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A STRONG COMMUNITY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

What started out as effort to generate funds for new school sports and PE equipment turned into a big opportunity to renew community spirit at St. John the Baptist Catholic School. 

by Staff 

MAKING MEMORIES

I saw an ad on the television recently that encouraged the observer to start “making memories” with the device on offer, probably a phone of some kind.  

by John Garvey, Catholic News Service 

CALIFORNIA BISHOPS UNITE

Videos on unprovoked assaults on elder Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI), arson at a Chinese church and, literally, thousands of racist and violent incidents against Asian women in only the past year, are a horrible and shameful scar upon our society. 

by The California Catholic Conference of Bishops  

SAVING A CHILD

May is Foster Care Awareness Month and Catholic families are encouraged to consider fostering or adopting one of the many children who need safe, stable, loving homes. The Diocese of Orange has teamed up with FosterAll, a Southern California nonprofit that provides guidance and support to families or individuals who feel called to foster or adopt a child.   

by Larry Irish 

JOY AND SORROW

Holy Mary lived a life of great joy as Mother of God, but with it came sacrifice and sorrow. The Seven Sorrows of Mary define her life and story, spanning the years of Jesus’ life and death. We revere her sacrifice and pray her rosary to remember the events she endured.  

by Malie Hudson 

Local

DEDICATED TO SERVE

The priest shortage in the Catholic Church has been an ongoing concern – some would call it a crisis – for decades. The numbers are sobering: Between 1980 and 2012, the ratio of Catholics per priest worldwide rose from 1,895 to 2,965. Last October, the Vatican reported that this ratio is now 3,210 Catholics per priest.  

CONFIRMATION IS A FORMATIVE SACRAMENT

Bishop Robert Barron, in his series on the sacraments, says that “Easter is to Pentecost as Baptism is to Confirmation. The latter is the fulfillment of the first and are deeply tied together. Confirmation strengthens what was given to us in Baptism.” 

MARIA FERRUCCI: 1935 – 2021

On Sunday March 21, 2021, Maria Ferrucci, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away at the age of 86. Maria was born on January 21, 1935, in Amorosi, Italy to Emilio and Caterina Maddaloni.

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Christ Cathedral

ROSE RIVER MEMORIAL

Roses mean a great deal to devoted Catholics. Mother Mary is intimately aligned with roses, and the rosary includes a…

RESPECT LIFE ROSARY PROCESSION DREW 100 TO CHRIST CATHEDRAL

In response to numerous parishioners from all over the diocese asking how they could help to bring more awareness to…

RED MASS CELEBRATED AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL

The region’s legal professionals, scholars and judges on Oct. 5 convened on the campus of Christ Cathedral to celebrate the…

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Sports

SANTA MARGARITA HOLDS VIRTUAL SIGNING DAY

In the final collegiate signing day period of the school year, Santa Margarita Catholic High School honored nine athletes from…

MOVING UP IN THE WORLD

In another round of signing ceremonies that saw high school seniors commit to playing college athletics, both Santa Margarita Catholic…

HOMETOWN BALL

Sharing the same athletes has long been a source of tension between high school coaches and their counterparts at surrounding…

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Local Headlines

CHRIST CATHEDRAL MARKS YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH BY MOVING STATUE TO MARY HOOD CHAPEL
A modest statue of a man and baby sits on an unadorned marble pedestal. The intimate chapel at the base of the Crean Tower, named the Mary Hood Chapel, is easily lost beneath the 236-foot stainless-steel mirrored spire that naturally draws one’s gaze heavenward. 

ADAPTING TO CHANGE
On a sundrenched, postcard of a spring day, the only thing missing on the manicured grounds of the Heart of Jesus Retreat Center in Santa Ana is the bustle of children. 

CHRIST CATHEDRAL HOSTS PRAYER VIGIL FOR ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
On the patio outside the Freed Theater on the Christ Cathedral campus, a special wishing tree was laden with hundreds of purple “leaves.” Each was actually a piece of paper inscribed with a message.

Opinion Headlines

IMBIBING IN AWE
Spring’s awesomeness has arrived. In Washington, D.C., forsythia, daffodils and tulips adorn front yards, with azaleas and dogwoods to follow. ...

PROMOTING JUSTICE
This is the second article in a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the California Catholic Conference. ...

