OC CATHOLIC - APRIL 10, 2022

APRIL 10, 2022

AROUND OUR DIOCESE PAGE 11

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

IN HOLY ANTICIPATION THE PROFOUNDLY SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF EASTER WEEK PAGE 6

PARISHIONERS WAVE PALM LEAVES DURING PALM SUNDAY MASS AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL IN MARCH 2021. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GEORGES / DIOCESE OF ORANGE

“MARK WAHLBERG DELIVERS ONE OF THE MOST SENSITIVE, RESTRAINED

PERFORMANCES OF HIS CAREER

BY BRINGING HIS IDIOSYNCRATIC CHARISMA TO AN INSPIRING TRUE STORY.” –LIAM GAUGHAN, DALLAS OBSERVER

APRIL 10, 2022

CONTENTS

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HOLY WEEK BLESSINGS

Children first learn lessons about the season at home.

WHOLE PERSON CARE, INSIDE AND OUT

Christ Cathedral hosted a mental health forum presented by the O.C. Sheriff ’s Department’s Interfaith Advisory Council.

POPE: CHURCH MUST BE CENTERED ON WITNESS

During a visit to Malta, Pope Francis said that religious customs alone are not enough to sustain faith.

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: Monsignor Stephen Doktorczyk Editor: Patricia Mahoney, editor@occatholic.com News Ideas: editor@occatholic.com 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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COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS A MUNICIPAL PICTURES PRODUCTION A PALM DRIVE PRODUCTION PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH CJ ENM “FATHER STU” MEL GIBSON JACKI WEAVER THE SCREEN EXECUTIVE DICKON HINCHLIFFE PRODUCERS MIKY LEE COLLEEN CAMP PATRICK PEACH TONY GRAZIA ROSALIND ROSS BY MARK WAHLBERG STEPHEN LEVINSON JORDON FOSS WRITTENANDFOR DIRECTED

BY ROSALIND ROSS

BE A VOICE IN THE '21-'23 SYNOD The Synod is a two-year process when the Church furthers the understanding of Her mission by listening to feedback from all who experience it.

The Diocese of Orange invites you to express your experience, sentiments, and thoughts by submitting your reflections online.

Participate today!

RCBO.org/synod

GUEST COLUMN

A LENTEN EXERCISE

BY EFFIE CALDAROLA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

R

EMEMBER THAT OLD SAYING, born of frustration: “If it’s not one thing, it’s another!”

A friend’s kids turned that into a way to tease her: “If it’s not one thing,” they’d chuckle, “it’s your mother.”

I remembered that when, in a Lenten day reading (Mt 20:20-28), the woman identified as “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” implores Jesus to let her boys, James and John, sit at his right and left hand when he comes into his kingdom.

Jesus had just finished telling his disciples that they were heading to Jerusalem where he would suffer greatly and be crucified. But somehow, Jesus’ friends failed to grasp this unfolding drama. The request

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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.

by James and John’s mother illustrates how little anyone understood.

Imagining yourself inside a reading is a way to enter prayer. So, putting myself in the scene, I noticed this woman, like many in Scripture and history, remaining nameless and identified only as the mother or the wife of a man.

And she doesn’t come off looking very good, does she? And neither do her sons.

The other apostles are angry at her effrontery, while the sons seem to be there, possibly egging her on. When Jesus asks if the two men can drink the cup he will drink, they enthusiastically say yes. Again, still clueless.

