To report sexual abuse by clergy or church personnel please call: 1 (800) 364-3064
Healing and Hope After Abortion: 1 (800) 722-4356
New Hope Peer-to-Peer Support Line | Mon - Fri 7:30 AM - 9:30 PM | Sat - Sun 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM: 1 (714) NEW-HOPE or 1 (714) 639-4673
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교구청의 무료 신고 전화 번호, 1-800-364-3064 및 관할 지역 법 집행 기관에 전화하십시오.
If you would like to share a photo of your Rosary Beads with our readers, please send a photo and brief description.
Include your name and parish to: editor@occatholic.com
Rosary Beads
MAY 25, 2025
SPRINTING TO THE TOP Servite and Rosary High Schools’ track and field teams are leading the pack.
HEALING THE MIND THROUGH PRAYER
St. Nicholas parish in Laguna Woods hosts a ministry on mental health and wellness.
St. Joseph Catholic School raises the curtain on “Into the Woods Jr.”
To know Jesus is to know peace, figuratively and literally.
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT
The Orange County Catholic Newspaper seeks to illuminate and animate the journey of faith for Catholics within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange – building solidarity among the faithful and inviting a deeper understanding and involvement in the mission of Christ – through the timely sharing of news, commentary and feature content in an engaging, accessible and compelling format.
ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC
The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840
Publisher: The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange
Director of Custom Content: Caroline Wong, cawong@scng.com
SCNG CUSTOM CONTENT
Managing Editor: Caitlin Adams Art Director: Ryann Beveridge
Delivered weekly to parishes and homes throughout Orange County, Calif., Orange County Catholic is published by SCNG Custom Content, a division of Southern California News Group that offers content development and design expertise to businesses and nonprofit institutions. The Orange County Catholic editorial staff and editorial council are responsible for the content contained herein. Events and products advertised in Orange County Catholic do not carry the implicit endorsement of the Diocese of Orange or SCNG Custom Content.
ROSARY BEADS
READER CALL-OUT
A Knight's Rosary
Every man exemplified into the Knights of Columbus receives a Rosary that has been blessed by our Supreme Chaplain. He receives it placed on his hands joined in prayer with the command to carry it always and pray it often. Simple in design, it is a profound reminder of our commitment to the Catholic faith and our devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, to whom our Order has been entrusted. I have carried and prayed this one for 19 years, and it has many more travels and prayers to come. Vivat Jesus!
—Tim Bowman, St. Timothy Catholic Church, Laguna Niguel.
If you would like to share a photo of your Rosary Beads with our readers, please send a photo and brief description (include your name and parish) to: editor@occatholic.com C
“ The lack of unity is a wound that the church suffers, a very painful one.”
— Pope Leo XIV
SAINT PROFILE
MADELEINE SOPHIE BARAT 1779-1865
BORN TO A COOPER AND winemaker in Burgundy, France, Madeleine was educated by her older brother, Louis, who was studying for the priesthood. He strove to repress her emotions and instruct her as if she were a seminarian. Her extensive formation, unusual for the time, paid off, as Madeleine was prepared for the rebirth of French Catholicism after its persecution during the French Revolution. In 1800, she and three companions began the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Madeleine was appointed superior at 23, and over the next 63 years she oversaw the establishment of more than 100 houses and schools in 12 countries. Her order was approved by Rome in 1826, and she was canonized in 1925.C
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
ACTS 16:11-15; PSALM 149:1B2, 3-4, 5-6A AND 9B; JOHN 15:26—16:4A
TUESDAY
ACTS 16:22-34; PSALM 138:12AB, 2CDE-3, 7C8; JOHN 16:5-11
WEDNESDAY
ACTS 17:15, 22—18:1; PSALM 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14; JOHN 16:12-15
THURSDAY
ACTS 18:1-8; PSALM 98; JOHN 16:16-20
FRIDAY
ACTS 18:9-18; PSALM 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7; JOHN 16:20-23
PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK
SATURDAY
ZEPHANIAH 3:14-18A; ISAIAH 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6; LUKE 1:39-56
SUNDAY
ACTS 1:1-11; PSALM 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; EPHESIANS 1:17-23; LUKE 24:46-53
PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM BOWMAN
SPRINTING TO THE TOP
BY LOU PONSI
THE TRACK
AND FIELD teams at Servite High School and its sister school, Rosary Academy, have collectively assembled some of the fastest sprinters in the state.
