Archbishop José H. Gomez | New World of Faith
Dec 30, 2019

A fresco by Enrico Reffo (1831-1917) depicting "The adoration of saints in front of the Eucharist" in the Chiesa di San Dalmazzo in Turin, Italy. (Renata Sedmakova / Shutterstock.com)
I hope you had a beautiful and holy Christmas with your family and loved ones.

As I was celebrating the midnight Mass, I was reflecting that this is the final Christmas of the decade.

And as I continued to pray about this, I thought that looking ahead to the new year and the decade to come, I want to propose two simple resolutions for us. The first I am calling “More Like Jesus.”

The truth is this: Jesus Christ came into this world, and he comes to us now in the Eucharist and in the pages of the Gospel, to show us the way to salvation. And he is that way.
Jesus says to each of us, “Follow me.” That means more than simply calling yourself a Christian or going to church on Sundays. Following Jesus means imitating Jesus; it means walking with Jesus as a friend and taking him as the guide and model for our lives.

St. Paul was the one who first spoke of the imitation of Christ, and this is still the basic pattern of the Christian way of life. Some saints speak of “becoming Jesus” or being “other Christs.”

We know that children learn by imitation. They watch their parents and they do what they see. The finest artists, actors, athletes, and craftsmen begin their training through the imitation of the masters. It is the same with us as Christians.
Jesus said, “Come to me … learn from me.” And there are two practical habits that can help us to learn from our Master and become more like him.

The first, as I have suggested before, is to meet Jesus every day in the “Vita Christi,” the life of Christ written in the pages of the Gospels.

We do not read the Gospels as biography or history, as if they are books that speak of a person and events from the distant past.

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today and forever. So, we need to read the Gospels in the present tense. What is the personal word that Jesus is speaking to me right now, in this moment?

Along with meeting him in the Gospels, we also need to meet Jesus personally in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist should be our “daily bread” for the journey of our life, and the Sunday celebration of the Mass should be the heart of our Christian lives.

It is also important to make time to just “be” with Jesus, in his presence in the Blessed Sacrament.

I wish everyone had the chance every day to “pay a visit” to a chapel or church to spend time in silence with the Lord. Even arriving for Mass 10 minutes early to pray is a good way to start.

When you are in his presence, talk to him simply as a friend, a brother. Tell him what you need, what you worry about, share your happiness with him. Ask him for courage to do his will and serve him better.

Learn to love to spend time with the Lord, just to be silent in his presence. The saints speak of looking at Jesus and allowing him to “look” at us, to examine and speak to our hearts. It takes practice; we need to learn to quiet our minds to think only of him. The best way we can learn is to just start doing it.

My second resolution I am calling “Everyday Missionaries.”

Jesus came to spread the love of God and to show us the path to salvation. And he gives each of us the mission to be his witnesses in the world.

Love Jesus and try to live like him, showing his love to the people that he puts in your life. This is the way we share Jesus. By our attitudes and actions, by the way we treat people, by the choices we make in the humble, ordinary things we do every day, at work, at home, in our friendships.

Los Angeles is one of the nation’s largest cities. Imagine if every Catholic here would bring just one person to a new encounter with Jesus. And what if each of those persons in turn would bring one more person to Jesus? Person to person, heart to heart, we could change the world with the help of his grace.

Pray for me this week, and I will pray for you.

And as we enter this new year and new decade, let us ask the Virgin Mary to intercede for us, that Jesus might shape our lives in his image, just as he took flesh in her womb.

Let us ask Mary to help us ponder his words and the scenes from his life, as she did, and to help us adore him in the Eucharist, as she and St. Joseph adored him in the manger.

And let us ask Mary to help us bring Jesus into this world, as she did.

I wish you all a blessed and holy New Year!

ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ
New World of Faith
Most Reverend José H. Gomez is the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest Catholic community. He also serves as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Welcome to the Old Mission San Buenaventura!...the Mission by the Sea! 

We are open 361 days of the year!

At Mission San Buenaventura we often sing the hymn "In This Place" composed by Trevor Thompson that reminds us of the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ among us. One verse goes like this:

We are gathered at table as one in the Lord.
We are gathered as people who are living the Word.
Our hearts and our spirits are nurtured by grace.
It is Jesus who fills us. He is here in this place.

You are cordially invited to join us for our liturgies. We celebrate Mass daily at 7:30 AM (9:00 AM on Monday during the school year). We have six Masses every weekend. Since the Lord's Day begins at sunset, we celebrate the Saturday Vigil at 5:30pm in English and 7:30pm in Spanish in the Old Mission Church. We celebrate three Sunday Masses in English at 7:30am, 9am and 12:15pm. We have a hugely attended Mass in Spanish at 10:30am in O'Brien Hall, the three story building behind the Mission church.  Join us, won't you?

Click here to take a tour of the Mission with Fr. Tom and Joe Estevez as seen on "All Things Catholic" NETNY.TV Brooklyn, New York Television

Amgen Cycle Tour 2019 in Beautiful Downtown Ventura!