Being a mom myself, I felt some compassion for “Mrs. Zebedee.” Maybe I’ve been the mom who cheered too loudly at a child’s

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CONTINUES ON PAGE 13

PHOTO: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

DAILY READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

“

All of us must work to promote a culture of peace…

THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST’S LOVE

F

— Pope Francis

SAINT PROFILE

”

MAGDALEN CANOSSA 1774-1835

ROM THE PROCLAMATION OF the Gospel at the beginning of the liturgy, we know that today is different, not only because we hear two Gospel passages, or because we hold palms and move in procession. Today begins Holy Week, a time set apart, a week in which to listen, pray, reflect, and take to heart the truth of Christ’s passion, crucifixion, death, and ultimately, resurrection. It takes a week, and a lifetime, to truly hear the message of Christ’s love. It is difficult for us to comprehend that Jesus willingly sacrificed himself, so we must hear the story again and again. Let this week be for us a new moment of faith in which we, together with the criminal who was crucified with Christ, cry out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. C

T

HIS FOUNDRESS, BORN TO A NOBLE FAMILY in Verona, Italy, lost her father at age 5 and was abandoned by her mother when she remarried. Choosing religious life over an advantageous marriage, Magdalen first joined the Carmelites, but left when she saw that their strict rules of enclosure would prohibit her charitable works. She began a new community, the Canossian Daughters of Charity, in 1799 by bringing two poor girls into her own home. The institute spread throughout Italy, and Magdalen helped found an order of priests and a third order for laypeople. Canossians minister today in Italy, Latin America and the Philippines. Magdalen, who was canonized in 1988, famously said, “Those who love are never tired, since love knows no burden.” C

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

IS 42:1-7; PS 27:1-3, 13-14; JN 12:1-11

IS 49:1-6; PS 71:1-6, 15, 17; JN 13:21-33, 36-38

IS 50:4-9A; PS 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34; MT 26:14-25

IS 61:1-3AB, 6A, 8B-9; PS 89:21-22, 25, 27; RV 1:5-8; LK 4:16-21

IS 52:13 — 53:12; PS 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25; HEB 4:14-16; 5:7-9; JN 18:1 — 19:42

GN 1:1 — 2:2 [1:1, 26-31A]; PS 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35; OR PS 33:4-7, 12-13, 20-22

ACTS 10:34A, 3743; PS 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; COL 3:1-4 OR 1 COR 5:6B-8; JN 20:1-9

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FEATURE

IN HOLY ANTICIPATION

THE PROFOUNDLY SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF EASTER WEEK

BY MEG WATERS

E

VERY YEAR THE CATHOLIC revisits the most significant week in human history – where divine love and divine power came face to face with human frailty and weakness. The result is salvation.

Easter Week is an opportunity not only to remember the events from Palm Sunday, Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem to the gift of his very self at the last supper, his passion, and finally his resurrection. For those who participate in the Triduum it can be a time of profound spiritual enrichment.

According to the US Catholic Conference of Bishops, “The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum— from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ’s Paschal Mystery.”

The first celebration is the Chrism Mass, either celebrated Holy Thursday morning or as is done in the Diocese of Orange, on the Monday of Holy Week.

All of the Diocese priests attend to renew their priestly commitment. In addition, the bishop blesses the holy oils that will be used throughout the year – The Oil of the Sick, the Oil of the Catechumens, and the Holy Chrism.

According to Msgr. John Urell, pastor of St. Timothy Parish in Laguna Niguel, “The evening Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday marks the end of Lent when Catholics spend 40 days preparing themselves for the most important time of the liturgical year. Catholics memorialize Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, which the Triduum is all about.”

The Gospel reading from John 13: 1-15 recounts Jesus’ washing of the apostles’

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PALM SUNDAY MARKS THE START OF HOLY WEEK, WHICH CULMINATES IN EASTER SUNDAY. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GEORGES / DIOCESE OF ORANGE

THE VERY REV. CHRISTOPHER SMITH, FORMER RECTOR OF CHRIST CATHEDRAL, PERFORMS THE MASS AT PALM SUNDAY IN MARCH 2021. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GEORGES / DIOCESE OF ORANGE

feet before the last supper. “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master

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and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, to that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

Likewise, after the homily, the priest has the option to wash the feet of members of the congregation.

Good Friday is the only day of the year Mass is not celebrated. Extra hosts are consecrated at the Holy Thursday Mass to be used to celebrate the Lord’s Passion and veneration of the Cross on Good Friday. Keeping Christ’s passion and death on the cross in mind, there is no consecration or Mass on Good Friday, but the Eucharist which was consecrated the previous day is distributed.