The 4X100 relay teams at Servite and Rosary are No.1 in the state and individual sprinters from the Royals and Friars are at or near the top in the state and county rankings.
One common denominator is Brandon Thomas, the head track and field coach at both schools.
Thomas, who has coached many of the Rosary and Servite sprinters in elite club programs, credits their successes to experience, dedication and hard work.
“They came here with a lot of experience already,” Thomas said. “So, a lot of them are used to being national champions. They're used to the spotlight. All we did was just bring those guys together on one team and you're seeing the result of that. They could have gone to any school they wanted to, but the opportunity for them to do it together in high school, I think was appealing to them.”
ROSARY
While Thomas is the head coach of the track and field teams at both schools, Jon Gilmer coaches the sprinters at Rosary.
Just like their brothers at Servite, the Royals sprinters are young and came to the school with experience competing for club programs.
“They're immensely talented,” Gilmer said. “A lot of the girls come from youth track and are Junior Olympians and have been doing this for years. Then making that transition to high school, I coached some of them as little kids growing up.
So, it's kind of like an extension of the program that they had already been in.”
Sophomore Justine Wilson, who won or placed high in some of the state’s top meets as a freshman at Rosary has improved on her success during her sophomore season.
Wilson owns the fastest time in the county in the 200 (23.89) and the 400 (55.32) and is part of the state-leading
4X100 relay team along with Tra’Via Flournoy, Jada Faison and Maliyah Collins.
The quartet notched a 45.21 at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays on April 19. Collins' time of 11.72 in the 100 is the fastest in the county.
“It's honestly amazing and it's really fun knowing that I have a good team behind me,” Wilson said. “We work hard
together, but we also we have fun together. So yeah, it means a lot.”
SERVITE
Track athletes typically train in such a way as to steadily improve as the season goes on and then peak down the stretch for the CIF Southern Section and CIF State meets at the end of season.
ROSARY 4X100 TEAM (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): TRA’VIA FLOURNOY, JUSTINE WILSON, JADA FAISON AND MALIYAH COLLINS. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSARY ACADEMY
Servite’s 4X100 team is right on schedule.
The foursome tied the Orange County record in the 4X100 at the Trabuco Roundup in March with a time of 41.24 seconds.
Then they set a new county record, running 40.82 in the first Trinity Cluster Meet on March 20.
The Friars then broke their own record with a time of 40.56 at the Trabuco Hills Invitational on April 5.
One week later, the 4x100 team broke it again, running 40.00 at the Arcadia Invitational. That’s also a state record and the best time in the nation this season.
The 4X100 team starts with freshmen Jorden Wells, sophomore Benjamin Harris runs the second leg, freshman Kamil Pelovello takes the baton for the third leg and sophomore Robert Gardner is
the anchor.
The 4X200 team features Harris, Gardner, freshman Jace Wells and freshman Jaelen Hunter.
The all-freshman 4X00 team includes Hunter, Pelovello, and twins Jace Wells and Jorden Wells.
Harris chose to attend Servite after watching his friend run “some crazy fast times” for the Friars under the guidance of Coach Thomas.
Harris, who transferred to Servite from Long Beach Poly, also knew about Thomas’ reputation as a top sprint coach and knew some of the other talented freshman who would be attending the Catholic High School along with him.
