ST. THOMAS MORE SOCIETY OF ORANGE COUNTY ad NOVEMBER 2013

veritatemVOLUME 18 ISSUE 9 President’s Column GREGORY WEILER

Something Old JOHN J. FLYNN III

Red Mass Photos AD VERITATEM NOVEMBER 2013

THANKSGIVING: The St. Thomas More Society of TO WHOM, FOR WHAT? Orange County is SOMETHING ad an independent PRESIDENT’S COLUMN veritatem organization sponsored GREGORY N. WEILER by and judges who are practicing Isn’t it ironic that one of our members of the Roman iconic national holidays, centered . OLD around giving thanks, is sacrosanct, while at the same time, the right to ST. THOMAS MORE SOCIETY be publicly thankful to God is being BOARD OF DIRECTORS aggressively excised from the public square? As Catholics we know that PRESIDENT PAST PRESIDENT Donal P. Hanley Gregory Weiler Donald A. Hunsberger Thanksgiving is more than thanks THE LAW OFFICES OF PALMIERI TYLER WEINER DONALD A. HUNSBERGER WILHELM & WALDRON William Malecki for our food and shelter. Though STATE COMPENSATION WEBMASTER INSURANCE FUND these things are great gifts, we give greater thanks for the SECRETARY Fabio Cabezas Steven Cotugno Alma L. Murray Good News itself – the promise of an eternity with God. CONSULTING SOFTWARE HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA ENGINEER TREASURER The Good News, Jesus Christ, who He is, what He did, and Michael J. Alti Michael J. Offenheiser Michael Murphy, CPA THE ALTI LAW FIRM BROWN & STREZA, LLP our ability to appropriate it by grace through faith--those are THE ACCOUNTANCY FIRM OF MURPHY, MURPHY & MURPHY, INC. the things on my mind this month. James P. Doan Julie A. Palafox CHAPLAIN DOAN LAW GROUP PALAFOX LAW CORPORATION This Thanksgiving coincides with the start of Advent. The Rev. Hugh C. Barbour, Lydia C. Duynstee Jake Vollebregt great prepatory period for the Feast of His Incarnation started O. Praem, Ph.D. BEST BEST & KRIEGER LLP ST. MICHAEL’S ABBEY John J. Flynn III NOSSAMAN LLP David Werner back on March 25 at the Feast of the Annunciation. Would it PAST PRESIDENT LAW OFFICE OF DAVID WERNER, LLP not be good for us in the legal community to spend some time Hon. David Belz John L. Flynn III this Advent season focusing on the import of the Incarnation? O.C. SUPERIOR COURT O.C. SUPERIOR COURT If He is who He says He is (the creator of the universe), and ADVISORY BOARD if He did what He said He was going to do (die on the cross Hon. Michael Brenner, Retired • Hon. David T. McEachen for our sins and redeem us), and if we can appropriate that Cirilo Flores • Dean John Eastman redemption, become children of God , by grace through faith, Hon. Andrew J. Guilford • Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. then .... what’s stopping us? IDEALS OF ST. THOMAS MORE members of the legal profession. This pondering, dare I say praying , on the Good News The legal profession is a high calling with corresponding responsibilities to MEMBERSHIP IN STMS does not involve one iota of shopping. On the other hand it society. The principal objective of every Each member of the Society is does drive us to the theme of every great Christmas carol, is to promote and seek justice. committed to: Catholic Lawyers pursue the truth in • strive to live an exemplary Christian the joy attendant to the tidings of great joy, the reality that a both their spiritual and professional life and apply the principles and ideals lives. The duty of a Catholic lawyer is exemplified by St. Thomas More in Savior has been born (and indeed He was 2013 years ago). to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, His their daily lives and encourage same Church and its teachings at all times in the legal profession. This Thanksgiving and Advent season, let us focus on that despite the personal consequences. • attend monthly meeting of the Good News which the great commission commands us to Society and provide personal support THE OBJECTIVES OF STMS to the St. Thomas More Society. proclaim to all nations. Let’s start first with ourselves and take • encouraging its members to live a • attend and support the Red Mass. the time to earnestly thank God for His manifold blessings. Christian life and apply the principles and ideals exemplified by St. Thomas Let’s then push back on our culture with an aggressive charity More in their lives and encourage LAWYER’S PRAYER same in the legal profession. Give me the grace, Good Lord, and abiding joy. to set the world at naught; • promoting and foster high ethical to set my mind fast upon thee principals in the legal profession Our joyful, loving sharing of the Good News, always but and not to hang upon the blast of men’s generally and, in particular, in the mouths; especially this Christmas season where our culture confusingly community of Catholic lawyers. to be content to be solitary; participates in celebrating Our Lord’s birth, is the essence of • assisting in the spiritual growth of not to long for worldly company its members. but utterly to cast off the world the New Evangelization urged on us by soon-to-be Saint John • encouraging interfaith and rid my mind of the business Paul II. understanding and brotherhood. thereof. • sponsoring the annual Red Mass for - ST. THOMAS MORE Have a Blessed Thanksgiving. PAX ~ GNW elected and appointed officials and Gregory N. Weiler is a partner at Palmieri, Tyler, Wiener, Wilhelm & Waldron LLP in Irvine. [email protected]