“We venerate the cross to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and because his death was necessary to get to the resurrection.

We also read the passion narrative, said Msgr. Urell. “At the end of the Good Friday service, the congregation leaves in silence.”

The Holy Saturday Easter Vigil begins outside after sunset. Rich in symbolism, CONTINUES ON PAGE 7

FEATURE / CATHOLIC FAMILY LIVING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

the darkness symbolizes Jesus’ time in the tomb. The Celebrant lights a flame which is passed candle to candle through the congregation. Candles in hand, the congregation process into the darkened church. “All this symbolizes Christ passing from death into life through the resurrection,” said Msgr.

Urell. “This is also the first Mass of Easter, similar to a Saturday evening Mass; there is no need to go to Easter Sunday Mass if one has attended the vigil.”

The highlight of the Easter Vigil is the welcoming of new members into the Catholic Church. The Elect, those who have never been baptized, receive the sacrament of Baptism that evening. The Candidates or Catechumens, those who were baptized in a Christian denomination but have not received the other sacraments of initiation are confirmed along with the Elect. The Mass continues, and both the Elect and Candidates receive their First Holy Communion with the congregation.

Easter Sunday is a joyous celebration. A highlight of the Easter Mass comes after the homily, where the entire congregation renews their baptismal promise and is sprinkled with holy water. Much like the diocesan priests did during the Chrism Mass, the community is called to remember its promise to reject Satan and all his works and their commitment as followers of Christ.

Taking the time to participate in the Triduum, or even one of the services, allows us to focus more deeply on our faith and the profound love and grace that God gives his people.

Be patient though, it is also a hectic time for the clergy and staff at the parish. Msgr. Urell quipped – “People often ask me what I’m going to do after all the Easter festivities are over.

I tell them that I’m going to crawl back home and take a long nap!” Until he rises again. C

HOLY WEEK BLESSINGS

PARISHIONERS RECEIVE PALMS AHEAD OF PALM SUNDAY MASS CELEBRATED AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL, 2021. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GEORGES/ DIOCESE OF ORANGE

CATHOLIC PARENTS CAN SHARE LASTING LENTEN LESSONS

BY CATHI DOUGLAS

W

HILE EASTER —with its egg hunts and candy-filled baskets – is a logical representation of Christ’s Resurrection, the solemn meaning of Holy Week can be more difficult for children to grasp.

Still, the solemnity of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the days leading up to the glory of Easter provide important lessons for Catholic families.

Catholic schoolchildren have an advantage, of course, because they learn about Holy Week and Lent in their classrooms. But parents can use a number of books, lesson plans and other resources – many of them available online for little to no cost – to help children of all ages understand Holy Week.

It helps if parents and their children began Lent with confessions and participation in Ash Wednesday ceremonies, so that lessons of the 40-day period have a clear beginning.

When I was in Catholic school, we attended Stations of the Cross each Friday. Today’s families can virtually attend the service through various phone and computer apps. The repetition of prayers and chanting, as well as the bite-sized stories at each of the 14 stations, provide a Lenten road map.

Each day during Holy Week offers worship opportunities for families,

including services only offered on those days – the year’s longest service and distribution of palms on Palm Sunday; the Chrism Mass is traditionally celebrated on Holy Thursday morning but will be celebrated in the Diocese of Orange on April 11 (Holy Monday); the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday.

Attending these offers opportunities for parents to teach children about Lent and Holy Week, and also the chance to model prayerful worship in church. I remember many Lenten services when I was challenged to keep my three children attentive and quiet.

There are other ways parents can make the lessons of Holy Week come alive. Family prayers can focus on readings from the Gospel about Jesus’s passion. Quiet time and meditation can include drawings of Lenten stories.

Activities available at cathfamily. org bring meaning to the triumphant procession of Jesus on Palm Sunday, the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday, and the Last Supper on Good Friday.