VACCINES ARE SAFE
People can be confident that the approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe and ethical and that receiving the vaccine is an...

National

GRAD STUDENTS LIFT ELDERLY PARISHIONERS’ SPIRITS ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME

SAN DIEGO (CNS) — In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Wendell Callahan became aware of two demographic…

ST. JOSEPH’S DAY CAN HAVE ITS CAKE — AND MEAT WITH IT TOO

WASHINGTON (CNS) — St. Patrick’s Day has its corned beef and cabbage and St. Joseph’s Day has zeppoles — Italian…

CATHOLIC HEALTH CARE OFFICIALS AIM TO GET COVID-19 VACCINE TO EVERYONE

WASHINGTON (CNS) — To make sure COVID-19 vaccines reach everyone, Catholic health care officials are working to overcome hurdles of…

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National Headlines

CATHOLIC SCULPTOR HOPES TO INSPIRE WITH HIS LITURGICAL ART
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (CNS) — When he was 7 years old, Dony Mac Manus’ mother gave him a bag of...

THE IMPORTANCE OF SCRIPTURE
When Pope Francis established the annual celebration called Sunday of the Word of God, it was no accident that he...

MARS MISSIONS CAN INSPIRE NEXT GENERATION SCIENTISTS, PAPAL ASTRONOMER SAYS
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As Perseverance, the latest probe on Mars, gears up to send to Earth high-definition images, video...

SUPREME COURT REBUKES CALIFORNIA’S STRICT CORONAVIRUS RULES FOR CHURCHES
Washington D.C., Feb 6, 2021 / 11:04 am (CNA) – California’s strict coronavirus rules banning indoor worship were blocked and...

World

SHROUD OF TURIN TO GO ON VIRTUAL DISPLAY FOR HOLY SATURDAY

Rome Newsroom, Mar 4, 2021 / 03:00 am (CNA) – For the second time, the Shroud of Turin will be…

POPE FRANCIS PRAYS FOR A RENEWAL OF THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

Vatican City, Mar 3, 2021 / 05:00 am (CNA) – Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of March is…

GOD OFFERS HUMANITY A LOVE WITH NO EQUAL ON EARTH, POPE SAYS AT AUDIENCE

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — There is no greater love in the world than the love God has for humanity, Pope…

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World Headlines

BIBLE READING BOOSTS MENTAL WELL-BEING AMONG CHRISTIANS, U.K. SURVEY SAYS
ROME (CNS) — Reading the Bible has had a positive effect on people’s “mental well-being” during the pandemic, according to...

CARING FOR THE SICK IS ESSENTIAL PART OF CHURCH’S MISSION, POPE SAYS
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Caring for and healing the sick is an essential part of the Catholic Church’s ministry, just...

SACRED SCRIPTURE NEEDS TO BE RESPECTED, VALUED, VATICAN SAYS
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In preparation for the Sunday of the Word of God Jan. 24, the Vatican issued recommendations...

VATICAN WILL OFFER PFIZER VACCINE AGAINST COVID-19 TO EMPLOYEES
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican health service will begin vaccinating employees and Vatican citizens against COVID-19 using the Pfizer...

Education

ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL RECEIVES TECHNOLOGY GIFT

The staff at St. Joseph Catholic School in Santa Ana received some unexpected gifts recently when a generous donation provided…

ST. BONAVENTURE TACKLES INTERSECTION OF SCIENCE AND FAITH

Science and faith – can they coexist in the same space? In our present Covid-era world, it seems that the two belief systems might forever remain in conflict.  

SENIORS SIGN UP

The celebration of high school senior athletes who have committed to playing their respective sports at the collegiate level continued…

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Education Headlines

HEALTHY CHILDREN OF GOD AT SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH
With a continued emphasis on supporting the needs of the whole student, St. John the Baptist Catholic School encouraged its...

ATHLETICS CLEARED TO RETURN
For many high school athletes in California who have been eagerly waiting to resume competition in their respective sports, some...

OBSTACLE COURSE AT SCA PROMOTES SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH TO STUDENTS
St. Catherine’s Academy  (SCA) in Anaheim has been open for full-time in-person instruction since last August. Boys in Kindergarten through...

TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Even as most high school sports are just now returning to play, Orange County Catholic high schools took time on...