It felt as if the whole world had crashed down on Chatsworth.
The hundreds who turned out for a prayer vigil last night at St. John Eudes Catholic Church were still reeling from the horror of watching not one, but two catastrophes strike close to home just 48 hours before.
“No one can make sense of what is happening, but something powerful is happening here,” LA City Councilmember John Lee told the crowd gathered in the parish’s patio area.
Earlier this week, on Sept. 15, twin accidents rocked this town in the northwestern corner of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley: first, an SUV crashed into a Metro bus, killing two Metro passengers returning home from work; then, a a news helicopter covering the crash hurtled into a nearby warehouse, claiming the lives of both persons aboard and a bystander on the ground, a crash that remains under investigation.
Lee, whose City District 11 includes Chatsworth, and LA Mayor Karen Bass led last night’s candlelight vigil, organized along with St. John Eudes’ pastor, Father Ethan Southard, as more of a community gathering than a formal prayer service. Everyone at the vigil seemed to feel a personal connection to the victims, who were all from Catholic backgrounds.
Daniel Castillo, 46, a father of four, was on his way home from work when a Simi Valley woman – allegedly under the influence of drugs – slammed her SUV into the Metro bus he was riding. Relatives at the vigil said Castillo grew up in St. Elisabeth of Hungary Catholic Church in Van Nuys.
“Danny was a protector, he had a good heart,” said his cousin, Marina Sabia. “He could make anybody laugh, he never wanted to leave anybody out.”
The other Metro passenger who died, 31-year-old Gage Weida, was raised a Catholic in Iowa. His father Jeff told Angelus they were thankful that a Catholic parish had stepped up to host the vigil.
“Gage is a Christian,” said Jeff, who traveled from Iowa after learning of his son’s death. “We know he’s going to heaven. He was baptized as a Catholic, and it was a big part of his life.”
The pilot and reporter killed covering the SUV and bus crash for NBC Los Angeles and Telemundo 52 were both practicing Catholics.
Newschopper 4 reporter Eliana Moreno, 38, was from Orange County and grew up in St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Tustin,. She was engaged to her boyfriend and looking forward to getting married.
Her brother, Johan Moreno, told Angelus that Eliana “was very rooted in her faith.”
Eliana’s helicopter pilot, George Marciniw, was born to Ukrainian Catholic parents who fled to Southern California from their home country towards the end of World War II.
Father Ihor Koshyk, pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hollywood, said Marciniw had belonged to the church since childhood.
“Over the years, he always stayed close to the church, stayed close to the people,” said Koshyk, who’d been with Marciniw at a parish luncheon just before his death.
Marciniw and other children of Ukrainian refugees had practically grown up together in the parish, the priest said. Since the news of his death, grieving parishioners have been sharing stories of Marciniw’s kindness and quiet generosity on social media.
One of Koshyk’s favorite memories is the time that Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Chicago – whose territory includes California – visited LA. Marciniw invited Aleksiychuk and Koshyk on a helicopter ride around Los Angeles, gleefully pointing out landmarks and homes of celebrities from above.
“I think this was the highlight of our bishop’s life, not just his year!” recalled Koshyk.
The bystander on the ground killed when the helicopter fell into the warehouse was Edy Gutierrez Mejia, 29, visiting LA from Guatemala.
Little was known about Mejia at press time, but his tiny hometown of Cuilapa made headlines this summer as the setting of a possible Eucharistic Miracle, an incident that is now under investigation by Church authorities.
As the investigations into both accidents continue, Koshyk said that the deaths of the five victims are an invitation for the rest of us to look heavenward.
“We believe that George is with the Lord, that the Lord is taking good care of him right now,” said Koshyk. “But for us who remain living here, we need some support, some meaning, and that’s the legacy of George’s life, of his strength, of his kind heart.”
“We are sure that God always has his ways of saving us, of bringing us to life,” said Koshyk. “And for some reason, this was the way George had to go to his heavenly home.”
