OC CATHOLIC - FEBRUARY 20, 2022

THE CATHOLIC WAY TO CELEBRATE PAGE 10

FEBRUARY 20, 2022

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

‘I WAS SICK AND YOU VISITED ME’

WORLD DAY OF THE SICK IS A POIGNANT CALL TO FAITH IN THE TIME OF A HEALTH CRISIS PAGE 6 A CANDLELIGHT PROCESSION AT THE SHRINE OF LOURDES IN FRANCE, IN JUNE 2019. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

FEBRUARY 20, 2022

CONTENTS

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TANDEM WORSHIP

Family prayer practice brings children closer to God and the family.

JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME

Local newlyweds opted to spend their honeymoon walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.

POPE: SICK MUST BE CARED FOR, BODY AND SOUL

In his message for World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis said that care must treat the whole person.

PLUS

Guest Column, Weekly Readings, Moments In Our Journey

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

ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC

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

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

SCNG CUSTOM CONTENT Managing Editor: Caitlin Adams Art Director: Fernando M. Donado Delivered weekly to parishes and homes throughout Orange County, Calif., Orange County Catholic is published by SCNG Custom Content, a division of Southern California News Group that offers content development and design expertise to businesses and nonprofit institutions. The Orange County Catholic editorial staff and editorial council are responsible for the content contained herein.

Events and products advertised in Orange County Catholic do not carry the implicit endorsement of the Diocese of Orange or SCNG Custom Content.

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GUEST COLUMN

HOW TO HELP THE ELDERLY AND THOSE WHO SERVE THEM

BY SISTER CONSTANCE VEIT, LSP

S

OON AFTER HE WAS diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Pope Saint John Paul II initiated the celebration of World Day of the Sick to show solidarity with the ill and their caregivers, and to encourage the faithful to pray for them. Thirty years later we still celebrate this special day each year on February 11th.

In preparation for the annual World Day of the Sick, the pope publishes a message setting a theme for the day. This year Pope Francis has given special recognition to caregivers: “I think of all those physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians, the support staff and the caretakers of the sick as well as the numerous volunteers who donate their precious time to assist those

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who suffer.”

The pope is encouraging them to recognize the beauty of their mission. “Dear healthcare workers, your service alongside the sick, carried out with love and competence, transcends the bounds of your profession and becomes a mission,” he wrote.

“Your hands, which touch the suffering flesh of Christ, can be a sign of the merciful hands of the Father. Be mindful of the great dignity of your profession, as well as the responsibility that it entails.”

I am grateful for Pope Francis’ encouraging words to healthcare workers, for they deserve our admiration and gratitude.

As we enter into our third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am growing increasingly concerned about the devoted

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CONTINUES ON PAGE 13

SISTER CONSTANCE VEIT IS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR. PHOTO COURTESTY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE

The Diocese of Orange, through OC Catholic newspaper, presents local, national and world news about the Catholic Church. Our intention is to give our readers access to a variety of perspectives in order to help them to process the information within the framework of our Catholic faith, but also to better understand the perspectives of those with opposing viewpoints.

We hope that ultimately our readers will be better equipped to have constructive conversations that further the growth of the Catholic Church.

DAILY READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

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LOVE AS GOD LOVES

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UR GOSPEL TODAY CONTINUES Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, in which we heard Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. This week, Jesus gives us new “commandments,” telling us how to live and act in the world as his disciples, rooted in the radical love of God for humanity. It reminds us of his later speech about loving one another as he loves us, in other words with a God-like love, the kind we see in today’s psalm about God’s mercy. How else could we do as Jesus tells us by loving our enemies, which seems impossible, until we remember that God gave us the example of Jesus, who is like God but also like us? David understands this merciful love when he spares the life of his enemy in the first reading.

Finally, Paul tells us that we will become like Jesus if we act as he did, as God does.

Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. C

… the healing answer comes from prayer, witness and humble love.

— Pope Francis

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BLESSED FRANCISCO AND JACINTA MARTO

SAINT PROFILE

20TH CENTURY

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WO OF THE THREE FATIMA VISIONARIES, this sister and brother were beatified in 2000.

