capacity at times,
but something to be
carried high. If it is a
long defeat it is also
a victory, meaningful
for the initiates of
time, if not for those
who have come less
far.”
Her 70s, she avers,
were relatively
serene. Her eighth
decade is another
matter altogether:
“Another secret we
[elderly people] carry
is that though drab
outside — wreckage
to the eye, mirrors
a mortification —
inside we flame with
a wild life that is
almost incommunicable.”
She worries about
the future: what will
become of the world
and especially of
young people.
Specifically, she’s
troubled by the glut
of available information,
which would indicate
an imminent
state of affairs where
Portrait of Florida Scott-Maxwell
circa 1910, by Amanda Brewster
Sewell, 1859-1926, American. |
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
every detail of life is clearly seen and
solved, coupled with the actual “taste
of the age”: “a liking for the blurred,
the unlabeled, amounting to a preference
for sameness, inclusion, oneness.
To include and condone is modern,
while to differentiate is old-fashioned.”
That was in 1968.
Little could she
know that 56 years
down the line to
differentiate is labeled
in many circles a hate
crime.
Speaking of which,
her insights into
male-female relationships
are fascinating.
She never plays
the grievance card,
asking instead for
example (these were
the days of male
breadwinners), what
might happen if
women got really
honest and spoke of
the toll work takes
on their husbands:
hollowing them out
so that they’re largely
unavailable for family
life or emotional intimacy.
At the same time,
she speaks of “a
wound that has
ached in me all my
life; the inferiority of
women. It lamed me
as a child. I still do
not see why men feel
such a need to stress
it. Their behavior
seems unworthy, as
though their superiority
was not safe
unless our inferiority
was proven again and
again. We are galled
by it, even distorted
30 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

Heather King is an award-winning
author, speaker, and workshop leader.
by it, mortified for them, and forever
puzzled. They have gifts and strengths
we lack, achievement has been theirs,
almost all concrete accomplishment is
theirs, so why do they need to give us
this flick of pain at our very being, we
who are their mates and their mothers?”
She writes movingly and at depth, in
other words, of the age-old conflict —
the distance — between women and
men. For a woman to admit inferiority,
on any level, for any reason, in this
culture is to commit heresy.
But male-female paradigm aside,
isn’t the truth that we’re all inferior —
smaller, weaker, limited — in certain
ways? And shouldn’t our response be
rigorous honesty, a willingness to own
our faults, compassion, and in the
end, love?
“We do not often live with the superior
side of man — that is generally
expressed in his work — but more
habitually with his weak, tired, shadow
side. We indulge him, restore him,
and though we exploit him (this is a
mutual game) it often seems to us our
role and fate to deal with his inferiority,
and conceal it from him. We
may do it with wisdom and grace, but
usually we project our faults onto each
other, all can be beneath comment,
and there are times when only mutual
forgiveness makes us fit to face each
other once more.”
The overriding need and desire of the
age, she observes, is to create identity.
Great good, she notes, can obviously
come from “greater equality, less suffering,
a flowering of new talent, new
pride, increase in understanding.”
At the same time, the quest for an unreal
kind of equality carries a danger:
“It is the decrease of individuality on a
large scale.”
“Anyone who has become himself
will respect himself for his difference
and so be respected by all. But this
is not equality. Only identical things
are equal, and nature is incapable of
repeating herself, great artist that she
is, so what is the cry for equality, and
what will it bring?”
“Isn’t reality the rousing shock we
all need, and do we not lose ourselves
in pretence if the truth and tragedy
of inequality is not accepted? If we
could be equal, what would happen to
reverence and compassion? … [T]he
utter unreality of wishing for equality
… would mean that individuality
went, goals vanished, and you sank in
the static. … Who would be equal to
whom? Do we all go as low as we can
to prove we are above no one?”
This, of course, is exactly the state of
affairs in contemporary culture. Lest
someone’s feelings be hurt, we must
all participate in increasingly absurd
lies. “There is an element of despair
in this age, for many inequalities are
inherent in nature and cannot be
changed.”
As Scott-Maxwell so presciently observes,
this line of thinking only ends
in a new inequality: biological men
“competing” in women’s sports being
one glaring example.
“There is a special hate threatening
now, when a sameness is being enforced
on us, and we feel the impulse
to fight for our difference. Should we
fight this impulse and find a way of
conforming, or should we fight all the
rest in a refusal to conform?” she asks.
The answer is clear. It was true in
1968. It’s even truer now.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 31

LETTER AND SPIRIT
SCOTT HAHN
Scott Hahn is founder of the
St. Paul Center for Biblical
Theology; stpaulcenter.com.