“I knew we could be something special,” Harris said. “I felt like we could get some records like we have this year. I feel like it was a good switch for me coming from Long Beach Poly to Servite.” C
HEALING THE MIND THROUGH PRAYER
ST. NICHOLAS MINISTRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS
BY MEG WATERS
DESPITE OUR CULTURE’S EMPHASIS on the secular, mental health officials are following the science, which is increasingly leading them to the spiritual as an essential component of good mental health.
Dr. Michael Mullard with the Orange County Healthcare Agency (OCHA) alongside John Reynolds, Mental Health Peer Specialist and Rebecca Freeman, Pastoral Care Ministry Coordinator for the Diocese, recently discussed the positive correlations between spirituality and neuroscience at a recent presentation hosted by St. Nicholas parish’s Mental Health and Wellness Ministry in
Laguna Woods. Mullard said that since the 1980s, there has been an explosion of research indicating the importance of prayer or meditation on brain health, from calming stress to actual neurological changes.
About a dozen parishes in Orange County now have mental health ministries.
“We seek to care for the whole person from conception to the end of life and everything that happens along the way, especially amidst challenges and suffering,” Freeman said.
As part of the these awareness and destigmatization efforts, the Diocese recently created a video available on YouTube titled: “Catholic Truths About Mental Health with Fr. Steve Correz,” pastor of St. Mary’s parish in Fullerton along side Catholic therapists, Dr. Michael Mullard and Dr.
REBECCA FREEMAN, PASTORAL CARE MINISTRY COORDINATOR FOR THE OFFICE OF FAMILY LIFE IN THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE, TALKS DURING SEMINAR ON MENTAL HEALTH & SPIRITUALITY AT ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH IN LAGUNA WOODS. PHOTO BY STEVEN GEORGES/ DIOCESE OF ORANGE
THE SERVITE 4X100 RELAY TEAM (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): JORDEN WELLS, BENJAMIN HARRIS, JAELEN HUNTER AND ROBERT GARDNER. PHOTO COURTESY OF SERVITE HIGH SCHOOL
Margery Arnold, and seminarian Ethen O’Campo. This video provides answers to common questions and misconceptions about mental health from a faith perspective and was filmed at the Green Bench on the Christ Cathedral Campus which was dedicated last Mental Health Awareness Month as part of Providence’s “Promise to Talk” campaign (#GreenBenchOC).
The Church has consistently recognized the connection between mental health and a connection to the life of the Church and one another. In 2018, the California Catholic Conference of Bishops has issued a statewide statement on mental health entitled “Hope and Healing: A Pastoral Letter on Caring for those who Suffer from Mental Illness Addressed to All Catholics and People of Goodwill.” One line explains, “Those living with a mental illness should never bear these burdens alone, nor should their families, who struggle heroically to assist their loved ones.
We Christians must encounter them, accompany them, comfort them and help bear their burdens in solidarity with them — offering our understanding, prayers, and tangible and ongoing assistance.”
Happily, mental health agencies and research is recognizing the connections our spiritual practices and communities have on our mental health and support as we navigate a mental health diagnosis or condition.
OCHA Behavioral Health Equity
Committee has established an interfaith and ecumenical Spirituality Committee to engage with the faith communities on this integration of spirituality and mental health of which this presentation was a part. Dr. Michael, John and Rebecca all serve as Catholics on this committee.
The emergence of mental health ministries across Orange County recognizes the connection that faith brings to health and wellness. The St. Nicholas parish Mental Health ministry began in 2024 and draws approximately 50
people to its monthly meetings, which cover a variety of topics.
According to Mary Emminger, who, along with Barbara Ferro, coordinates the ministry, “The ministry strives to provide education to all men, women and teens. Through education, we seek to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health.”
She added: “Many people and families dislike admitting they or a family member has a mental issue. They wonder, ‘What will people think?’ Another important aspect of our ministry is providing resources to people. Many people do not know who to call or who to turn to when help is needed. We provide up-to-date resources at every meeting.”
