Pope John Paul II --- who last weekend celebrated the 26th anniversary of his election as pope --- meets with leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the Vatican Oct. 19. From left are Msgr. William P. Fay, general secretary; Bishop William S. Skylstad, vice president and bishop of Spokane, Wash.; and Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, president and bishop of Belleville, Ill. The visit was the last by Bishop Gregory as USCCB president; new officers will be selected at the bishops' meeting Nov. 15-18 in Washington, D.C.

Papal Knights' Christmas event
becomes City of Angels gala
LOS ANGELES --- The late Cyril Nigg, and Peter and Gerry Nigg will be honored Dec. 4 as Catholic Charities of Los Angeles hosts the City of Angels Christmas Gala at The California Club.

The white tie with decorations or black tie event, formerly known as the Papal Knights' Dinner, is a tradition dating back 25 years under Cardinal Timothy Manning and attended by members of the Orders of the Knights and Dames of St. Gregory the Great, the Knights and Dames of Malta and the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre. Proceeds from the event, also attended by Cardinal Roger Mahony and the auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese, will benefit the poor and homeless clients of Catholic Charities.

Since its inception, the Niggs chaired every Papal Knights' dinner except for two. Chairpersons of the 2004 City of Angels Christmas Gala include Maude and Richard Ferry, Phyllis and Michael Hennigan, Colleen and John Morrissey, Cindy and Bill Simon, Cathy and Paul Tosetti, Kim and Bill Wardlaw, and Gretchen and Bruce Willison. For more information about the City of Angels Christmas Gala, call (213) 251-3498 or (213) 251-3494.

St. Mel pastor on marriage interfaith panel
WOODLAND HILLS --- Msgr. Padraic Loftus, pastor of St. Mel Church in Woodland Hills, will be one of six religious leaders participating in a Valley Interfaith Council evening forum Oct. 24 discussing the topic: How does my religion define marriage? The panelists, representing Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, will also address the question of what role the government should play in marriage.

The free event, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, 12355 Moorpark St., Studio City, is open to the public. Panelists will be available to answer questions at the end of the presentation. Joining Msgr. Loftus on the panel will be: Rev. Anne Cohen of United Church of Christ, Simi Valley; Rabbi Barry Lutz, Temple Ahavat Shalom, Northridge; Bishop David L. Benning, Church of Latter Day Saints, Woodland Hills; Laila Al-Mayarati, M.D. of the Muslim Women's League and Rev. Jay Atkinson, pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City.

Call (818) 718-6460 ex. 3001 weekdays or visit VIC's website at www.sfvic.org for further information. VIC's mission is to bind people of diverse faith communities and secular organizations in interfaith action to address and alleviate human and social needs of the Valley.

Mass for separated, divorced, widowed: Oct. 24
LOS ANGELES --- The annual archdiocesan Mass for separated, divorced, widowed and families will take place at St. Jerome Church in Los Angeles Oct. 24. Our Lady of the Angels Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark will preside. The Mass begins at 2:30 p.m. followed by a reception.

At 1 p.m. prior to the liturgy, guest speaker Ann Karner, pastoral associate at American Martyrs Church in Manhattan Beach, will reflect on the topic, "Journey and Promise: You Are Not Alone."

The annual event is sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Family Life. St. Jerome is located at 5550 Thornburn St., Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 637-7249.

Darfur interfaith march takes place Oct. 25
LOS ANGELES --- Father Alexei Smith, archdiocesan ecumenical/interreligious affairs director, will participate along with several interfaith clergy and laity in a candlelight march Oct. 25 to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Western Sudan. More than 50,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in February of 2003 and 1.4 million people have been driven from their homes.

The march will begin at 7 p.m. with a call to prayer at the Islamic Center of Southern California, 434 S. Vermont Ave. and will proceed to Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 3300 Wilshire Blvd. followed by a stop at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd. The event will conclude at St. Basil Church, 3611 Wilshire Blvd., where the Lost Boys of Sudan Choir will sing.

Scheduled interfaith speakers include: Rabbi Mark Diamond, Bishop Jon Bruno, Dr. Maher Hathout, Dr. Nazir Khaja and Rev. George Regas. For further information, contact Daniel Sokatch at the Progressive Jewish Alliance, (323) 761-8350 or the Very Reverend Ernesto Medina, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, (213) 482-2040 ext. 201.

E-mail newsletter publicizes Catholic
events in SoCal
LOS ANGELES --- The ACC Newsbriefs, started almost four years ago to bring people to the archdiocese's website and inform them about archdiocesan events, now has over 1,000 subscribers.

Begun in January 2001 with the aim of publicizing events sponsored by various departments of the Archdiocesan Catholic Center, it has since expanded to cover various Catholic events in Southern California and beyond. The newsletter --- free and available to anyone with an e-mail address --- was the brainchild of Franciscan Father Anthony Scannell, executive publisher of The Tidings and Vida Nueva. To subscribe, access: http://newsbriefs.la-archdiocese.org.