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SOMETHING OLD JOHN J. FLYNN III

The feast day of St. Charles Borromeo, November 4, And here is Twain’s description of another Catholic, St. calls to mind a passage in Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad. Joan of Arc: Twain, if it is fair to assess his judgment of Catholicism on She was deeply religious, and believed that she had the basis of Connecticut Yankee and a few other passages in daily speech with angels; that she saw them face to Innocents Abroad, was no friend of the Church, or at least no face, and that they counselled her, comforted and friend of certain clerical behaviors and popular devotions. But heartened her, and brought commands to her direct there was more to his perspectives on the Church than those from God. She had a childlike faith in the heavenly harsh but very specific criticisms. While it is not possible origin of her apparitions and her Voices, and not any here to do justice to the complexities of his relationship to threat of any form of death was able to frighten it the Church, when Twain was faced with the real evidence out of her loyal heart. She was a beautiful and simple of Catholicism, he said this about Charles Borromeo, in and lovable character. In the records of the Trials this a passage excerpted from Innocents Abroad, describing comes out in clear and shining detail. She was gentle Borromeo’s tomb in the Milan Cathedral: and winning and affectionate, she loved her home Now we shall descend into the crypt, under and friends and her village life; she was miserable in the grand altar of Milan Cathedral, and receive an the presence of pain and suffering; she was full of impressive sermon from lips that have been silent compassion: on the field of her most splendid victory and hands that have been gestureless for these 300 she forgot her triumphs to hold in her lap the head years. This is the last resting place of a good man, of a dying enemy and comfort his passing spirit with a warm-hearted unselfish man; a man whose whole pitying words; in an age when it was common to life was given to succoring the poor, encouraging the slaughter prisoners she stood dauntless between hers faint-hearted, visiting the sick; in relieving distress, and harm, and saved them alive; she was forgiving, whenever and wherever he found it. His heart, his generous, unselfish, magnanimous; she was pure hand and his purse were always open. With his from all spot or stain of baseness. And always she story in one’s mind, we can almost see his benignant was a girl; and dear and worshipful, as is meet for that countenance moving calmly among the haggard faces estate: when she fell wounded, the first time, she was of Milan in the days when the plague swept the city; frightened, and cried when she saw her blood gushing brave when all others were cowards, full of compassion from her breast; but she was Joan of Arc! and when where pity had been crushed out of all other breasts presently she found that her generals were sounding by the instinct of self-preservation gone mad with the retreat, she staggered to her feet and led the assault terror, cheering all, praying with all, helping all with again and took that place by storm. hand and brain and purse, at a time when parents … forsook their children, the friend deserted the friend, Taking into account, as I have suggested before, and the brother turned away from the sister while her all the circumstances -- through origin, youth, sex, pleadings were still wailing in his ears. This was good St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop of Milan. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)