The Thomas Fire, December 2017 is the largest in the state of California history. Mission San Buenaventura welcomed and hosted World Central Kitchen, founded by Chef Jose Andres.  Coordinated by L.A. Kitchen, Chef Jason Collis and Chef Tim Kilcoyne with hundreds of volunteers served 36,000 meals and prepared 90,000 dishes for Thomas Fire evacuees, First Responders and young children in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. 

To help sustain the legacy of our historic Mission: please remember Mission San Buenaventura in your Will or Trust planning.

"Siempre Adelante: United in the love of God as a Mission Family."  Shalom, Fr. Tom Elewaut, Pastor.

October 15, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 218 (Gonzalez, D-San Diego) on Sunday October 13, 2019, a bill that opens a window for three years to allow decades-old lawsuits to be brought against public and private entities.

Our Church has confronted this issue of child sexual abuse for more than two decades now. This has been a sad and shameful chapter in our history as a Church, but it has also been a time of reform and a time for providing much needed support for victim-survivors of abuse.

The Church in California cooperated with then-Governor Gray Davis and the legislature during the previous opening of the statute of limitations in 2003. Since then, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and other dioceses in the state have continued to provide pastoral care and financial support for victim-survivors, no matter when that abuse occurred. And we will continue to do so.
Earlier this year, as part of our commitment to victim-survivors, the Archdiocese decided to take part in the new Independent Compensation Program (ICP) for victims of sexual abuse by diocesan clergy as minors, again no matter when the abuse occurred. The program was launched last month and serves all victims of abuse, including those who may be reluctant to come to the Church for assistance and would prefer to seek redress and healing through an independent
program.

We encourage those who have been abused by diocesan priests in our Archdiocese or in the dioceses of Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Fresno and Sacramento, to seek assistance through the Independent Compensation Program at https://www.californiadiocesesicp.com.

Here in Los Angeles, we will continue to cooperate with the Governor and the legislature in accordance with this new law. The Archdiocese settled the previous claims that came forward after the removal of the statute of limitations in 2003 by using unrestricted funds from the Archdiocesan Catholic Center, the sale of surplus properties, a bank loan, and substantial payments from commercial insurance, with the understanding that the insurance companies would pay those claims, but there would be no coverage for future abuse claims. No parish, designated, or restricted funds were used. Since the 2007 global settlement, the Archdiocese has set aside funds in a risk management program which are intended to be available to help defray the cost of future settlements under AB 218 and under the ICP. As was the case in 2007, we will not pay for these settlements from parish funds, donations to our Together in Mission appeal, our Called to Renew capital campaign, or other donor-designated gifts.

It is our hope that all victim-survivors of childhood sexual abuse in all institutional settings will be able to have their pain and suffering addressed and resolved. We pray that AB 218 will be a step forward in that direction.

It is also important to note that, as we seek to heal the wounds of the past, we have put in place effective systems for the protection of children. As a result, new cases of abuse are rare today in the Church in Los Angeles and in the Church statewide. For more information on the abuse prevention and protection efforts of the Archdiocese and our outreach and support for victim survivors, please visit www.protect.la-archdiocese.org.

Again, I want to apologize to all victims of priest sexual abuse and express my deep sorrow and regret for our past failures and the trust that was broken. I realize, as you do, that no program, however well-intentioned and well-designed, can repair the damage done to victims and their families. But I pray that this new program, and this new law, might provide another avenue toward healing and hope.

May we find hope in Jesus Christ, may the Blessed Virgin Mary be a mother to us all, and may God grant us peace,

Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles

Carta en espanol

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

For more than two decades now in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, we have been working together to promote healing and make amends for the terrible harm suffered by victim-survivors of abuse by members of the Church.

Again, I want to express my sorrow for this abuse and to apologize to everyone who has suffered. We will remain vigilant in our efforts to protect children, report abuse and reach out to support victim-survivors.

And that is why today, (May 14, 2019) we are joining with five other dioceses in California in a new initiative to provide pastoral care and financial support to any person who has been sexually abused as a minor by a diocesan priest.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, along with Dioceses of Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Fresno and Sacramento, has been working for the past seven months with Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille S. Biros, respected mediators and compensation program administrators, to establish this new program.

The Independent Compensation Program for Victim-Survivors of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests (ICP) in California, is similar to other programs established by Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Those programs have already assisted hundreds of victim-survivors directly.

We have been providing pastoral care and financial support for victim-survivors here in the Archdiocese for many years. We will continue to do so. But we also understand that some victim-survivors are reluctant to come to the Church for assistance. Our hope with this new program is to give these people a chance to seek redress and healing through an independent program.

Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros will have complete administrative control over the ICP. In addition, the program is overseen by an independent board that includes former Governor Gray Davis and business leader and former Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Maria Contreras-Sweet.

You can find documents from the California Catholic Conference with more information regarding the program at this link: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-catholic-dioceses-announce-new-compensation-program-for-abuse-victims-300849889.html. Program coordinators have been working with each of the participating dioceses for several months and will be announcing the start of the program in the coming weeks.

