Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco, an alumnus and former rector of St. John's, will address pornography and its effect on human dignity and sexuality during the annual Charles E. Miller, C.M. Symposium March 11 at St. John's Seminary, Camarillo.

"Pornography is evil because it debases the priceless worth and dignity of each human being," said Archbishop Niederauer. "On the Internet each day there are 68 million search engine requests for pornography websites, which account for 25 percent of all searches. Seventy percent of men ages 18 to 24 visit pornographic websites each month and children are often first exposed to pornography on the Internet at age 11."

An alumnus and former rector of St. John's, Archbishop Niederauer was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1962; his classmates include Cardinal Roger Mahony. He served as bishop of Salt Lake City for 10 years prior to his appointment as archbishop of San Francisco in 2005.

The theological symposium series was endowed in memory of Father Miller, longtime professor and administrator at St. John's, to support St. John's Seminary's mission of ministerial formation.

The symposium begins at 7 p.m. at the seminary, 5012 Seminary Rd., Camarillo, and will include a question and answer session after Archbishop Niederauer's presentation. The symposium is free and open to the public. Seating is limited; for information, call (805) 482-2755.

Bishop Diego HS rededicates athletic facility
The re-dedication of the Roberto Nájera Jr. and Dane Erik Schmidt Memorial Weight Room was celebrated Feb. 13 at Bishop Garcia Diego High School, Santa Barbara.

A $112,000 facility and equipment upgrade will accommodate the growth and diversification of the school's athletic program, said Josephite Father Tom Elewaut, principal. The upgrade is part of Bishop Diego's $4.6 million (to date) campus renovation plan

"With 16 sports and 32 teams, this updated equipment addresses the training and safety needs of both male and female athletes, across a variety of skill levels," explained Father Elewaut. "Nearly 85 percent of our students play at least one sport and 50 percent participate in two or more sports. Our focus is on building strong, safe and competitive athletic programs, and protecting the long term physical health of our student athletes."

The Weight Room is named in memory of two Bishop Diego student athletes who died the summer before their senior year (1991).