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enmity toward everything that in Palestine would be a pleasure SOMETHING is Catholic, and sometimes, in which none but the strongest OLD consequence of this, I find it men could dare to undertake. (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3) much easier to discover Catholic Our party, pilgrims and all, faults than Catholic merits. will always be ready and always illiteracy, early environment, But there is one thing I feel no willing to touch glasses and and the obstructing conditions disposition to overlook, and no drink health, prosperity and long under which she exploited disposition to forget: and that life to the Convent Fathers of her high gifts and made her is, the honest gratitude I and all Palestine. conquests in the field and before pilgrims owe to the Convent None of these saints, canonized the courts that tried her for her Fathers in Palestine. Their doors or otherwise, who so impressed life, -- she is easily and by far the are always open, and there is Twain knew anything about the New most extraordinary person the always a welcome for any worthy Evangelization, but who among us human race has ever produced. man who comes, whether he could provide better guides for the Finally, another observation comes in rags or clad in purple. path ahead? Holiness is the faithful excerpted from Innocents Abroad, The Catholic Convents are a imitation of the crucified Christ, its describing the treatment received by his priceless blessing to the poor. A meaning, implications and ramifications tour group from the Catholic “Desert pilgrim without money, whether revealed in Church teachings, the Fathers”: he be a Protestant or a Catholic, branches of the vine. The content They knew we were foreigners can travel the length and of her teaching is in no need of the and Protestants, and not likely breadth of Palestine, and in the slightest alteration; indeed, it is the to feel admiration or much midst of her desert wastes find very source of the attractions exerted friendliness toward them. But wholesome food and clean bed by the saints whom Twain so deeply their large charity was above every night in these buildings. admired. Though we must employ the considering such things. They Pilgrims in better circumstances techniques, vocabularies and mentalities simply saw in us men who were are often stricken down by appropriate to these times, whether this hungry, and thirsty, and tired, the sun and the fevers of the new evangelical impulse is old or new, and that was sufficient. country, and then their saving the hope of its success will rest upon … refuge is the Convent. Without the revelation of the ageless Christ, ever I have been educated to these hospitable retreats, travel new, in the lives of the faithful.

TUNE IN FOR A TUNE UP array of programming including, Tim CALENDAR Staples, Marc Shea, the whole array of Wednesday, December 18, 12 p.m. What do you listen to while you EWTN resources. commute or while driving around town? “I look forward to listening to Many STMS lawyers and judges have Sister Ann Shields every morning on Lunch meeting with STMSOC discovered the great Catholic radio my iPhone. It’s like daily spiritual Chaplain Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. programming available in our area. direction,” said current STMS President Praem., speaking on travels through Immaculate Heart Radio (AM 1000) Greg Weiler. the Holy Land. is available throughout San Diego and Check it out. JILIO RYAN • JILIORYAN.COM most of Orange County. Immaculate 14661 FRANKLIN, #150 Heart Radio broadcasts an incredible TUSTIN,

The Law Offices of programs Advertise in Deborah Pernice Knefel invitations T Y Mammoth booklets ad • Labor and Employment Law business cards P E Real Estate veritatem • Municipal and Admin. Law logos Coldwell Banker advertisements Affordable • Tort/Business Litigation and the A ˜ Fly fishing, golf, skiing, advertising at $150 333 City Blvd. West, Ad Veritatem  per year back packing, property sales ˜ 17th Floor 15% discount for St. Thomas Orange, Calif. 92868 More Society Members Mike S. Martin (714) 937-2035 Mary Harrell [email protected] [email protected] 949.292.3447 [email protected]

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2013 RED MASS

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