A blessed American
Most Catholics know to speak of the Church on
earth as the Church Militant. They know, too, that
the Church in heaven is the Church Triumphant.
But it’s important for us to realize that there are not two
churches. There is only one, and it’s the heavenly, earthly
communion of saints.
Scripture tells us this. In
the Book of Revelation and
the Letter to the Hebrews,
we see the common interaction
between congregations
in this world and the
great cloud of witnesses
in the state we call the
“afterlife.”
There is one Church, and
its members, together, constitute
the family of God.
I was reminded of this
recently when I heard
from a woman I’ve known
for many years. On a holy
impulse, she had commissioned
a sacred image
depicting Blessed Father
Stanley Rother, the Oklahoma
priest who died as
a martyr in 1981 and was
beatified in 2017.
She has a deep devotion
to him. So she commissioned
a renowned
iconographer to produce
the image.
But now she had a problem:
Where should the
image find a home?
It seemed obvious to
me that it should reside in Blessed Stanley’s alma mater,
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
“The Mount” had accepted him after his previous seminary
counseled him to withdraw for academic reasons.
Through his years of education, the young man had excelled
in his extracurricular assignments. He served eagerly
and skillfully as plumber, groundskeeper, bookbinder, and
Blessed Father Stanley Rother in an undated photo. | OSV NEWS/CNS, ARCHDIOCESE OF
OKLAHOMA CITY ARCHIVES
handyman. He was less handy with his studies; but his bishop
was certain that Stanley had a vocation, and that he had
what it took to be a good and faithful priest.
Ordained in 1963, he served for five years in Oklahoma
parishes before applying to fill an opening in his archdiocese’s
Guatemalan mission.
There he would live
among the very poor — in
a land torn by civil strife.
He promoted the good
of his people in every
way. He learned to speak
Spanish as well as the local
native language. He founded
a hospital. His parish
housed a radio station that
broadcast daily lessons in
math and Spanish.
For this he drew the
attention of those who
were suspicious of efforts
on behalf of the poor.
Suspected of revolutionary
activity, Stanley was
murdered in his rectory on
July 28, 1981. He was 46
years old.
Even though I was not
Catholic at the time of
his martyrdom, he is my
brother. It was good for
me to draw near to him
through a phone call from
a longtime friend. It was
an honor for me to receive
his sacred image and transport
it to Mount St. Mary’s
Seminary, a half-day’s drive
from my home.
The icon bears the inscription: “The Shepherd Cannot
Run at the First Sign of Danger.” It’s from a letter Stanley
wrote home to his family.
Now it will serve as a message to all the men who see it in
that seminary as they are formed into priests. It will serve as
a moment of heavenly, earthly communion.
32 • ANGELUS • July 12, 2024

■ FRIDAY, JULY 5
Mass for Pilgrims. Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad
de México, Mexico City, Mexico, 10:30 a.m. Archbishop
José H. Gomez will celebrate a special Mass for LA
pilgrims.
■ SATURDAY, JULY 6
Mass for Pilgrims. Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Mexico City, Mexico, 12 p.m. Archbishop José H. Gomez
will celebrate a special Mass for LA pilgrims.
■ SUNDAY, JULY 7
Virtual Diaconate Information Day. Zoom, 2-4 p.m. Do
you feel Jesus is calling you to be a deacon? Come and see.
To register, email Deacon Melecio Zamora at dmz2011@
la-archdiocese.org.
■ TUESDAY, JULY 9
MV Transportation Job Fair. 5446 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver
City, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Dress to impress. Jobs available for
truck drivers and mechanics. Valid driver’s license, 21-plus,
clean driving record required. Benefits include competitive
salary and full-time positions. Email James Finley at james.
finley@jvs-socal.org or call 310-776-6245.
Memorial Mass. San Fernando Mission, 15151 San
Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, 11 a.m. Mass is
open to the public. Limited seating. RSVP to outreach@
catholiccm.org or call 213-637-7810. Livestream available
at CatholicCM.org or Facebook.com/lacatholics.
■ THURSDAY, JULY 11
St. Padre Pio Mass. St. Anne Church, 340 10th St., Seal
Beach, 1 p.m. Celebrant: Father Al Baca. For more information,
call 562-537-4526.
■ FRIDAY, JULY 12
Creating an Interactive Prayer Table. Our Lady of the
Assumption Church, 435 N. Berkeley Ave., Claremont,
6:30-9 p.m. Learn about the liturgical year and some simple,
practical ways to create sacred spaces. Speaker: Terry
Coting-Mogan, who has more than 45 years of ministry
experience. Free workshop. Visit lacatholics.org/elementary-catechesis-events/.
■ SATURDAY, JULY 13
Our Lady Queen of Angels High School Seminary Reunion.
