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President Benjamin Fisher opened today’s meeting on time (3 WEEKS IN A ROW!) and promptly thanked PP Ed “Hoops” Jackson as greeter and brought forth (I don’t remember who) to lead the pledge.
Once completed, he asked Janet Schwartz to give the ‘thought of the day’. Janet gave a poignant thought as follows: “An article in the November issue of Rotary magazine was about the club of Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina (part of former Yugoslavia). In the 1970s I was in Mostar and remember seeing the historic stone bridge which connects the Muslim and Christian sectors. The bridge was destroyed during devastating wars in the 1990s but has been rebuilt with help from the local Rotary club. The members of the club have been engaged in projects to help the community. It is gratifying to learn about the honorable deeds of this small club which is trying to bring peace and reconciliation to an area which has endured conflicts over the centuries.” This was not just a thought, but a reflection on what Rotary can do in war-torn and ravaged countries throughout the world. Thank you, Janet.
Next up, guests of Rotary. Benjamin asked a UCLA rotaractor, Joseph Kung, to be recognized. Bill Roen introduced his good friend of many years, Al Green. John O’Keefe immediately stood to introduce his three guests. First his wife, Patty, then potential Rotarians, Chuck McCreary, a PhD in psychology and retired teacher at UCLA, and Bob Warren, a commercial loan officer at B of A and community affairs specialist.
Steve Day, representing the Rotary Foundation, appeared on the dais to ask members wanting to elevate their contributions to the Paul Harris level, to come up after the meeting to do so.
John O’Keefe, once again, was asked to come forth to introduce Fr. Gil Martinez. After explaining that he (John) had received an e-mail from Rabbi Sherman at 1:06 a.m. telling him he would not be speaking due to illness, John introduced Fr. Gil as a Paulist priest and pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Community Church here in Westwood for the last 7 years. Fr. Gil was pastor of the Paulist “mother church” in New York City. He was ordained as a priest in 1995. Subsequently, he was director of campus ministry at the University of California at Berkeley, had assignments at Saint Jude Cancer Research Hospital in Memphis and was an associate director of the Paulist Center in Boston. Although he is from El Paso, TX, Fr. Gil was raised in California. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in conservation of natural resources from Berkeley. Fr. Gil worked for seven years as a National Park Service Ranger at the Grand Canyon (more about that later) and Big Bend National Park before joining the Paulist novitiate.
Fr. Gil has an affable, easy way of speaking and immediately began by telling a story of how he became a priest. While working as a National Park Ranger at the Grand Canyon on the North Rim, he came across an elderly woman having a heart attack. Of course, without a hospital close by, he called for assistance from Flagstaff, AZ. The doctor advised him to get the woman to a lower elevation level or she would die. This woman was an 84-year-old Hungarian Jewish grandmother. About halfway down the mountain the medical service unit from Flagstaff met them to take charge. Before she was released, she looked up to Gil and said, “you should be priest.” That got him thinking!
Fr. Gil went on to review the beginnings of the Paulist Order. In 1858 Fr. Isaac Hecker founded the Paulist Order with a view from Fr. Gil as follows: Hecker saw America with its system of democracy as a fertile ground for bringing non-Catholics into the faith. He saw this as a missionary effort with a philosophy that America makes Catholics better and Catholics make America better. As a small Order, the Paulist’s were able to expand their outreach to the younger generation. During the 50s and 60s Paulist father Ellwood “Bud” Kieser moved into and produced television and movies incorporating the Paulist faith and values. He was a major success, especially with his “Insight” series.
Questions led to the explanation of how the Paulist church worked locally with other faith organizations to respond to the “wildfires” in the Palisades. Fr. Gil also discussed the unfortunate loss of Corpus Christi Church and the Jewish Temple, however noting the heroic saving of its tabernacle.
Responding to a question of parishioners returning after Covid, Fr. Gil said, yes, they are returning but some have found streaming services sufficient for their worship needs. One particular question from our president, “what is the difference between the Catholic and Jewish faiths?” Eloquently, but with a softer tone, he explained the obvious: Christians believe that Jesus Christ is divine whereas the Jews are still waiting for the Messiah to come. (It should be noted that Christians believe the Torah and Old Testament are the same and readings from the Torah are incorporated into Catholic masses.)
Overall, Fr. Gil filled the assigned time without the assistance of his Rabbi friend. He was thanked with a warm applause of appreciation.
President Fisher completed the meeting with special announcements, specifically noting that the Feb. 27th meeting was canceled with a special reception on Tuesday, Feb. 25th, honoring the RI President.
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