Archives

L.A. Faithful Remember ‘Humble’ Bishop Who Was Pro-Life Advocate

LOS ANGELES — If Catherine Contreras had the opportunity to have one more conversation with the late Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, she would thank him for his unwavering support of pro-life advocates and for being a father figure to so many.

“Thank you for your support. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for being [fatherly], being warm, and giving to us so selflessly,” Contreras said she would tell Bishop O’Connell. “We appreciate your dedicated work, and we know the sacrifices that he made for all of us.”

Contreras offered the message on March 1, looking down upon the nation’s largest burial site of aborted babies, which Bishop O’Connell blessed last year. Located in Odd Fellows Cemetery in East Los Angeles, there are almost 16,500 aborted babies found buried there in the 1980s.

Contreras is the president and executive director of Vox Vitae, a Los Angeles-based pro-life advocacy organization. Bishop O’Connell provided the seed money for the organization’s Help and Hope sidewalk advocacy program, but beyond that, she added, he was a steadfast champion of the pro-life cause who always made himself available.

“All I had to do was text or call him and say, ‘Can you help us,’ ” Contreras explained.

“Our bishop made it a point to be available, praying outside of abortion facilities, praying exorcism prayers outside of abortion facilities, and if a mother ever needed help, he was there,” she continued, adding that Bishop O’Connell would often say pro-life advocacy is “the most important work that we need to be doing.”

Other pro-life advocates also say their final message to him would be one of thanks.

Dahlia and Arnold Mayorquin never met Bishop O’Connell, but they said he was integral in their decision last year to follow through with the birth of their baby boy, Joshua, who they were encouraged to abort because he had a very small chance of living. Joshua was born on Feb. 10, 2022, and lived 40 days until March 18, 2022.

“There are no words that we can express for the gratitude that we have for him because we know that his prayers are what most likely helped him live those 40 days,” Dahlia explained. “Our son was pronounced dead in the womb, to them, he wasn’t going to be born alive, and he lasted 40 days. … I’m pretty sure that had something to do with Bishop O’Connell’s prayers.”

The couple said that Bishop O’Connell was key in helping them in other ways, as well, including with things like money, food, and other essential items. Albert said if he could tell Bishop O’Connell one thing, it would be, “Thank you, I appreciate everything.

“I can’t say I had a physical way of meeting him, but probably a mental way through his prayers,” Albert said.

Similarly, Glendy Perez, the 40 Days for Life Coordinator in El Monte, California, would tell Bishop O’Connell, “Thank you for taking the time to be here with us, for the humbleness, for his courage, for his love.” She said Bishop O’Connell visited with them twice.

“When he came to do his special deliverance prayers … we felt the difference,” Perez said. “Even the people that were here were all feeling this tension, and then after he finished with the prayers, we felt this big load get off of our chest. It was such a feeling of peace, courage, and strength. He was so humble, down to earth.”

When asked how Vox Vitae will carry on without Bishop O’Connell, Contreras acknowledged that right now, they’re still heartbroken about the situation but noted that they know they’ll be OK if they continue to rely on their faith.

“He was here in the line of the apostles and the apostles, and our bishops, they’re here because of God. And with God, we’re always going to be OK,” she said. “We’re heartbroken, and we will have to regroup emotionally, but we have God.”

Perez added that she prays there will be another bishop who joins them in their advocacy efforts the way Bishop O’Connell did, saying, “Maybe wherever he is, he can pray for one to come.”

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 03/02/2023

 

Thousands came together Thursday to pray for beloved Bishop David O’Connell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Downtown Los Angeles.

Crews that are working to clean up the East Palestine, Ohio disaster are getting sick.

The Lenten Pilgrimage pushes on as St. Mark’s Church holds services all day for pilgrims.

Republican Senators Grill AG Garland Over Anti-Catholic Bias

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Attorney General Merrick Garland faced some harsh questioning from Republican lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.

The senators were questioning whether the Justice Department led by Garland had an anti-Catholic, anti-pro-life bias when it came to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s methods.

The attorney general labeled a now-retracted Richmond FBI memo that suggested investigating traditionalist Catholics for possible ties to domestic terrorists “appalling.”

A riled Garland defended the DOJ and its agencies during heated exchanges with Republicans over whether federal agencies are biased against the pro-life movement in their enforcement of federal laws.