With their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, they had monthly visions of Mary at Fatima, Portugal, from May to October 1917. Mary asked the shepherd children to promote devotion to her Immaculate Heart and pray the rosary daily. Both Martos died of influenza, Francisco at age 10 in 1919, and Jacinta at age 9 in 1920. Their cousin, who became a Carmelite nun, died in 2005 at age 97. Fatima is among the world’s great Marian shrines and pilgrimage sites. C

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

JAS 3:13-18; PS 19:8-10, 15; MK 9:14-29

1 PT 5:1-4; PS 23:1-3A, 4-6; MT 16:13-19

JAS 4:13-17; PS 49:2-3, 6-11; MK 9:38-40

JAS 5:1-6; PS 49:14-20; MK 9:41-50

JAS 5:9-12; PS 103:1-4, 8-9, 1112; MK 10:1-12

JAS 5:13-20; PS 141:1-3, 8; MK 10:13-16

SIR 27:4-7; PS 92:2-3, 13-16; 1 COR 15:54-58; LK 6:39-45

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FEATURE

‘I WAS SICK AND YOU VISITED ME’ WORLD DAY OF THE SICK IS A POIGNANT CALL TO FAITH IN THE TIME OF A HEALTH CRISIS

BY GREG MELLEN

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AST YEAR, FATHER DUY LE had a chance to make his first trip to Lourdes. As the pastor of the San Francisco Solano Catholic Church in Rancho Santa Margarita reflected on the 30th World Day of the Sick, he said he did so with new appreciation in the wake of his trip to the famed place of healing.

“Seeing their faces,” he said of the reactions of the sick upon being touched by sacred waters, “seeing the joy and faith and trust, that healed me.”

In September, Fr. Duy journeyed to the famed grotto as part of a local delegation from the Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta on its pilgrimage to the site.

Fr. Duy says he went not as a chaplain but simply to serve.

“We brought 30 to 40 malades,” he said using the French word for sick that refers to those who go to France for healing.

“I helped with whatever they needed.

I pushed them up hills and pulled them down hills,” he said with a chuckle. “What an intimate experience to see people on their journey of healing and faith.”

Although Fr. Duy did not witness any physical healing on the spot, he saw equally inspiring looks in the eyes of the ailing.

After hearing several of the countless physician-verified miracles of healing, Fr. Duy said he came to a realization, made particularly profound in this time of pandemic.

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A HISTORIC PHOTOCHROM IMAGE OF THE GROTTO OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES, TAKEN CIRCA 1890S. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

The pastor said he was led to wonder, “why don’t I trust in more than spiritual healing? We forget that God healed so many. We’ve stopped believing that God can heal physically. Jesus is a great physician and can unite us. The biggest thing we can do is rely on him.”

To Fr. Duy, that revelation at the grotto in Southern France makes the World Day of the Sick all the more compelling.

Saint John Paul II instituted the World Day of the Sick in 1993 to draw attention to the sick and to those who care for them.

It is timed annually to line up with the first appearance by Mary in 1858 at Massabiele near Lourdes before St. Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old girl

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from the area. Between February and July, the apparition appeared in white robes. In March, the lady revealed herself as the Blessed Virgin Mary and asked that a parish be built at the grotto. After Soubirous dug in the earth, a puddle of water appeared, growing into a pool and eventually the famed spring.

Today, Lourdes is the most visited pilgrimage site in Christianity, with 4 million to 6 million annually. The main pilgrimage season runs from April through October, highlighted by the Marian Feast of Assumption in August.

The 30th World Day of the Sick, which fell on February 11, 2022, was celebrated by Bishop Kevin Vann on Saturday Feb. 12 at Christ Cathedral. The

Diocese of Orange began celebrating the day 15 years ago.

The bishop, assisted by local parish priests and members of the Order of Malta, celebrated the Mass for hundreds of ailing parishioners, as well as their families, caretakers and friends. The service included sprinkling of holy water from Lourdes, anointings and special blessings for the hands of caregivers.

After the service, small bottles of Lourdes holy water were available to parishioners.

According to Deacon Modesto Cordero, Director of Worship for the Diocese, in the face of the ongoing pandemic, there was added emphasis on caregivers, CONTINUES ON PAGE 7

FEATURE / CATHOLIC FAMILY LIVING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

physicians and nurses.

Pope Francis, in his message for the Day of the Sick, reinforced the message of the importance of those who provide care.

“Dear healthcare workers, your service alongside the sick, carried out with love and competence, transcends the bounds of your profession and becomes a mission,” the Pontiff said.