Some examples include: n Palm Sunday: Making palm wreaths or crosses, or if palms aren’t available, using fingerpaints to make

green wreaths from little handprints.

Both are symbols of the community’s welcome to Jesus on Palm Sunday. n Holy Thursday: Using Scripture as a guide, reverently wash each other’s feet. Make unleavened bread using an easy-to-follow recipe included on the site. n Good Friday: Create a cross from sticks and twine or nails and wire and reflect on how each person carries a cross that is unique. Ask each person to think about their sin and nail it to a simple wooden cross. n Holy Saturday: As the world waits in darkness, eat the family dinner by candlelight and drape the family crucifixes with sashes.

Of course, the best time of Holy Week is the celebration of Easter Sunday.

When I was growing up, that was the day we dressed in our finest clothes and had someone take our annual family picture. We attended morning Mass and I was allowed to eat candy from my Easter basket in the morning. Often our extended family joined us for an afternoon barbecue.

However you celebrate, make Holy Week memorable and instill lasting lessons in your children’s hearts. 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

WHOLE PERSON CARE, INSIDE AND OUT

CHRIST CATHEDRAL HOSTS MENTAL HEALTH FORUM

BY LOU PONSI

A

FAITH AND MENTAL HEALTH Forum held recently at Christ Cathedral centered around the role of the faith community in the area of mental health.

The forum, which was organized in part by the Orange County Sheriff ’s Department’s Interfaith Advisory Council, featured leaders from varied factions of the community, each speaking on the impacts of mental illness in their area of focus.

Organizers also included Fr. Ed Becker, Episcopal vicar for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and Anthony Vultaggio, a member of the Diocese’s Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Commission.

The forum took place March 9 in the Arboretum with several hundred in attendance.

Virtually every speaker stressed the need for collaboration amongst all sectors to treat what is often a misunderstood and multifaceted issue.

“All of these sectors are dealing with growing demand for mental health and addictions and related challenges but all of them are doing it through the silo of their own sector,” said Marriage and Family Counselor Marshall Moncrief of Be Well Orange County.

The nonprofit brings together a cross-section of public, private, academic, faith and other entities to create a community-wide, coordinated ecosystem to support mental health.

“No matter what sector you are a part of, whether it is law enforcement, the faith community, academia, hospital systems and private businesses, when you talk to leadership about what challenges you face today, every single time, men-

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BISHOP VANN IS PICTURED WITH FELLOW SPEAKERS AT THE FAITH AND MENTAL HEALTH FORUM HELD ON MARCH 9 AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL’S ARBORETUM. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GEORGES / DIOCESE OF ORANGE

tal health and substance abuse will be among the top three,” Moncrief said.

Along with Moncrief, featured speakers for the March 9 event included Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes and Kay Warren, mental health advocate in the faith community and wife of Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren and Social Worker Veronica Kelley, head of mental health and recovery services for the Orange County Healthcare Agency.

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“The Orange County Healthcare Agency sees mental health as an essential component of health,” Kelley said. “That includes recovery from addiction. It also includes our spiritual health, understanding who we are and what our purpose is and what our great goal, our greater aspects are in life.”

The agency serves close to 45,000 individuals with serious mental issues such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia

and severe depression and another 7,800 struggling with addiction.

The mission of Be Well OC is to employ a community-based, cross-sector strategy including all sectors to create a community-wide, coordinated ecosystem to support optimal mental health, he said.

Individuals with untreated mental health issues often wind up having an inCONTINUES ON PAGE 9

FEATURE

ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF DON BARNES ADDRESSES ATTENDEES AT THE FAITH AND MENTAL HEALTH FORUM HELD ON MARCH 9 AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL’S ARBORETUM. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GEORGES / DIOCESE OF ORANGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

teraction with law enforcement, Barnes said.

The jail system overseen by the Sheriff ’s Department provides above-average treatment and resources to men and women in custody, but more needs to be done to treat mentally ill individuals before they make contact with law enforcement, Barnes said.

