Can the natural world afford a ‘just war’?

Being good stewards of the earth behooves people to reflect on whether the natural world can afford a “just war,” considering the destructive power of contemporary weapons upon fragile eco-systems, according to a leading Biblical scholar.

Sister of St. Agnes Dianne Bergant, distinguished professor of Biblical Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and a former president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, points out that the Catholic “just war” teaching formulated to address conflict is an attempt to limit, not justify, an armed confrontation that appears to be inevitable.

Get on the Bus: ‘Keeping the bond alive’

More than 200,000 children in California alone have a parent in prison. These often overlooked children are the hidden victims of crime and the unintended victims of the criminal justice system. Through no fault of their own, they find their parents taken from them, generating feelings of abandonment, shame, grief and even guilt.

This year more than 1,100 children will be reunited with their parent in 11 different prisons throughout California with the help of the Get on the Bus Program. And once again, thousands of students in elementary and high schools of the Los Angeles Archdiocese help the Get on the Bus program by undertaking projects to help these children make the long and emotional trip to the prison.

‘Walk for Life’ set May 17 in Redondo Beach

The 27th annual Walk For Life, “Every Step Matters,” will be held May 17 to support Pregnancy Help Center in Torrance. The leisurely seaside 5K, starting at 8:30 a.m. from the south side of Veterans Park in Redondo Beach, welcomes everyone in the community, including seniors, families with children and babies in strollers and everything in between.

St. Mary Magdalen Chapel nears 100th anniversary event

Known affectionately in and around the Camarillo community as The Chapel On the Hill, St. Mary Magdalen Chapel will mark its Centennial Mass and Celebration on July 4.

A series of events are planned prior to the celebration, including the Juan and Adolfo Camarillo Dinner on April 26 in the Chapel Courtyard.

‘JP2, we love you!’ Young adults explain how John Paul II influenced their lives

Even though youth and young adults were not even conceived during Pope John XXIII’s papacy, all have experienced his legacy through his successor Pope John Paul II.

“He cared. Along with Pope John XXIII, he genuinely cared for people,” said Jillian Ford of St. Francis de Sales parish in Sherman Oaks.

On way to canonization: First stop, Assisi

“It looks like California to me,” says Patrick Kellogg, while peaking outside the window of the bus heading to the medieval town of Assisi (about 150 miles West of Rome) April 23 in the afternoon.

Pilgrims from archdiocese overcome by visit to Assisi

Emily Chavez said that as soon as she got to the Ròseo Hotel in Assisi she laid on the bed, and as she stood in silence in a state of contemplation, tears betrayed her and started exiting from the corner of her eyes.

L.A. Vigil to celebrate Pope John Paul II’s pontificate L.A. visit

The Archdiocese’s Office of New Evangelization with the Knights of Columbus will hold a special vigil to honor the life and pontificate of Pope John Paul II on the eve of his canonization in Rome, April 26, 7-11 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

“Pope John Paul II was a gift from God for our times,” said Archbishop José Gomez. “He was a man of the Eucharist and a true spiritual father for our world. Our Archdiocese came together in celebration during his visit in 1987, and we will gather once again to rejoice his canonization. He was truly a saint among us, and he continues to bring us closer to Christ through his example.”

L.A. pilgrims headed for Rome: ‘What an opportunity!’

Nancy Bohte and her best friend Ellen Harrington have been traveling the world since they first met nearly 40 years ago, while teaching for the South Pasadena Unified School District.

But this week the retired high school teachers embarked on a special trip to Rome. Having visited the city before, this time they will see it with different eyes, they said, since they will be part of the historic canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.

Easter and the blessings of the Kingdom

We have a vocation to blessedness. This is what the Beatitudes of Jesus teach us.

The path of the Beatitudes leads out from Christ’s empty tomb. We can walk this path because by his love Jesus conquered the hatred of sin and the corruption of death.