Anyone interested in starting a mental health ministry in their parish are invited to reach out to Rebecca Freeman at rfreeman@rcbo.org or for more information and resources visit rcbo.org/mental-health C
DR. MICHAEL MULLARD OF THE ORANGE COUNTY HEALTHCARE AGENCY TALKS ABOUT SPIRITUALITY COMMITTEE DURING A MAY 6 SEMINAR ON MENTAL HEALTH & SPIRITUALITY AT ST. NICHOLAS PARISH IN LAGUNA WOODS. PHOTOS BY STEVEN GEORGES/DIOCESE OF ORANGE. PHOTOS BY STEVEN GEORGES/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
DR. MICHAEL MULLARD ADDRESSES THE CROWD GATHERED AT ST. NICHOLAS PARISH IN LAGUNA WOODS DURING A SEMINAR ON MENTAL HEALTH & SPIRITUALITY.
SHOW TIME!
ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL (PLACENTIA) PERFORMS “INTO THE WOODS JR.”
BY BRITNEY ZINT
FROM CINDERELLA AND Little
Red Riding Hood to Jack and the Beanstalk and the Prince, the Who’s Who of the Fairy Tale World came to life onstage for a junior production of a Broadway favorite.
St. Joseph Catholic School (Placentia) presented “Into the Woods Jr.” for two nights only on May 8 and 9 at Servite High School’s theater. The show was adapted from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award-winning musical for younger actors and vocalists.
“It was a joy to stand on the side of the stage and be there with the kids and see the excitement in their eyes before they went on the stage, especially with our first time in front of an audience,” said the school’s principal Amanda Hawley, who produced the Placentia school’s show.
“To see them light up and take the show to the next level is incredible.”
“Into the Woods Jr.” follows the stories of Little Red Riding Hood (Brooklyn Tyler) visiting her Granny (Arianna Hurtado); Jack’s mother (Kinsie Nieva) forcing her son (TJ Cantrell) to sell his beloved cow; a baker (Dylan Gallegos) and his wife (Kaile Graham) in their desperate search to find four objects needed for the witch (Baelli Viele) to break the curse; and Cinderella’s (Kristine Ungab) trip to the ball of the Prince (Enzo Costello).
The musical has challenging vocals, along with its numerous characters and technical complications, but after nine years of building up the performing arts program, this was finally the year, said the school’s assistant principal Laurie Cantrell, who directed the show. Cantrell has also served as the performing arts director at Rosary Academy. She holds a
SCHOOLS
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theater and a master’s degree in music.
“I knew if there was one year to do it, it would be this year,” Cantrell said.
She added that after the first show, she was “so beyond proud. I can’t even explain it. Tears in my eyes. Very, very proud of them.”
The school opened auditions to first through eighth grade this past winter, and all 67 students who tried out were cast. Students in first through third grade performed in the junior ensemble for two dance numbers, including some students who learned a special routine from Hawley, a tap dancer.
Brooklyn Tyler, 13, who played Little Red Riding Hood, auditioned for
CAST MEMBERS PERFORM IN A SCENE FROM “INTO THE WOODS JR.”
ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS BRING FAIRY TALE CHARACTERS TO LIFE IN A WHIMSICAL MOMENT FROM “INTO THE WOODS JR.” PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
the role, specifically because she is an energetic person and so is her character. Throughout the show, the seventh grader is never still — skipping around and singing at the same time.
“It’s very fun,” Tyler said. “You get to work with a lot of people that you get to see at school, and you get to act and sing and do what you really love. I love showing people what I’m capable of and what I love doing.”
For sixth-grader Kaile Graham, who played the baker’s wife, this was her dream show and her dream role.
“The first time I watched this show I was 8. I memorized the whole thing,” said Graham, 12.
Fellow sixth-grader TJ Cantrell, 12, who played Jack, said he felt a little scared, but nevertheless was very excited before the first performance. And afterward, he was proud of himself.
Eighth-grader Kristine Ungab, who played Cinderella, reflected how completing “Into the Woods Jr.” was tinged
with the heartache of goodbye.