In response to questioning from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, Garland denounced the FBI’s Richmond division’s memo, which defined a strategy to investigate a link between “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology” and “the far-right white nationalist movement.”

The FBI memo laid out how to investigate Catholic parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mass and certain Catholic online communities. The document cited a list from the Southern Poverty Law Center to determine which organizations adhere to “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.”

Hawley asked Garland whether the Department of Justice is “cultivating sources and spies in Latin Mass parishes and other Catholic parishes around the country.”

“The Justice Department does not do that,” Garland said. “It does not do investigations based on religion. I saw the document you have. It’s appalling. It’s appalling. I’m in complete agreement with you. I understand that the FBI has withdrawn it, and it’s now looking into how this could ever have happened.”

Hawley pressed the issue further, asking Garland how many informants the FBI has in Catholic churches.

“I don’t know, and I don’t believe we have any informants aimed at Catholic Churches,” Garland responded. “We have a rule against investigations based on First Amendment activity, and Catholic churches are obviously First Amendment activity. But I don’t know the specific answer to that question.”

Hawley criticized Garland for not providing a definitive answer to the question.

“You don’t know the specifics of anything, it seems, but apparently, on your watch, this Justice Department is targeting Catholics, targeting people of faith, specifically for their faith views,” Hawley said. “And Mr. Attorney General, I’ll just say to you, it’s a disgrace.”

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, asked Garland to account for a disparity in the number of prosecutions of pro-life activists and pro-abortion activists under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The FACE Act made it a federal crime to impede access to a pro-life pregnancy center or abortion clinic.

Lee told the attorney general that there have been 81 reported attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers “and only two individuals have been charged” with violating the FACE Act. Meanwhile, he said, 34 pro-life activists have been charged for blocking access to or vandalizing abortion clinics.

“There are many more prosecutions with respect to the blocking of the abortion centers, but that is generally because those actions are taken with photography at the time, during the daylight, and seeing the person who did it is quite easy,” Garland responded.

“Those who are attacking the pregnancy resource centers, which is a horrid thing to do, are doing this at night in the dark,” he said. “We have put full resources into this. We have put rewards out for this.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also cited discrepancies in FACE prosecutions that evoked the FBI’s arrest of Mark Houck, a pro-life activist charged by the FBI for allegedly violating the FACE Act, but acquitted on all counts.

“Two dozen agents clad in body armor and ballistic helmets and shields and a battering ram showed up at his house pointing rifles at his family,” Cruz said.

Garland responded by stating, “the decisions about how to do that are made at the level of the FBI agents on the scene” and “my understanding is the FBI disagrees with that description.”

 

Bishop Brennan Celebrates Mass at Our Lady of Grace as Part of Lenten Pilgrimage

A group of Catholic school students got a lesson from Bishop Robert Brennan as he led the next stop in the Lenten Pilgrimage this morning.

On Wednesday Catholics took a trip to Our Lady of Grace in Gravesend where the bishop celebrated Mass with the students of the parish’s catholic academy.

Bishop Brennan spoke about God giving us strength to deal with what we encounter in life.

The bishop also spoke about focusing on putting the needs of others before ourselves.

Bay Ridge Catholic Academy 1st Graders Share the 10 Commandments

A Catholic class in Brooklyn is doing more than their morning prayers, they’re reciting their Ten Commandments.

Students from class 1a at Bay Ridge Catholic Academy performed a special song at a school assembly for kindergartners to fourth graders on Tuesday.

They have been learning about the Ten Commandments in their religion class and decided to share their knowledge.

During the assembly, the school also passed out awards for students of the month.

Bishop David O’Connell’s Legacy Lives on in His Fellow Priests and Parishioners

It’s been nearly two weeks since parishioners prayed with their beloved bishop. Now they just pray for him.

Bishop O’Connell’s body was found February 18, shot in the torso. Two days later police arrested his housekeeper’s husband, who confessed to murdering him. The world still doesn’t know why.

Currents News Jessica Easthope is in Los Angeles where a special memorial Mass is being held.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 3/1/2023

The final farewell begins today for Bishop David O’Connell, who is remembered as a peacemaker, a pastor, and a precious friend.