This year, due to the pandemic, the pope’s celebration slated for Arequipa, Peru, was canceled and moved to Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

“It’s important to recognize and celebrate among those in need of special anointing, and reflect on Jesus curing the sick,” Deacon Modesto said.

The Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta, which has about 13,500 members worldwide and about 100 in Orange County, are critical to the Mass. The Order, founded in the 11th century, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, provides medical, social and humanitarian care in more than 120 nations.

Each year, the group travels to Lourdes with ailing parishioners to be anointed in the holy waters and ask for Mary’s intercession. It has also begun bringing written petitions from parishioners who can’t make the trip asking for miracles and blessings.

“It’s not always throwing away crutches,” Sherry Van Meter, of the Orange County Order of Malta, told OC Catholic in 2019. “Sometimes there are miracles of acceptance, of patience and peace.”

Pope Francis summed it up saying “the ministry of consolation is a task for every baptized person, mindful of the word of Jesus: ‘I was sick and you visited me.’” C

TANDEM WORSHIP

USEFUL WAYS TO BEGIN AND NURTURE A STRONG AND CONSISTENT FAMILY PRAYER PRACTICE

BY CATHI DOUGLAS

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T’S CHALLENGING EVEN for the most devoted Catholic parents to begin and sustain a dynamic and consistent family prayer life.

Still, as noted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the family is the domestic Church and parents the first and most effective teachers for their children.

Thankfully, many free-of-charge Catholic family prayer resources are available online and via podcast and YouTube videos.

To begin, the USCCB.org website offers simple suggestions for starting and maintaining a strong family prayer life. The first suggestion, in addition to prayers before meals and early in the morning or before bed, is to find a consistent, easily scheduled, and predictable time for family prayer that works best for everyone.

LoyolaPress. com offers five simple, practical tips for families who want to pray more often: 1. When you rise from bed, get down on your knees. Put your bedroom slippers or shoes far under your bed at the end of the day. Each morning, while on your knees retrieving your footwear, say a quick prayer offering the whole

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

day to God. 2. Communicate with God whenever you climb into the car. On longer drives, you can tune in to a podcast and pray along with the host.

3. Place a prayer jar in the kitchen where family members can put their special intentions.

4. Fold your hands before you unfold your napkin. Before each meal, take a few moments to thank the One who provides all that you need and blesses you.

5. Pray when people or events upset you. Make a habit of saying a short prayer whenever someone irritates you.

A quick “Help me, God” is sufficient.

The ScottSmithblog.com offers 10 more detailed ideas for family prayer, and a number of good resources for each suggestion are included. One example is the detailed charts explaining how to pray the Rosary.

He provides links to different prayers as well as suggestions for incorporating various prayers into daily family life.

Personally, I’ve found that Father Mike Schmitz’s podcasts from Ascension Presents are short, sweet, and accessible throughout my day; they each run 10 minutes or less and cover a specific topic.

I easily can imagine tuning into this

program while running the kids to music lessons or soccer practice.

This year Fr. Schmitz also is producing the Bible in a Year podcast, which is longer timewise but provides an excellent Scriptural framework for individual and family prayer. Recently I’ve tuned in as I clean the house and it makes my chores a kind of moving worship.

On your smartphone, the Laudate app contains a wealth of Catholic prayers, chants, and music appropriate for individual and family prayer. The Abiding Together podcast written and produced by three female hosts particularly addresses women, while The Way of the Heart podcast is aimed at men. The Liturgy Guys is often entertaining and enlightening.

Displaying crucifixes prominently throughout the home, making worship a priority by never missing Sunday Mass even on vacation, and demonstrating private prayer are other ideas offered by the USCCB. Add to these your commitment to regularly scheduled family Rosaries, celebration of the Sacraments together, and openly demonstrating love for your spouse and children -- and you have begun your family prayer journey rather easily and relatively painlessly. C The Maria Ferrucci Catholic Family Living feature is intended to inspire families to live their faith in the way Maria Ferrucci did throughout her earthly life.

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FEATURE

JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME

NEWLYWEDS BEGIN MARRIAGE WITH CAMINO DE SANTIAGO PILGRIMAGE

BY BILL QUINNAN

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OR MOST PEOPLE, the word “honeymoon” likely evokes images of tropical resorts or other romantic getaways. When Lucy Dominguez and Oliver Lopez married five and a half years ago, they opted for a 29-day, 500-mile journey on foot through city streets, mountain trails and farmlands.