“I’m going to be extremely sad, but also proud of myself, because this is going to be my very last play at this school because I’m going to high school,” the 14-year-old said. “But I’m going to be proud of myself because this is the first time I’ve gotten an extremely huge role and I’m going to be very proud I was able to do it.” C
ONE OF THE WELL-REHEARSED SCENES FROM “INTO THE WOODS JR.” PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
RAPUNZEL’S ICONIC TOWER MOMENT ADDS A MAGICAL TOUCH TO THE PERFORMANCE.
DIRECTOR LAURIE CANTRELL OFFERS WORDS OF INSPIRATION TO THE CAST.
CELEBRATING OUR LADY OF MANAOAG
BY BRITNEY ZINT
PARISHIONERS GATHERED at La Purísima Catholic School on May 10 to celebrate Our Lady of Manaoag, a Marian apparition significant to the Filipino community.
Festivities included Mass, floral offerings, praying the Rosary, a reception and entertainment.
The event, held in the parish school’s hall, was organized by La Purísima’s Filipino (Kababayan) Association in conjunction with the feast day for Our Lady of Manaoag.
The Family of Delia Empalmado donated the Image of Our Lady of Manaoag installed inside the La Purísima Church and another statue that is used for gatherings outside the church.
Delia Empalmado is from the province of Pangasinan in the Philippines where the Blessed Mother appeared to a farmer named Pedro.
“Today we honor the Our Lady of Manaoag, and this is the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has become a powerful source of comfort and hope for countless Filipinos,” said Fr. Ian Bustonera. “We all know that her image was enshrined in Manaoag, Pangasinan, and has been a sign of faith for over 400 years.”
Our Lady of Manaoag dates to the 1600s, when a farmer saw a beautiful lady surrounded in light, holding a Rosary and the child Jesus. She was standing on a cloud near a tree, Fr. Ian said. The Blessed Mother said she wanted a shrine built in her honor on that very spot for followers to come in the future and ask for her maternal protection, according to the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan in the Philippines.
“From that moment,” Fr. Ian added,
“the devotion spread very quickly, and over centuries the Our Lady of Manaoag became known as the patroness of the sick.
“She was a patroness of the poor and the helpless. And many testified to miraculous healings and protection from disasters and wars.”
The shrine to Our Lady of Manaoag where the apparition was said to occur today is located in the small town of Manaoag, in the Filipino province of Pangasinan. There, the shrine is prominently located in the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag. It contains an image of Our Lady holding Baby Jesus; both are vested with ornate imperial regalia.
Pope Pius XI canonically crowned the image in 1926. Pope Francis later elevated the shrine to the status of a minor basilica in 2014.
In the Philippines, Our Lady
CONTINUES ON PAGE 11
FR. IAN BUSTONERA BLESSES THE CHURCH FLOWERS AS LA PURÍSIMA PARISH IN ORANGE CELEBRATES THE FEAST DAY OF OUR LADY OF MANAOAG. PHOTOS BY STEVEN GEORGES/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
LILIA BAUTISTA, LEFT, REACHES OUT TO OUR LADY OF MANAOAG DURING A FLOWER OFFERING & ROSARY AT LA PURÍSIMA CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN ORANGE.
of Manaoag is celebrated each May by people from all over the country who make a pilgrimage to the basilica. They come with the belief that if you visit and fervently pray, you will be healed of any sickness, said parishioner May Rabina, who grew up in the Philippines.
Rabina has been celebrating Our Lady of Manaoag’s feast day her entire life.
Although she didn’t live in Pangasinan, her family’s custom was to visit the basilica for outings or special occasions, like having visitors.
“I think for all of us Filipinos, because our country is over 7,000 miles away from Los Angeles, we are so blessed we are celebrating the feast of Manaoag here, and we’re all happy that we are all gathered here,” Rabina said.
Elvie Hawk also attended the celebration. She agreed that the day was a time of camaraderie.
