The possible canonization of Sister Henriette Delille will be discussed at a forum Aug. 11, 5 p.m. at St. Eugene Church, 9506 Van Ness Ave., Los Angeles.Sister Delille is the founder of the Holy Family Sisters of New Orleans, and the Vatican has declared her Venerable, the first step in the process to sainthood. She could become the first African American saint in the Catholic Church.“Venerable means she lived a life of heroic virtue,” said Sister Eva Regina Martin, superior general of the Holy Family Sisters.Sister Delille (1812-62) began the Sisters of the Holy Family to evangelize African Americans through education, medical care and social justice. In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the congregation once staffed Regina Caeli High School and St. Albert and Our Lady of Victory Elementary Schools in Compton.The African American Catholic Center for Evangelization is sponsoring the forum. For information, call (323) 777-2106. Catholics urged to continue opposition to SB 131Archbishop José Gomez and all bishops of California are asking all Catholics to contact their State Assembly members and urge them to vote “No” on Senate Bill 131. SB 131 would suspend for one year a deadline (“statute of limitations”) to give childhood sexual abuse victims the chance to sue their abusers’ employers for damages resulting from their abuse. The California Catholic Conference and other organizations representing private and non-profit organizations oppose the legislation, asserting that it fails to protect all victims of childhood sexual abuse, discriminates against private employers (including Catholic parishes and schools), and puts the social services and educational work of the Church at financial risk. The Senate passed the measure May 29, and it is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. If approved, it would be sent to the full Assembly. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles includes portions of 26 Assembly districts and 14 Senate districts; 105 parishes are located in the districts of seven Assemblymembers who serve on the Appropriations Committee.To contact elected officials, access: http://www.LAFaithfulCitizen.org MSMC Ecclesia certification courses for 2013-2014 announcedMount St. Mary’s College is offering three year-long certification courses in the 2013-2014 school year: —“Letter and Spirit: Canon Law for Pastoral Ministry,” with Juliette Marsh Williams, Adjunct Professor of Canon Law at Loyola Marymount University and Mount St. Mary's College.—“Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations: A Catholic Ministry,” with the Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith, Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.—“Peacemaking in Parish Pastoral Ministry,” with Cambria Smith, Parish Life Director of Holy Family Church in South Pasadena, and Ellie Hidalgo, parish assistant at Dolores Mission in Boyle Heights.All of these courses will meet 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays — Sept. 14, October 5, Nov. 23, Dec. 14, Jan. 4, Feb. 1, March 1 and April 26 — at the Mount's Doheny campus, 10 Chester Pl., Los Angeles, The cost of each course is $480 for the year (which can be paid in $240 segments in September and January). For more information, contact Gail Gresser, director of Campus Ministry, (310) 952-4126 or mailto:[email protected]. To obtain the flyer or registration form, access: http://www.msmc.la.edu/ecclesia.
