>> hi, i'm dr. kristine mudridge. welcome to mosaic. chris? >> it's wonderful to be here. i am glad to be here and really looking forward to what we talk about today, pope john paul ii, and canonizations. you just returned from rome and i think the show is too short to have you tell the story. look forward to it. >> i did just come back from rome. in this segment, we'll discuss the canonization of john paul ii. our theme is the month of may which covers, in catholic theology, our blessed mother,

and john paul ii had a special relationship with her. first, a sad topic. we've lost a really wonderful partner at the chancery. people at mosaic will identify. george westlick passed away. i was in rome, not in the united states but chancery was hard hit by the loss of this wonderful guy. >> absolutely. george, lifetime dedicated serving god in the church and we know he was struggling with cancer and yet it's always a shock to know that someone has passed away. on the other hand, really, it's someone that we can say we're really blessed for him now that he's received his inheritance

and that the lord willing, beautiful family and ceremony from what i heard. he lives in sonoma, family is in sonoma. a lot of people from the chancery went up to the actual rosary and the funeral. >> george was an activist. he was a person who loved the poor, the underdog. >> director of public policy. able to get in the mix orphanings and speak truth and dispel myths and what faith in citizenship is. >> the office of public policy is also working in conjunction with the vatican office of peace and justice. and george certainly lived a peaceful life, seeking justice for those most marginalized. the department works in incredible ways took working one of the things that i think is so cutting edge that no other diocese is doing to the same degree that we're doing is

they're holding vigils for the victims of violent crime in the city and they're networking the families that have lost loved ones. they're speaking at the actual site where the person was killed and walking on the street where the other victims in a coalition to kind of stop violence right where it's happening. >> one of the many unsung things that the department does, they don't draw attention to it, they just do it. they just reach out and show up. priests show up. they pray at the actual spot where the has happened and most importantly, the family is contacted and ministries offered to the family. >> also, one of the great things that george started from the chancery is what is known as the walk for life. that walk for life now has 50,000 people coming out in the streets. >> small gathering of friends

once a year. an amazing group of people who have been faithful in the last, you know, 15 to 20 years here, especially in the archdiocese of san francisco where speaking up for your catholic faith is not always something that's welcomed with open arms in the public square, but definitely now 50,000 plus people showing up every january starting from the civic center, standing up for life. young people, old people, religious, married, everybody. george was with the crew at the very beginning forming that vision and making it happen. >> well, george weselik is just a wonderful person to have inspired so many good things in the city now that come around every year. we just wanted at the beginning of this program to mention him and wish his family condolences

and to honor the legacy of this wonderful man. we'll be back with you in a moment.

>> welcome back to mosaic. i'm kristine mudridge. happy to join us. i'm here with chris rey ford, the chief communication officer from the archdiocese of san francisco. chris, we are doing something unusual and turn the table. you're going to be interviewing me this morning. i just returned from a trip to rome. i had the opportunity to attend the canonization of john xxiii and john paul ii and now we call them a rather long title. st. pope john paul ii and st. pope john xxiii. i had an amazing experience and

i wanted to bring chris on because chris attended in 1993. so you had the opportunity to be up close and personal with 500,000 other people. >> that's right. >> in the papal event. >> we woke up the day of the mass in denver, colorado, and long story short, my wife was quoted by the ap and it went everywhere. it was with john paul the great as i like to call him. the way i look back on that and the city has still been reaping, i think, the graces from that visit. beautiful images of holy father, st. john paul ii reaching out, blessing children, meeting the people

who had aids and all of that. during the mass, when our sort of family mascot, michael pritchard, got up to do the emceeing, the moment that happened and the holy father came in through the tunnel in the pope mobile, it was as if we were family. it was not that big. it was not 70,000 people. it was simply a gathering at your local parish and we had the same feeling. i can't describe it, words can't describe it. you were there. and first of all, i want to have you speak about the providence with regard to where you were actually sitting on the 27th of may, excuse me, of april, just over a week ago as we're taping this and first of all, explain your vantage point and why you were sitting there? >> well, i was so blessed. i arrived in rome on thursday of just last week. a couple of days before the