The couple had wanted a honeymoon that would help them get to know each other even better as they embarked on their new life together. A friend had told Dominguez about the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, also known as “The Way of St. James.”

According to the official website of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago became a pilgrimage destination after the discovery of the Sepulcher of the Apostle Saint James the Greater in the region in the 9th century.

Interest in the pilgrimage was renewed after Pope Leo XIII confirmed the authenticity of the apostle’s relics in 1884.

“It just sounded like the most amazing thing, and I thought, I’ve got to do this,” Dominguez said.

In lieu of a large reception, the couple had a simple Church wedding ceremony and were on a plane the next day.

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NEWLYWEDS OLIVER LOPEZ AND LUCY DOMINGUEZ EMBARK ON THEIR HONEYMOON JOURNEY IN SAINT-JEAN-PIED-DE-PORT IN FRANCE. PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCY DOMINGUEZ

PAPAL BLESSING

Prior to their journey on the Camino, Dominguez and Lopez spent several days in Rome, meeting Pope Francis and receiving his blessing on their new marriage. Lopez recalls that although there were probably 50 couples dressed in wedding attire waiting to meet the pontiff, he found the Holy Father making eye contact with him.

“He looked at me, reached out his hand and signaled for us to come over,” he recalled. “It was the way you would imagine Jesus looking at you, with compassion. I want to be able to look at other people with that gaze … That has set the tone for our marriage. It set the tone for the Camino.”

Dominguez presented the Holy Father with a notebook full of prayers and

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petitions she had collected from friends and family prior in preparation for the experience.

“He put his hand over the notebook, he put his head down, he closed his eyes, and he said a prayer,” Dominguez said. “It was really beautiful.”

“Because we were on our honeymoon, we decided to stay in private rooms,” Dominguez said.

This not only afforded the newlyweds additional privacy, but also gave them a place to charge their phones and wash their clothes.

“We only had three outfits each THE JOURNEY with us.”

Two days later, the couple began Lopez felt that the journey gave the their trek. The cathedral’s website lists couple a deeper sense of one another. six routes that pilgrims traditionally Although they had trained physically take to reach the cathedral. Dominguez for the journey in advance, Dominand Lopez opted for the French Way, guez struggled with tendonitis early which they were told was the easiest on. Lopez recalls her determination to and most traveled. continue.

Travelers have a variety of choices re“Seeing her deal with the pain and garding where to spend the night along overcome it, I was inspired by her,” the Camino, from camping to commuhe said. nity hostels to luxury hotels.

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FEATURE

LUCY DOMINGUEZ PRESENTING A JOURNAL OF PRAYERS TO POPE FRANCIS. PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCY DOMINGUEZ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Dominguez noted that the couple began each day by reading through the prayer notebook and praying together.

“Any chance we got, we would stop at a parish and pray there, attend Mass,” she said.

Upon learning that the couple was on their honeymoon, a nun at one parish even invited them to ring a bell made in the 1300s.

EMBRACING TRADITIONS

Dominguez had researched various traditions of Camino pilgrimages prior to the experience, including the wearing of a shell, the symbol of Saint James, to identify oneself as a pilgrim. Pilgrims greet each other with the phrase, buen camino, meaning, “good journey,” a custom that Lopez saw as “kind of an informal check-in.”

“You look out for one another. That level of community and kinship very hard to find here,” he said.

Another powerful experience for the couple was that of carrying a stone to lay at the foot of Cruz de Ferro, a giant cross marking the highest point along

the French Way. The stones represent the burdens one has been carrying.

“It was a spiritual experience. It was a releasing experience,” Lopez said.

MAKING THE PILGRIMAGE

For those considering walking the Camino themselves, Dominguez and Lopez advised being prepared for the physical challenges involved.

“Sometimes people get injured, and they have to keep going, because they don’t have a place to stay,” Dominguez said.

She and Lopez used a guidebook that offered information about the towns, and an app called Camino Frances to make reservations and schedule transportation for their gear to daily destinations. The Orange County chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino (americanpilgrims.org) also provides information for those interested in the pilgrimage.