“The first face someone sees in a mental health crisis shouldn’t be somebody with a badge and a gun,” the sheriff said. “It’s my life’s mission to break that cycle. I believe we can do this successfully as a partnership with collaboration.”

Warren spoke candidly about her own bouts with low level depression and mental health issues in her own family.

Her son Matthew died by suicide

nine years ago after struggling with severe clinical depression for most of his life, she said.

Speaking on the topic of the faith community’s contribution to mental wellbeing, Warren’s message was clear.

Based on the spiritual principles universal to Christianity and most religions, not only does the faith community need to involve itself in mental health related issues, but faith leaders also have an absolute obligation to minister to mentally ill individuals within their congregations, Warren said.

“As far as I know, every faith group from every point of view, from every practice of faith, must have at their core, this unshakable conviction that if we were made in the image of God, then there is this stamp of the Divine in each of us,” Warren said. “And because

of that, because we bear the image of God, every life is valuable. Every life is important. Every life is worthy of being cared for.”

With a population of 2.5 billion who say that they belong to a Christian faith, Warren said, the religious institution is bigger than any nation and bigger than any organization.

“So, we need the faith community to rally the community,” she said. “You are the trusted provider. You are the trusted voice that gets people to show up.”

Warren also cited a Baylor University study showing 25 percent of individuals experiencing a mental health crisis will reach out to leaders in their faith community, before going to a mental health professional.

“And there is enormous untapped talent, energy and brains, that if prop-

erly motivated, could make a gigantic dent in what we are talking about today, which is a mental health crisis, which millions of people are living with.”

Several organizations set up resource tables at the event, including the Diocese’s Office for Family Life, which provided information mental health ministry programs within the diocese.

Other providers included addiction treatment centers, the Catholic Charities of Orange County and Olive Crest, which serves families impacted by child abuse which OC Healthcare Agency.

“This is a perfect example,” Moncrief said of the forum. “When we get law enforcement in a room, the faith community in a room, clinical providers in a room and community, (we) start coming together to start drawing alliances really intentionally.” C

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DIOCESAN NEWS

CATHOLICISM 101

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC CHURCH.

BY STAFF

H

AVE YOU BEEN AWAY from the Catholic Church for any reason and would like to explore coming back to the Church or just take a ‘refresher’ Catholicism 101 course?

You are invited to attend a seven week “Welcome Home” weekly series at St. Joseph Parish Church in Placentia being held on Thursday evenings from 7-9 pm. in the Parish Center, Rooms 3 and 4 beginning April 21 and running through June 2.

Hear stories from people who have made their journey back to their Catholic faith as they share their renewed experience, strength and hope through the Welcome Home process. Welcome Home is a safe place where you can ask questions, share your hurts and concerns as well as find answers, spiritual connections and reconciliation.

For those who are looking for a Catholicism refresher course, this series answers questions that you and others have about the Sacraments, Church teachings and practices.

St. Joseph’s Parish is located at 717 N. Bradford Avenue in Placentia.

For more information, please contact Summer Pongetti at spongetti@ stjosephplacentia.org or call (714) 528-1487. C

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DIOCESAN NEWS

BISHOP KEVIN W. VANN PRESIDES OVER A SPECIAL PRAYER SERVICE ON MARCH 25 IN CHRIST CATHEDRAL’S ARBORETUM. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GEORGES/DIOCESE OF ORANGE

AROUND OUR DIOCESE

BY STAFF

SPECIAL PRAYER SERVICE HELD AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL’S ARBORETUM

Bishop Kevin W. Vann presided over a special prayer service on March 25 in Christ Cathedral’s Arboretum for the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The Diocese of Orange’s service, which was livestreamed, came in response to the Holy See’s worldwide call for an end to the war in Ukraine. The

service occurred around the same time as Pope Francis’ in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“We pray to God for an end to violence and human suffering, and to the intercession of our Heavenly Mother that peace be re-established,” Bishop Vann prayed.