canonization mass and on friday, i was found out i was given a ticket to sing in the vatican choir and i went inside to the choir mass and choir practice and distributed these beautiful tickets. i felt like willy wonka and the golden ticket to get into the chocolate factory, only a million times greater, of course. >> you were in town and they said, we had to get her. >> oh, chris. i sang in the vatican choir for years while i was studying there. and open to any student that wished to attend. previously, the universities in rome were established to educate the seminarians who would become priest and many started by religious orders who would send the men and those men would be ordained to the

priesthood by the father. and john paul, requested lay people be allowed to attend the universities. i was one of the people that benefited from that. in 2002, i started to attend the pontiff cal university system for my doctoral degree and while there, i was able to sing in the vatican choir and be very close to pope john paul ii and get to know him and he did have that capacity, as you were mentioning, no matter how large the crowd was, to make you feel like you were the, almost the only person in the room or at least a strong sense of family. because he was so relaxed with people. on sunday the 27th, divine mercy sunday, i found myself literally 20 people away from pope francis singing in the choir and there were a sea of 800,000 people in attendance

right there in the square down to the river. >> yeah. explain though the -- one of the first things that happened was a historic moment you had to pinch yourself. explain that. we talked on the radio before but you want you to explain to these people. >> well, the moment for me that i just could not comprehend was seeing the women, the two women that had the healings. the miraculous healings. instantaneous healings from john paul ii come together in prayer after the ceremony and i was able to meet with both of them and to speak with both of them and to invite them to come to san francisco so that people could get to know them and understand the miracle that happened to them. but i will, i think i know what you're alluding to and i do want to let the audience know i had an opportunity to speak to pope francis and i invited him to come to san francisco. now, he was a bit away but he

did hear me and i wasn't sure -- i couldn't believe, actually, that he was waving and saying yes. so i gave him a thumbs up and he gave me a thumbs up. i've spoken spanish and said, san francisco, santo padre. >> get ready, he's coming. look busy. >> we can hope in the last 30 seconds we can say together, we hope the holy father does come. >> you're probably one of many people who have been asking him to come. st. francis, san francisco? >> 8 million people attended the canonization of these two wonderful popes and we want to encourage our listeners to look these new saints up. they're strong interassessers for you and we'll be back after the break.

>> our program deals with john paul ii and the month of may is the month of blessed mother according to catholic tradition. we talk also about women in the church. with me is donna moore and catny fallen. both of them women are from the program called endow and i'd like you to share a little bit of your background with us that brought you to this point where both of you are leading a group called endow. >> well, we are participants in the program. we're not necessarily leading it but we're happy to go and participate in the program. and it is a parish program out of our parish, and it's a study group for women for wives, mothers, daughters, career women to really be confirmed and affirmed in vocation as

women. try to wrap this idea of the feminine genius that john paul ii talked about so much. >> john paul ii did speak a lot about women. he wrote so many wonderful documents directed for women and what is endow actually standing for e.n.d.o.w.? >> educating on the dignity of women. think of it as face for women. >> tell me about the genesis, where it started. >> i believe in denver, colorado, by some women and it received the protoform. it's in about 100 diocese in the united states and also in australia and new zealand and maybe a few other countries. >> both of you ladies attended

a local university, a program of advanced studies. and you have had a sense of faith, i'm sure, that going through that university experience undergirded your faith but really and truly, what is it about the catholic faith that would inspire you at this point to live the kind of life that you live which is one of outreach and evangelization. >> it was centered on learning the faith and learning history, reading the classics and i was catholic all my life but i came to know jesus deeply through that program and the study of philosophy. most of our friends there in the same program felt the same way and we had a camaraderie and i met my husband there as

well. >> so donna, you have a history. m.a. in italian renaissance and how does that dove tail in with your work right now with endow? >> i studied the catholic reformation movement in italy and wrote my master jesus on a saint, saint catholic of genoa, a mystic and a con contemplative in action. she was wonderful and started a lay movement in her time and god is always so good and sending reformers at the time when the church needs them because this was before the reformation and the church was reforming within before counterreformation ever happened. italian renaissance was seen as a very secular age but really,

it was also very spiritual as well and her life and her work very much shows that and she's kind of the epitome of that era, i would say. because the program was studied that she did and because of her charitable works and kind of a bridge from the medieval period of contemplation seen that way to the renaissance, a time of action. we see examples like mother tree is a, who she called herself a contemplatives in action trying to be formed in a way and then doing very active work as mothers in the world and giving back in that way. and the endow study program is a formation program as well. inform women in their vocation as women and to really understand what we -- who we are as women that we are god's divine helper. and how incredible that is and exciting to know.