“It was more spiritual than I could have imagined. We made more friends than I could have imagined,” Dominguez said. “Just having that time together – it was amazing.” C

NEWLYWEDS OLIVER LOPEZ AND LUCY DOMINGUEZ POSE IN FRONT OF THE CATHEDRAL OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA DURING ONE OF THEIR HONEYMOON STOPS. PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCY DOMINGUEZ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 , 2 0 2 2 n O C C AT H O L I C

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DIOCESAN NEWS

THE CATHOLIC WAY TO CELEBRATE HONORING WHAT MAKES US GOD’S PEOPLE

BY FATHER DAMIEN GIAP

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HIS YEAR, THE FIRST WEEK in February was a time of rededication. It was a time to honor and celebrate who we are as devoted Catholics, as committed Christians and as servant leaders for God and His people. It was a time of prayer, emphasizing meditation and reflection and demonstrating service through faith in action.

The initial focus was on invitation. As a community under God, St. John the Baptist Catholic School reached out to the neighborhoods around us welcoming all families to come and discover the plans God has created to give us all hope for the future. As we worked to serve our brothers and sisters, we filled our campus with excited new families.

Next, we raised our voices in prayer to lift up our nation under God. Our eighth-grade students led the entire student body in a “living” Rosary asking God to inspire our country’s leadership to put Him first in every decision that they make and to follow Mary’s example of humility, patience and trust in His plan for us all.

We celebrated the servant leadership of our teachers and staff members. We offered prayer and humble appreciation for these Catholic Christian role models who guide our students daily in the areas of academic excellence, discovery of their God-given gifts and continual spiritual growth.

We spotlighted the gift of our vocations. As a faith community, we opened our hearts to God’s personal message for each of us, striving to embrace the possibility of religious life and offering thanks and praise for the precious gift of the priests, fraters, and sisters who faithfully serve our community each and

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STUDENTS AT ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC SCHOOL ATTEND AN ALL-SCHOOL MASS ON FEBRUARY 3, ON THE FEAST OF ST. BLAISE. THE MASS WAS CELEBRATED BY SCHOOL RECTOR, FR. DAMIEN GIAP, O.PRAEM AND PARISH PASTOR FR. AUGUSTINE PUCHNER, O.PRAEM AND INCLUDED THE BLESSING OF THE THROATS.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC SCHOOL EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENTS LEAD THE STUDENT BODY IN A “LIVING” ROSARY DURING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 2022. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC SCHOOL.

every day.

We acknowledged the wonder and beauty of our student body. We celebrat-

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ed the uniqueness of each of the children entrusted to our care. We joined together in a Holy Mass of thanksgiving

for the precious resource of the Catholic Christian Leaders we are blessed to create here at St. John the Baptist Catholic School.

And finally, we rejoiced in the community that serves us and that we are honored to serve in return. We took time to thank those who sacrifice throughout the year so we can continue to learn in this healthy, Christ-centered environment, and to share from our blessings with those in need at our Norbertine sister school.

It was a time of true celebration, a time to pray and sing praises together, a time to say thank you to so many who serve their God without reservation, and a time of sincere joy and faith in God for he knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us, plans to give us hope and a future. C

DIOCESAN NEWS

BISHOP TIMOTHY FREYER IS PICTURED WITH CELEBRANTS FOLLOWING THE WORLD MARRIAGE DAY MASS AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL ON FEB. 7. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE

AROUND OUR DIOCESE

attend a special family Mass on Sunday, Feb. 27. The first five rows will be reserved for children so they can enjoy an up-close view of the Mass. Stickers, Rosaries, prayer cards and other at-home activities will be distributed following the

BY STAFF Mass. And families are also invited for BISHOP FREYER CELEBRATES donuts and punch on the patio after Mass WORLD MARRIAGE DAY MASS concludes. Family Masses will be held Bishop Timothy Freyer presided over on the second and fourth Sunday of the the Mass for World Marriage Day at month at 11:30 a.m.

Christ Cathedral on Monday, Feb. 7.

World Marriage Day honors husHOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC band and wife as the foundation of the CHURCH IN ORANGE TO family, the basic unit of society. This HOST SPECIAL year’s event is based on the U.S. Confer- MINISTRY EVENT ence of Catholic Bishops’ 2022 theme, Holy Family Catholic Church in Or“Called to the Joy of Love.” The Feb. 7 ange is hosting a special ministry event Mass also served as a kickoff event for in partnership with Franciscan UniverNational Marriage Week, which was sity of Steubenville, Ohio. The dates are observed from Feb. 7 to 14.