CLOSING FESTIVITIES FOR 500 YEARS OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Christ Cathedral campus will be hosting the closing festivities for 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines on April 23. The day features a 10 a.m. procession around the plaza, followed by an 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Mass with BishCONTINUES ON PAGE 12

THE CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS WARREN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE

CORRECTION

In the April 3 edition of the OC Catholic, “Youth Leadership in Catholic Schools: Spotlight on St. Cecelia School,” St. Cecilia was spelled incorrectly.

We regret the error.

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DIOCESAN NEWS

ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR CATHOLIC CHURCH IN DANA POINT HAS RECENTLY COMPLETED ITS NEW NARTHEX. PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR CATHOLIC CHURCH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

op Kevin W. Vann. A lunch and cultural fare will be held from 12:15-2 p.m. The event is hosted by the San Jose Filipino Ministry, a part of Ethnic Ministries of the Diocese of Orange.

RSVPs are requested by visiting www.500yoc.eventbrite.com.

ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLETES ITS NEW NARTHEX

St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point has completed its new narthex, the groundbreaking of which began in 2021 but was actually planned as early as 1995. The 1,800-square-foot narthex, which is the transitional space from outside the church sanctuary, features 22 stained glass panels of the dalle de verre style.

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The designer was Kaj Garmshausen.

He took inspiration from an earlier version by Joseph “Jos” Maes, who did St. Edward’s original stained glass. Maes’ son, Dirk, was also involved in the project, assembling the glass into the design that Garmshausen made.

NEW SMARTLAB AT ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Bishop Kevin W. Vann visited St. Joseph Catholic School in Placentia on March 27 to celebrate Mass and bless the campus’ new SmartLab, a facility that promotes STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The lab includes computer stations, a 3D printer and Ozobots, which the children can code.

The project was aided by a generous contribution from the Campos EPC Foundation.C

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BISHOP KEVIN W. VANN BLESSES THE NEW SMARTLAB AT ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN PLACENTIA ON MARCH 27. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GEORGES/DIOCESE OF ORANGE

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CHRIST MEETING THE WIFE AND THE SONS OF ZEBEDEE, (CIRCA 1565) BY PAOLO VERONESE. PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

soccer goal or bragged about a good report card. Perhaps I became defensive when a teacher reported bad behavior.

It’s a mom thing, and sometimes, like Mrs. Zebedee, we get carried away.

And more importantly, we don’t always “get it.”

Scholars have ruminated on this story as well. Scriptural study is an inexact science, but here’s something interesting.

Matthew’s rendition is the only one that has Mrs. Zebedee making the request.

Why? Maybe the writer felt that using her protected the two apostles from looking so grasping. After all, if it’s not one thing, it’s your mother.

Mark’s Gospel (10:35) has the sons make their own request for glory. No other Gospel tells the story at all. Why not? Maybe the writers felt the incident reflected poorly on two men who would later become leaders and die willingly for Jesus.

Another take: In Matthew’s Gospel, (27:56), the unnamed “mother of the sons of Zebedee” is present at the crucifixion, listed last among the women present. But in Mark’s list of women at

the foot of the cross, (Mk 15:40), a name is given to the last woman on the list: Salome.

Are they speaking of the same woman? Has the mother of Zebedee’s sons finally been named? Scholars believe this to be the case. Salome also brings spices to anoint the body of Jesus.

Here’s a Lenten exercise. Read the passages about the women cited above and decide for yourself if Mrs. Zebedee emerges as the faithful Salome.

No matter her name, the readings cast the mother of Zebedee’s sons in a different light. Like me, she struggles to “get it.” But she hung in there all the way to Jerusalem, and like me, she’s learning as she goes. It seems she raised two sons well, sons who would ultimately drink that very real cup.

Salome followed Jesus as the truth unfolded at the foot of a cross and right up to an empty tomb.

