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Letters to the Editor

How Pope Benedict inspires me as an educator

Aaron DeLoera • Jan 17, 2023
Thank you for the special issue dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI and his impact on the world and Church.  As a Catholic school principal who works with families to nurture the faith of students through academics and faith formation, I can’t state how much of an influence Benedict has had on me. As Scott Hahn wrote in the issue, “his study of the sacred page was not simply an academic exercise. It informed his preaching, and it became a hallmark of his spiritual life.” This is evident in the way he writes. There is hidden poetry in his books that comes to life and is appreciated when one thinks of the immense love of Christ. Throughout his writings, Benedict had a keen awareness that the Lord is constantly seeking us to encounter his love, like one of my favorite quotes in his 2005 encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” (“God is Love”): “Seeing with the eyes of Christ, I can give to others much more than their outward necessities; I can give them the look of love which they crave.” I was happy to have our school discover the treasure that Benedict has been by making extra copies of the issue available to our students. I know it will inspire their minds and hearts to the love of Christ.  — Aaron DeLoera, principal, St. Bernard School, Bellflower

Gratitude for the return of ‘Don Camillo’

Nancy Kilbourn • Jan 17, 2023
Thank you for Msgr. Antall’s article on the “Don Camillo” series on AngelusNews.com. I discovered the books my first year in college and loved them. Time to find copies and read again. I had no idea about the author and what an interesting life he had.  — Nancy Kilbourn, Thousand Oaks

Seeing the Holy Spirit at work

Marilyn Boussaid • Jan 10, 2023
What a marvelous way to end the year! “Five doses of good news for Catholicism amid an otherwise bleak year,” by John L. Allen Jr., in the Dec. 30 issue, made my heart swell with gratitude for my Catholic faith and my fellow Catholics. Reading these “doses of good news” reminded me of how much good is being done that we hear little or nothing about. It was so uplifting to read about the growth of the Catholic Church and the charitable work being done in so many places. The Holy Spirit is truly at work, but often in a hidden and silent way. I feel so sorry for those Catholics who have “fallen away,” for whatever reason, and who have become indifferent or hostile toward our Holy Father or the priesthood in general, or even toward the Church as a whole. They are missing out on the joy of being part of this beautiful body of Christ. I pray that they will come back and be blessed by renewed faith in 2023. — Marilyn Boussaid, St. James Church, Redondo Beach

The ‘Father Terry’ that I knew

Deacon Thomas Brandlin • Jan 09, 2023
Thank you to Heather King for the insightful and spot-on reminiscence of Msgr. Richey published on AngelusNews.com Jan. 6 (and in this issue on pages 34-35).   The last several years he lived at St. Basil’s in Koreatown, Father Sergio Garcia and I found ourselves increasingly assisting Msgr. It was made so much more enjoyable with his one-liners and that he was so accepting of his situation.  He was always upbeat. During the pandemic lockdown he wanted a haircut. I told him I could get a big pair of scissors or set-up a guillotine in the garden, whichever he preferred. In a rather dry response, he said, “I think the guillotine may be a bit extreme.” That kind of repartee went on all of the time. — Deacon Thomas Brandlin, St. Basil, Koreatown

Glad to read beyond the headline of ‘Back to Mass’ story

E.J. Taylor • Dec 20, 2022
When I read the headline “Pasadena parish lets LA Catholics ‘choose their moment’ in church” on AngelusNews.com, I will admit that I was a little concerned.  I assumed the story (which also appeared in the Dec. 16 issue) would be about some new experimental gimmick to get people back in the pews by any means possible. But when I read the article (always a good thing to do before forming an opinion based on a headline), I found the content and the strategy of this parish quite wonderful: This was a new marketing of "old" and timeless worship: Mass, confession, eucharistic adoration.  The final quote from Sarah Yaklic about the importance of keeping churches open took me back to my youth, when you could always walk into a Church at almost any time and kneel before a tabernacle. Nice article. — E.J. Taylor, Los Angeles

Gratitude for the roots

Marilyn Boussaid • Nov 22, 2022
Thank you for the wonderful article by Mike Aquilina, “That Strange Word ‘Eucharist’ ” in the Nov. 18 issue. I wish more Christians understood the connections of the Catholic Church with her Jewish roots. There would be fewer divisions among Christians if this history were more widely known, and the Mass would be better appreciated. — Marilyn Boussaid, St. James Church, Redondo Beach

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