Feb. 27, 28 and March 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

ST. IRENAEUS CELEBRATES The theme of the event is “Are You SPECIAL FAMILY MASS Truly Happy? Come discover the true St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in happiness of being known intimately Cypress invites the Diocese of Orange to CONTINUES ON PAGE 12 ST. IRENAEUS CATHOLIC CHURCH, CYPRESS. . PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE F E B R U A R Y 2 0 , 2 0 2 2 n O C C AT H O L I C

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DIOCESAN NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

and loved unconditionally in the heart of Christ.”

Catholic speaker, musician and author, Chris Padgett along with a ministry team from Franciscan University will lead the event.

The cost is $25. To register, visit bit. ly/ParishMissionHF

TEN COMMANDMENT HIKE

Fifty youth, scout leaders and parents, endured a rainy January Saturday morning in South Orange County and completed the 4-mile Ten Commandment Hike. The hike started at St. John Neumann Catholic Church where Deacon Menez presented three of the ten commandments. The hike took the participants to three other churches to listen to pastors and ministers of other faiths present the remaining seven HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH, ORANGE. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE commandments. The hike ended at a park across the street, under a gazabo overlooking a small lake, where the Lord’s prayer was recited as a group, and youth expressed what they learned.

One scout voiced his observation that the ten commandments are very much relevant today, though they are centuries old.

— Submitted by Bernie Kilcoyne

FAITH & MENTAL HEALTH FORUM

The Orange County Sheriff ’s Interfaith Advisory Council will host the Faith & Mental Health Forum on Wednesday, March 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arboretum on the Christ Cathedral campus. Faith and community leaders are invited and encouraged to hear from local experts about mental health issues and their impacts on our communities.

Expected speakers include: n Dr. Aaron Kheriaty (providing an overview of mental health issues and how they can be identified) n Marshall Moncrief of Be Well OC (describing the robust, community-based strategy of Be Well OC to provide coor-

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DEACON ALEX MENEZ RECITES THREE OF THE 10 COMMANDMENTS AT ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH PRIOR TO THE START OF THE 2022 TEN COMMANDMENT HIKE. PHOTO COURTESY OF BERNIE KILCOYNE

dinated mental health services through public, private, academic and faith partnerships) n Kay Warren of Saddleback Church (discussing the Hope for Mental Health Ministry established at Saddleback Church and sharing the steps for how worship centers can create a faith-ini-

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tiated mental health strategy that can be built over time, adapted and implemented) n Sheriff Don Barnes and Commander Nate Wilson (providing a summary of the OC Sheriff ’s Department’s Behavioral Health Bureau that assists the homeless population and those with mental

health needs through a robust program that includes proactive engagement, case management, and resource distribution through a collaboration with the Orange County Health Care Agency) n Rabbi Andrew Paley of Temple Shalom in Dallas, Texas (discussing emotional survival through crisis, resiliency and recovery) n Various mental health organizations and nonprofits also will be onsite with information tables. The Office for Family Life will have a resource table to help parishes learn about diocesan mental health ministry programs.

This forum is being planned by the OC Sheriff ’s Interfaith Advisory Council Executive Committee, whose members include Fr. Ed Becker, episcopal vicar for ecumenical and interreligious affairs, and Anthony Vultaggio, member of the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Commission of the Diocese of Orange.

Please join us and encourage the clergy and lay leaders of your parishes and centers to participate in this special opportunity. Register online at https:// faithmentalhealth.eventbrite.com.C

GUEST COLUMN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

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OC CATHOLIC SEEKS FREELANCE WRITERS

staff in our homes across the country and around the world – and about the widespread shortage of caregivers in the field of elder care. The lack of qualified geriatric caregivers has already reached crisis proportions and is only growing worse.

Older persons living in communal settings have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic, being stricken with COVID at higher rates than younger people, experiencing disruptions in their daily routines and enduring long periods of isolation and separation from their loved ones.

But geriatric caregivers have also borne a heavy burden, often working long shifts in understaffed, uncertain conditions, often while trying to care for their own family members at the same time.

At times frail seniors have suffered due to staffing shortages caused both by caregiver sickness and a significant exodus of staff from many facilities across the country.

In an article published in December 2021, Skilled Nursing Home News reported that since the beginning of the pandemic 14 percent of the skilled nursing workforce, or 220,000 care givers, has exited the profession.

