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AROUND OUR DIOCESE

2/15/2022

BISHOP FREYER CELEBRATES WORLD MARRIAGE DAY MASS
Bishop Timothy Freyer presided over the Mass for World Marriage Day at Christ Cathedral on Monday, Feb. 7.

World Marriage Day honors husband and wife as the foundation of the family, the basic unit of society. This year’s event is based on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2022 theme, “Called to the Joy of Love.” The Feb. 7 Mass also served as a kickoff event for National Marriage Week, which was observed from Feb. 7 to 14.

ST. IRENAEUS CELEBRATES SPECIAL FAMILY MASS
St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in Cypress invites the Diocese of Orange to 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 Mass. And families are also invited for donuts and punch on the patio after Mass concludes. Family Masses will be held on the second and fourth Sunday of the month at 11:30 a.m.

 

HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ORANGE TO HOST SPECIAL MINISTRY EVENT
Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange is hosting a special ministry event in partnership with Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. The dates are Feb. 27, 28 and March 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The theme of the event is “Are You Truly Happy? Come discover the true happiness of being known intimately 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 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:
– Dr. Aaron Kheriaty (providing an overview of mental health issues and how they can be identified)
– Marshall Moncrief of Be Well OC (describing the robust, community-based strategy of Be Well OC to provide coordinated mental health services through public, private, academic and faith partnerships)
– 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-initiated mental health strategy that can be built over time, adapted and implemented)
– 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)
– Rabbi Andrew Paley of Temple Shalom in Dallas, Texas (discussing emotional survival through crisis, resiliency and recovery)
– 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.