Alemany High School, 11111 N. Alemany Dr., Mission
Hills, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. All former students, staff, and faculty
are invited to attend. Contact John L. Weitzel at johnlweitzel@gmail.com
or call 714-699-3471.
Rosary Crusade. Morgan Park, 4100 Baldwin Park Blvd.,
Baldwin Park, 6:30 p.m. Monthly meeting to pray the
rosary.
■ WEDNESDAY, JULY 17
National Eucharistic Congress. Lucas Oil Stadium, 500 S.
Capitol Ave., Indianapolis, Indiana. Eucharistic Congress
runs July 17-21. Join Archbishop José H. Gomez and U.S.
Catholics in a historic gathering of missionary disciples
that will be a new Pentecost, a powerful commission to
invite others to know Christ. Register at https://lacatholics.
org/event/eucharistic-congress/.
LACBA CFJ Veterans Record Clearing Clinic. Virtual,
3-6 p.m. Assisting with clearing California traffic tickets,
expunging criminal records, and felony reductions. Open
to Southern California veterans. Registration required to
213-896-6536 or email inquiries-veterans@lacba.org.
■ SATURDAY, JULY 20
“I Will Carry You” Retreat. St. Bernadette Church, 3825
Don Felipe Dr., Los Angeles, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Presenter:
Carolyn James. Cost: $25/person, includes continental
breakfast and lunch. RSVP by July 16 to Elsie Dixon by
calling 310-410-2962.
■ SATURDAY, JULY 27
Ever Ancient, Ever New: Young Adult Eucharistic Revival
Conference. Christ Cathedral, 13280 Chapman Ave.,
Garden Grove. Eucharistic conference runs July 27-28, and
is open to all young adults 18-39. Deep dive into the theme
“This is my Body” with three pillars: Fed, Healed, Made
New. For more information, visit https://socalrevival.org/.
■ WEDNESDAY, JULY 31
Bereavement Ministry Training. St. Mary of the Assumption
Church, 7215 Newlin Ave., Whittier, 6-8:30
p.m. Five-week training will run on Wednesdays from July
31-Aug. 28, and Sat., Aug. 24, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Email Cathy at
bereavement.ministry@yahoo.com for details and registration
information.
■ SATURDAY, AUGUST 3
Holy Trinity Western Hoedown. Holy Trinity Church,
1292 W. Santa Cruz St., San Pedro, 5-9 p.m. Hot dogs,
sliders, chips, and sides. Country music, line dancing, and
games for kids. Casual attire. Call 310-548-6535.
■ TUESDAY, AUGUST 6
C3 Conference. Bishop Alemany High School, 11111
N. Alemany Dr., Mission Hills. The C3 Conference runs
Aug. 6-7, and is an annual gathering that unites educators,
school administrators, and faith leaders from the Archdiocese
of Los Angeles. The 2024 theme is “Elevate.” For more
information, visit c3.la-archdiocese.org/c3-con-2024.
■ THURSDAY, AUGUST 8
St. Padre Pio Mass. St. Anne Church, 340 10th St., Seal
Beach, 1 p.m. Celebrant: Father Al Baca. For more information,
call 562-537-4526.
■ SUNDAY, AUGUST 11
Dedication of the Serra Statue. Mission Basilica San
Buenaventura, 211 E. Main St., San Buenaventura, 6 p.m.
Archbishop José H. Gomez and Auxiliary Bishop Slawomir
Szkredka will celebrate a special Mass to dedicate the
statue of St. Junípero Serra, recently moved to the mission.
Mass will also welcome walking pilgrims from Mission
Santa Barbara to Mission Basilica San Buenaventura.
■ TUESDAY, AUGUST 13
Memorial Mass. San Fernando Mission, 15151 San
Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, 11 a.m. Mass is
open to the public. Limited seating. RSVP to outreach@
catholiccm.org or call 213-637-7810. Livestream available
at CatholicCM.org or Facebook.com/lacatholics.
Rosary Crusade. Morgan Park, 4100 Baldwin Park Blvd.,
Baldwin Park, 6:30 p.m. Monthly meeting to pray the
rosary.
■ TUESDAY, AUGUST 20
Memorial Mass. San Fernando Mission, 15151 San
Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, 11 a.m. Mass is
open to the public. Limited seating. RSVP to outreach@
catholiccm.org or call 213-637-7810. Livestream available
at CatholicCM.org or Facebook.com/lacatholics.
Items for the calendar of events are due four weeks prior to the date of the event. They may be emailed to calendar@angelusnews.com.
All calendar items must include the name, date, time, address of the event, and a phone number for additional information.
July 12, 2024 • ANGELUS • 33