There was already a shortage of geriatric caregivers before the pandemic and, with a rapidly increasing population of seniors, experts in gerontology estimate that the need for qualified care staff will increase by 2.5 million by 2030. An inadequate and unstable geriatric workforce will definitely lead to higher costs and serious concerns about access and quality of care.

It has long been said that a society can be measured by how it cares for its elderly citizens, and yet in Fratelli Tutti Pope Francis refers to the “trashing” of the world of the elderly in public opinion.

In another recent Vatican document, we read, “Those living in residential facilities deserve special attention: we

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

hear terrible news about their conditions every day and thousands of people have already lost their lives. The concentration in the same place of so many frail individuals and the difficulty of finding protective equipment devices have created situations that are very difficult to manage notwithstanding the selflessness and, in some cases the sacrifice, of healthcare personnel.”

Just as the elderly themselves, those serving seniors deserve special attention and support. This can take many forms: n Lend your voice to advocacy for better training, wages and benefits for long-term care staff, better financing of long-term care and more positive working conditions, including provision of sufficient PPE; n Take the opportunity to show caregivers esteem, appreciation and gratitude for all they do. Just as we thank members of the military for their service, thank caregivers for the indispensable service they render in society; n Share with caregivers the message of Pope Francis about the dignity of their profession; n Foster intergenerational encounters in your family and encourage young people to consider careers in geriatric healthcare.

Finally, this February please join me in praying for an end to the pandemic, for healing for the sick and the elderly and for the transformation of our society into a culture that will cherish every human life, no matter how old or how frail. C

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CATHOLIC NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

SICK MUST BE CARED FOR IN BODY AND SOUL, POPE SAYS

BY JUNNO AROCHO CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY (CNS) —Caring for the sick means not only healing the wounds of the body but also those that afflict the soul, Pope Francis said.

“Care cannot be divided because the human being cannot be divided. We could -- paradoxically -- save the body and lose humanity,” the pope said in a video message on the eve of the 30th World Day of the Sick, which is celebrated Feb. 11 each year.

“The saints who cared for the sick always followed the Master’s teaching: heal the wounds of body and soul; pray and act for physical and spiritual healing together,” he said.

The pope’s message, which was released by the Vatican Feb. 10, was sent to participants of a webinar hosted by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

In his message, the pope said that the current pandemic “is teaching us to view illness as a global and not a merely individual phenomenon” and should motivate reflection on other types of “pathologies” that threaten humanity, including individualism and indifference.

These and other forms of selfishness, he said, generate inequalities, especially in the field of health care “where some enjoy so-called ‘excellence’” while many others “struggle to access basic health care.”

“To cure this ‘social’ virus, the antidote is the culture of fraternity, based on the awareness that we are all equal as human persons, all equal as children of one God,” he said. “On this basis, it will be possible to have effective treatments for everyone. But if we are not convinced that we are all equal, this will

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CARDINAL PETER TURKSON, FORMER PREFECT OF THE DICASTERY FOR PROMOTING INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, BLESSES A WOMAN AS HE CELEBRATES MASS MARKING WORLD DAY OF THE SICK, IN ST. PETER’S BASILICA AT THE VATICAN FEB. 11, 2022. PHOTO: PAUL HARING / CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

not work.”

Cardinal Peter Turkson, former prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, echoed Pope Francis’ sentiments during his homily Feb. 11 at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica with people who are sick and with their caregivers.

Reflecting on the divine consolation that God gives to his children, Cardinal Turkson said Christians are also called to pass on that consolation to those who

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suffer in body and soul.

“Consolation means to encourage, to exhort, to comfort or to give joy to a person or community that finds themselves in a situation of sadness, anguish and desolation,” he said.

Those who dedicate their lives to consoling others, the cardinal said, draw inspiration from God who throughout history “has been close to a wounded humanity in order to comfort, strengthen and heal it.”

The commemoration of the World Day of the Sick, he added, is a “celebration of God’s works of mercy,” especially through those who work tirelessly in the health care field.

“May your hands, which touch the suffering flesh of Christ, be a sign of the merciful hands of the Father,” Cardinal Turkson said before he and the concelebrating bishops administered the sacramental anointing of the sick to many people in the congregation. C

Moments MomentsininourourJourney Journey

As part of National Catholic Schools Week, Bishop Kevin Vann visited the Christ Cathedral Academy in Garden Grove on Feb. 2. Bishop stopped by several classrooms, answering questions about his life, his priesthood and role as a Bishop.

—Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Orange

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

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