“It’s fun because on days like this, we gather together and renew our friendships and have fun,” Hawk said. “We give our thanks and prayers to the Lord and
to Mother Mary.”
Michele Martinez took the day off work to attend the feast day for the first time. It was a chance to honor Our Lady of Manaoag and foster unity among the Filipino parishioners, she said. Her relatives back in the Philippines are also celebrating, Martinez added.
“We’re away from home,” Martinez said, tearing up. “Our families are in the Philippines and then seeing Filipinos here makes me a little less homesick. Mama Mary unites us.”
Manaoag means “to call” in Tagalog. Our Lady of Manaoag is still significant today as a mother who gently calls to us.
“Mary calls us, Fr. Ian said. “She calls us to come closer to her son, Jesus Christ. And in times of pain, in times of our worry, in times of doubt, Mary doesn’t promise to
remove all of our problems, but she promises to walk with us and to bring our prayers to Jesus with a mother’s love.”
Devotion to Our Lady of Manaoag in day-to-day life should always be prayerful, said Fr. Ian. It means being brave in the face of trials and difficulties, being a light to others and living with purpose, he added.
“So again, sisters and brothers in Christ, as we honor Our Lady of Manaoag today, maybe not just admire her, but imitate her and let her motherly presence remind us that no matter what we face, we are never alone,” Fr. Ian said. “Because she calls us today and every day to return to her side, to trust Him, and to live as faithful disciples in this world.”
To learn more about the Filipino Community at La Purísima, call the parish office at (714) 633-5800. C
SHAWN TIEMEIER PLACES A FLOWER BY OUR LADY OF MANAOAG. BEHIND HER IS HEDY AIKEY. PHOTOS BY STEVEN GEORGES/ DIOCESE OF ORANGE
FR. IAN BUSTONERA, A.M., OF LA PURÍSIMA CATHOLIC CHURCH, DISTRIBUTES HOLY COMMUNION DURING MASS TO CELEBRATE THE FEAST DAY OF OUR LADY OF MANAOAG.
SCHOOLS
HONORING MARY
ST. ANGELA MERICI PARISH SCHOOL HOSTS MAY CROWNING
BY LOU PONSI
THE MAY CROWNING IS a Catholic tradition of placing a crown of flowers on a statue of Mary, symbolizing her role as the Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Every May, St. Angela Merici Parish School in Brea celebrates the May Crowing in a most meaningful way, combining the Crowning of Mary with a Living Rosary, where the school’s second and eighth students create a human Rosary, with each student representing a bead and praying a portion of the devotional prayer.
Held May 16 in St. Angela Merici Catholic Church, with dozens of family members present, the celebration featured performances by the school’s choir and a presentation of each of the five Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, recited by individual students:
The Resurrection of Jesus, the Ascension of Jesus, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption of Mary and the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
“Mary is a model of discipleship and purity,” said Fr. Daniel Reader, pastor of St. Angela Merici. “May all of those gathered here be influenced by her purity and her discipleship as she's always pointing us to her son, Jesus Christ.”
“This May Crowning and Living Rosary is part of the school's faith formation activities, which include various liturgical and prayer experiences throughout the year,” said Vanessa Halliday, St. Angela Merici music teacher and one of the main organizers the event.
Halliday, who has been at the school for 18 years, said the May Crowing and Living Rosary had already been taking place for years before she started at the school.
“The significance is just during that month of May to really honor Mary, to have a chance to come together as a community through a Living Rosary and for the children to represent each of those beads,” Halliday said. “It's just a beautiful perfect prayer that has been given to us and I hope that we can do more than just in May, but all year.”
As part of an assignment, every eighth grader submitted an essay on what the May Crowning means to them, with one being selected to be read by that student during the ceremony.
The winning essay, titled “Whispered Words, Woven Wreaths,” was written by eighth-grader Kameron Hodge, who described placing the crown of flowers atop Mary’s head as “a moment of connection, a reminder that we are not alone, that there is a Mother’s love — holy, divine and yet imperfect and human — that surrounds us in the soft glow of the candles.”