I am grateful to all who have joined in our Archdiocesan abuse prevention and protection efforts, especially our many lay staff and volunteers in our Safeguard the Children programs and Victims Assistance Ministry who have worked tirelessly to make our parishes, schools and ministry safer. May God bless you as you continue this vital work.

Please join me in continuing to pray for all those who have suffered abuse. And let us continue to work together so that abuse is prevented and children are protected in our parishes, schools and ministries.

Again, I apologize to the victims of priest sexual abuse and express my deep sorrow and regret for our past failures and the trust that was broken. I realize, as you do, that no program, however well-intentioned and well-designed, can repair the damage done to victims and their families. But I pray that this new program might provide another avenue toward healing and hope.

May we find hope in Jesus Christ, may the Blessed Virgin Mary be a mother to us all, and may

God grant us peace,

Most Reverend José H. Gomez

Archbishop of Los Angeles

A Brief Overview of Archdiocesan Programs and Actions
for the Protection of Children and Young People

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is committed to providing a safe environment for young people in our schools, parishes and other ministries.

Since the early 2000s and even before that, the Archdiocese has had in place a system for reporting and investigating suspected abuse by priests and for removing offenders from ministry. We have also established an extensive program of education and background checks to make sure our children are safe and cared for.

Many of our programs and policies were initiated under the leadership of Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 to 2011 and is now retired.

During his time as Archbishop, Cardinal Mahony was confronted with the allegations of abuse by clergy that spanned a timeframe of over seventy years. The majority of these cases involved abuses that allegedly occurred before he became Archbishop of Los Angeles in 1985. However, he took responsibility for failures and mistakes in the way abuse cases were handled in the past and issued apologies to victims and to the people of the Archdiocese. He also instituted a strict “zero tolerance” policy to ensure that future allegations would be reported to authorities and that anyone found to have committed abuse — whether a priest, deacon, religious or lay person — would be held accountable and permanently removed from ministry in the Archdiocese.

In 2004, he directed the publication of the “Report to the People of God,” the first time a U.S. diocese had issued a comprehensive listing of all clergy to have been publicly or credibly accused of abuse from 1930–2003. Files of clergy with credible abuse claims against them were made public in 2013, as part of a global settlement the Archdiocese reached with victimsurvivors of abuse in 2007.

Over the years, Cardinal Mahony met with many victims personally and apologized to them. He established the Office of Victim’s Assistance Ministry so that victim-survivors would have an advocate in the Archdiocese. This vital ministry continues to provide support for victim-survivors and their families and is also reports abuse to the authorities.

In addition, he established the Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board (CMOB) that is comprised primarily of lay people, including a victim-survivor of abuse by clergy. CMOB reviews the investigations of reported misconduct by clergy that is carried out by retired FBI agents retained by the Archdiocese and recommends an appropriate course of action.

The Archdiocese follows a strict process when reports of abuse are made:
• The allegation is reported to law enforcement; the Archdiocese cooperates fully with the investigation.
• The accused priest or layperson is immediately removed from ministry pending the result of the investigation.
• Parishes or schools where the accused is serving are notified.
• In cases where the statute of limitations does not allow for criminal prosecution, retired FBI investigators retained by the Archdiocese investigate the matter and report to the Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board which makes final recommendations.

The Archdiocese has also instituted abuse prevention and reporting programs for adults and minors; fingerprinting and background checks for employees and volunteers at parishes and schools; and clergy formation programs to prevent abuse. A toll-free number (800) 355-2545 was also established for reporting allegations of sexual abuse by Church personnel. These programs continue to serve as the backbone of abuse prevention and child safety efforts in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles today.

Since these programs were established 15 years ago, more than 329,000 adults have been trained in abuse prevention and reporting; 1.4 million Catholic school students have received age appropriate training that teaches them to understand appropriate and inappropriate boundaries and gives them the tools that empower them to take action and report if they feel uncomfortable, scared or confused; and more than 168,000 adults have been fingerprinted and undergone background checks.

These programs and policies do not take away from the very real harm that was done and the trust that has been broken in the Church. However, they are a testament to the commitment of the people of the Archdiocese, the majority of whom are lay Catholics who have worked for almost three decades to implement and carry out these programs to ensure:
• that abuse is reported to the police and investigated regardless of the statute of limitations;
• that victim-survivors and their families receive healing support; and
• that anyone found to have abused a minor at anytime in their lives, regardless of whether a member of the clergy or a lay person, is not allowed to serve in any capacity in the Archdiocese under zero tolerance.

In the face of recent scandals involving child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reaffirms our unwavering commitment to the healing of victim-survivors of abuse and protection against abuse and misconduct.

In order to address questions on what we have done and continue to do regarding the issue of abuse, the Archdiocese has compiled a timeline of efforts and actions taken since the issue began to be addressed nationally in 1985.

For more information on the Archdiocese’s policies and protocols concerning abuse prevention and support for victim-survivors, visit www.archla.org/protecting.

Timeline of Actions to Adress the Issues of Clergy Abuse in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, 1985-2018

Acciones Arquidiocesanas y Cronología en Español

Independent Compensation Program for Victim-Survivors of Abuse by Diocesan Clergy (ICP) To Begin Sept. 16, 2019

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