Some justices on the Supreme Court express skepticism over President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program and whether it’s constitutional.

The Vatican also released new details about the Pope’s upcoming trip to Hungary next month.

How These Priests from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Remember Bishop David O’Connell

The unexpected news of the shooting death of Bishop David O’Connell on February 18 in Los Angeles shook the community. Immediately after, people made memorials outside his house and began paying their respects.

For the Archdiocese of L.A., Bishop O’Connell was more than a spiritual father, he was a friend.

“Bishop Dave was a man for all people, sort of like St. Paul. We hear St. Paul being all things for all people and he had a way of receiving people who were in their most vulnerable and neediest moments. But simultaneously was a community leader. He worked with city council. He worked with the police department, with the sheriff’s department, was involved in a lot of civil movements as well,” said Father Jonathon Meyer.

Fr. Jonathon and Fr. Brian Humphrey both knew the Bishop when he was simply Fr. Dave. Before being ordained a bishop, he was the pastor in a violent gang neighborhood. He would find people on the streets and give them work.

But for these two young priests, he was also someone who helped them discern their vocation. During the year Fr. Jonathon spent serving at St. Michael’s, a local parish, Bishop O’Connell gave him the push he needed to fully commit to the priesthood.

“It was in that year at St. Michael’s, I think especially through his witness, through his love, through his faith and devotion to the Lord that kind of gave me that bit of impetus, that last sort of push to say fiat, yes, I will do Your will, Lord,” said Meyer.

Bishop O’Connell’s work with the various groups in the community earned him the name “The Peacemaker.”

“You know, I think that’s a great name for him. I think the Archbishop gave him that name in his statement and I think it’s perfect.
Not just because of all the social work and a lot of the things he did in the community—which he did a ton—but in that interpersonal way where he would love you, even in the midst of your acting out. He would look at you with love,” said Humphrey.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is holding three days of memorial services beginning on March 1 and ending on March 3. Bishop David O’Connell will be laid to rest in Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on March 4.

Pulse of the Parish: Our Lady of Mount Carmel

If you’re ever looking for a Mass in Vietnamese, Spanish, or even Czech, don’t look any further than Astoria, Queens.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a true representation of the Diocese of Brooklyn. It is one of the most diverse parishes in the diocese of immigrants.

Fortunately, the pastor, Monsignor Cuong Pham, is multilingual.

“When I came here, I said the whole world exists in my parish,” Pham said. “There are masses in five languages every Sunday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria: English, Spanish, Italian, Vietnamese and Czech.”

It’s one of the reasons he admires his church.

“People speak all kinds of languages, people have different stories, people come with so much richness cultural and religious and societal and to have all of that in one single religious body my family, my spiritual family is a great feeling,” he said.

But the church’s diversity isn’t the only thing about it that stands out. There’s something else that’s rich about it.

It’s been around for a long time. In fact, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is considered the mother church of Queens County. It’s been around since the 1840s.

One way Neida Martinez hopes to bring the church’s past into the future is by digitizing all the sacramental registers at the church.

“That’s the history of the parish,” she said.

Martinez says the task isn’t as simple as it sounds.

“It’s not an easy process and on a volunteer basis it’s even more difficult,” she said. “There are some pages that have been damaged and that’s why the less handling the better.”

It’s a lot of work to scan and transcribe all the data when everything is handwritten. Some of the entries were filled with a pen that was dipped in ink.

But taking two centuries worth of church history on pages and making them accessible with just the click of a mouse has helped Martinez combine her two passions: technology, and faith.

Martinez wears many hats at the church, including Director of Communications an Eucharistic Minister, lector, faith formation teacher, and she helps coordinate the annual Catholic Appeal. All of it is volunteer work.

“Everything I do is for the greater good of the glory of God of course,” Martinez said. “But for the greater good of the parish anything that helps the parish I’ll be there.”

As the comms director, Martinez live streams every Mass and special event. She’s also in charge of the church’s social media pages.

“It’s a way to get young people,” Martinez said. “You know if we don’t bring young people in, we have no church.”

Martinez sees the virtual outreach as an extension of the church’s effort to reach people and connect them to God.

“That’s our way of evangelization. It’s not just going to mass but going to mass and then jumping off from that point to meeting your fellow parishioners.”