STUDENTS PROCESS AROUND THE CHURCH DURING THE TRADITIONAL MAY CROWNING CEREMONY AT ST. ANGELA MERICI CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BREA.
KAMERON HODGE PLACES A FLORAL CROWN ON MOTHER MARY DURING ST. ANGELA MERICI’S MAY CROWNING EVENT HELD ON MAY 16. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
WHERE GOD IS PRESENT, PEACE RESULTS
BY DEACON KEVIN DUTHOY
“…[M]y peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (Jn. 14:27).
WHAT IS THE PEACE Jesus offers us?
The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom,” which means more than the absence of conflict. It conveys an inward sense of wholeness: body, soul and spirit in harmony with Creation and reconciled with God. Jesus’ peace brings this hope for completeness into the present, the Kingdom of God at hand.
In John 20:19-29, Jesus prepares His disciples for His return to the Father. He assures them they would not be alone; that whoever loves Him and keeps His word will be loved by the Father with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit making their dwelling within that person. At our invitation, expressed by our faith in action, God lives in us in intimate relationship, and where God is present, peace results. The peace Jesus promises is different and far better than what the world offers because it cannot give what it does not possess. Jesus extends the comfort of God’s presence: “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (v. 27), even though we live in a world where beauty and mercy co-exist with hate, violence and heartaches; where true relationships are sometimes replaced by the isolation of smart phones, AI and text messages.
Theologian Peter Kreeft describes three stages of God’s intimacy with us: (1) the Father of the Old Testament, God above us; (2) the Son of the New Testament, God with us; and (3) the Holy Spirit in the Church, God in us. Scripture makes clear God doesn’t just want to dwell with us, but
in us — not as a distant Supreme Being, but in relationship as our loving Creator. Jesus gifts us His peace to be within each of us, flowing from what lives within not outside of us, and experienced by how and what we share with others. To paraphrase Jesus, it is not what comes from outside that defiles us but what we harbor within (Mt. 15:11). It is not about remov-
others are as real to me as my own. When my heart is at war, however, the other is an object, issue, obstacle or irrelevancy to me… We can continue arguing with one another about who is right or wrong and what is the right or wrong thing to do ‘but the deepest way in which we are right or wrong is in our way of being toward others.’” (Ibid. 57)
Living in the imitation of Jesus we become peace itself for others: the Jesus who broke bread with sinners; healed the outsiders, the marginalized, the Gentile “dogs;” made the unclean clean; wept at the death of a friend; forgave those that killed Him; and modeled His peace while the authorities waged war on Him during His Passion and Death.
The Holy Spirit counsels us to depend more on God and less on the world; to see God at work in and around us; to let God reign in our hearts. This is an “inside out” way of being, peace flowing outward from the Spirit within us, bringing hope to our neighbor. What will we do with God’s gift of peace today? C
ing the splinter from another, but about transforming our hearts, our way of being, to show others God’s presence within us.
Homilist Michael Marsh commented on the Abinger Institute’s Anatomy of Peace: “A heart at peace sees the other as a human being, even in the midst of conflict and disagreement. When my heart is at peace, the hopes, fears, concerns and needs of
PHOTO BY JESSICA MANGANO ON UNSPLASH
OC Catholic Afar
Claudia Cheffs and Matthew Popow recently attended Easter Mass at the SS. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church. Located in Lemont, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), the church was originally built in 1883 to support a growing Polish Catholic community. It has survived several fires and expanded its facilities to include a school over the decades.
—Claudia and Matthew are proud parishioners of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Huntington Beach.
We want your photos! Send your pictures of “OC Catholic Afar” — of you, family or friends visiting Catholic churches and other interesting places — to editor@occatholic.com. Please include a brief description of the photo, the name of the person(s) featured in the photo and their home parish.