During Lent, we’re all called to be Salome. We don’t always get it and we make mistakes. But the important thing is that we follow Jesus on the journey and always remain open to conversion. C

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CATHOLIC NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

POPE: CHURCH MUST BE CENTERED ON WITNESS, NOT RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS ALONE

BY JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

GOZO, Malta (CNS) —Malta’s great spiritual and pastoral traditions must serve as a road map to the future for the Catholic Church, rather than a relic commemorated with “received traditions, solemn celebrations, popular festivals and powerful and emotional moments,” Pope Francis said.

“We need a faith built upon and constantly renewed in the personal encounter with Christ, in daily listening to his word, in active participation in the life of the church and in authentic popular piety,” the pope said April 2 at a prayer service outside the Ta’ Pinu National Shrine.

“The crisis of faith, apathy in religious practice, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic, and indifference shown by many young people toward the presence of God; these are not issues that we should ‘sugarcoat,’ thinking that, all things considered, a certain religious spirit still endures,” he said.

After meeting with diplomats and government and civil leaders in Valletta, the pope traveled by catamaran to the island of Gozo, one of 21 islands that make up the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. Seated on a white chair on the bow of the catamaran, Pope Francis admired the views of Maltese architecture and the pristine-blue Mediterranean as pilgrims stood along the coast, waving at him.

As the vessel pulled into Mgarr Harbor, he was whisked away in a white Fiat 500 before boarding his popemobile. Arriving at the national shrine, the pope greeted the estimated 3,000 pilgrims gathered outside waving flags bearing the yellow and white papal colors.

First built as a chapel in the 16th

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POPE FRANCIS LEADS A PRAYER MEETING AT TA’ PINU NATIONAL SHRINE IN GOZO, MALTA, APRIL 2, 2022. AT LEFT IS MALTESE CARDINAL MARIO GRECH. PHOTO: PAUL HARING / CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

century, the Ta’ Pinu National Shrine was rebuilt over the site two centuries later to welcome the increasing number of pilgrims who visited after Mary reportedly appeared to a woman in 1883 and asked her to pray at the chapel, which was in disrepair.

Pope Pius XI designated it a minor basilica in 1932.

During the prayer service, several Catholics gave witness to their faith and what the shrine means to them and to the countless pilgrims who visit each year.

Sandi and Domenico Apap, along with their daughter Nicole, son-in-law Christian and grandchild Thea, spoke to the pope about how their faith sustained them after Sandi was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Despite the difficulties, she said, “the greatest sign the Lord gave me was his love and closeness” through her family.

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The pope thanked the couple and their family for their “persevering love” and “witness of faith.”

Jennifer Cauchi recounted the story of the Marian apparition to Pope Francis and said, still today, “Mary continues to call and to give hope to pilgrims who come to visit her: young people, the elderly, families, religious men and women.”

“Here each one feels welcomed, and all can lay before Mary’s feet their sufferings and their joys,” Cauchi said.

Recalling her words, the pope said St. John Paul II was among the many pilgrims who have visited the shrine to venerate Mary.

The shrine “that once seemed forsaken now revitalizes faith and hope within the people of God,” he said.

The church, he continued, should “be centered on witness and not certain religious customs” and should also go

out and proclaim the Gospel rather than “be a closed circle.”

The pope told the pilgrims that the signs of fraternal love, especially toward migrants and refugees, remain a “litmus test for assessing to what extent the church is truly evangelical.”

Like Mary and John, who chose to stay at the foot of the cross with Jesus rather than remain hidden, Pope Francis said Christians cannot accept “each other only in the shelter of our beautiful churches, while outside so many of our brothers and sisters suffer, crucified by pain, poverty and violence.”

“Yours is a crucial geographical position, overlooking the Mediterranean; you are like a magnet and port of salvation for people buffeted by the tempests of life who, for various reasons, land on your shores. It is Christ himself who appears to you in the faces of these poor men and women,” the pope said. C

Moments in our Journey Third-grade Faith Formation students at Holy Trinity parish in Ladera Ranch wrote special letters praying for our world leaders, Pope Francis and a peaceful resolution between Russia and Ukraine.

—Photo Submitted

by Jennifer Hommerding

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

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