well, we have to close. >> we're going to a break here but i want the men and women watching right now to go to www.endow.org to find out more about this fantastic women's program. this is mosaic. and we'll be back after the break. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

>> welcome back to mosaic. so glad you could join us. we have been talking with the participants of the san francisco bay area and donna moore. we're grateful you could be with us, ladies. also what we're speaking about is john paul ii. the month of may is typically, according to catholic tradition, dedicated to the blessed mother and john paul ii had a very close relationship with our lady as well as a deep appreciation and respect for the gift of femininity.

the gift of women in the church. he opened up a lot of possibilities for women to participate in ways they have not before and likewise, as you shared, he inspired. now, kathy. you were how old when john paul ii became pope? >> 2. >> your life was formed by his pontiff cat, if you were playing attention. when i was 8, i wasn't necessarily paying attention. did he have a special significance for you or your family? >> he did, on my 19th birthday, i had a deeper conversion to my faith through christ and john paul ii's message was always of hope and be not afraid and my junior year of college; i found myself pregnant and knew i would have this baby and

probably give it up for adoption and knew i couldn't just hand it to an agency and i need to be the person that found that family. and i wanted him to always know me. open adoption was pretty unheard of in 1990 so i trusted in god, i gave myself completely to him which is what pope john paul ii said to do. it was miraculous. a woman who i wanted her to adopt him and said go and find another family. i looked and at first, didn't care what religion they were and realized they needed to be christian and needed to be catholic and needed to be practicing catholic and i wanted a stay at home mom. it helped form what i was going to be the rest of my life. she became pregnant after being 13.5 years infertile. she said that she would look for someone else and i called a

priest friend of mine and said he would keep his ears peeled and i went back to the drawing board looking for a family. a week later, they eached called me an hour apart with the same family that lived in maryland. >> that's incredible. >> i had them send me letters and a picture and they just clicked. they came out, we met. they were very catholic and very fun and fabulous. when he was born, my parents were in the room and i remember being afraid. i knew giving him up was the right thing to do but i thought i would see my parents and that would change my mind. we were completely at peace. the holy spirit was there and my dad said, do you want me to go and call the family? i said, yes.

he's a great role model for my kids and it's a big blessing. >> be not afraid. that was a theme and over many times. he himself was alone in the world after the early death of his mother and the early death of his only sibling and then the death of his father. in fact, while he was in college studying for the priesthood. his father passed away and john paul ii at the age of, i believe, 21, was alone. when he spoke the words, be not afraid, he radiated them especially to the youth and that obviously gave you courage. more than just lip service to courage. your life is something really witness of heroic love and i so appreciate you sharing that because we don't know who can be listening to the program this morning. i it comes on pretty early and

you're either an early riser or maybe haven't gone to bed yet from a saturday night. and yet, here you are so beautifully sharing what could have been a very tragic story ends up turning into a life giving story. in the one minute we have, explain a quick sentence about endow and how it can fortify the faith of the catholic woman today. >> for example, this month or this session, we are studying john paul ii's letter to women with a gratitude and solidarity with women and it's just wonderful to be together with other women and discuss the gift that god has given us as women. and endow has different study sessions. or different saints writings

and things like that. >> we'll encourage our listeners and viewers to go to the endow web site. endowgroups.org and we've heard it here this morning from you two beautiful ladies, the gift of femininity in the church is respected and we need to study about this from a catholic perspective together. thank you for being with us this morning. i'm christine mugridge and you've been watching mosaic, until next time. ,,

welcome to bay sunday. go to facebook.com/bay sunday. hopefully we can get in touch. chief of regional services which helps individuals and we're delighted to have on the show this sunday. tell us exactly what you folks do. >> early at regional center is a private nonprofit organization that serves people