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Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

NEWS
JANUARY 2002

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FATHER HAROLD PAVELIS, the "Planned Parenthood Priest" (see "Planned Parenthood Priest" this issue), age 75, is a priest of the diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota but lives in a private, rented home in Concord, California.

While Father Pavelis has been an active but more or less "independent" priest in Concord for more than 25 years, it turns out he has been a supporter of Planned Parenthood. He has said and confirmed in writing that he contributed money to support this group which commits more prenatal murders than any other organization in the United States, and which promotes free access to abortion all over the world.

Father Pavelis' pro-PP proclivities have been known since about 1992 when pro-life Catholics in the Oakland diocese started to pray the Rosary and offer counseling and help to women going into the PP abortorium in Concord every Friday morning. Fr. Pavelis would frequently (but not within the last year or so) ride by on a bicycle and make it clear verbally and by gestures, his scorn for the praying pro-life Catholics, and his support for PP.

Father Pavelis was known to some of the Catholics since they attended Queen of All Saints parish in Concord where he provided music for Masses.

According to The Official Catholic Directory, published by P.J. Kenedy & Sons, Fr. Pavelis served in various parishes in the St. Cloud Diocese until about 1965. In the 1970 Kenedy directory, he was listed in the St. Cloud diocese section under the heading: "On Duty outside the Diocese" at Sacred Heart Church in Redlands, California, which was then in the San Diego Diocese (now in San Bernardino Diocese). However, the San Diego Diocese section did not list his name among the clergy at the Sacred Heart parish.

In the 1976 Directory, the St. Cloud Diocese section listed Harold Pavelis as at Queen of All Saints Church in Concord, and the Oakland California Diocese section listed him at Queen of All Saints as "In res., Rev. Harry Pavelis, Minister of Music." The 1981 directory had the same listing for Fr. Pavelis in the St. Cloud Diocese section, but his name was no longer listed under Queen of All Saints parish in Concord. (However, Fr. Robert Arpin was listed as "In res." there and was listed as "On Duty Outside the Diocese" for the Springfield, Massachusetts Diocese. Fr. Arpin became a very prominent "gay" priest in the Bay Area, active in Dignity, performing homosexual commitment ceremonies, and living with AIDS, until his death at age 48 in 1995.

The 1984 Kenedy Directory showed the same listing for Fr. Pavelis as the 1981 edition, in the St. Cloud Diocese section, but again, there was no listing at Queen of All Saints. The 1991 directory listed Fr. Pavelis "On Duty outside the Diocese", but listed no church assignment, only an address: Box 88, Concord CA 94522. Finally, in the 2001 directory, Fr. Pavelis was listed in the retired priest category for the St. Cloud Diocese with the same Box 88 address in Concord.

Fr. Pavelis drives an Oldsmobile station wagon with a bumper sticker on the back with the message "QUESTION AUTHORITY".


USF HONORS PELOSI. In the most recent issue of University of San Francisco Magazine, it was reported that congresswoman and recently elected house minority whip Nancy Pelosi was the recipient of a service award. The annual spring gala, dubbed "A Community Celebration of a University Honoring Alumni and Friends," took place at the Mark Hopkins hotel in San Francisco last April 28th. Pelosi, 61, has been a member of congress for twelve years and is a Democrat. Although she claims to be a Catholic, she entirely supports pro-abortion legislation. In 1995, when the U.S. House voted (288-139) to ban partial-birth abortion, Pelosi voted against the majority along with 25 other nominally Catholic members of congress in favor of allowing the murderous procedure.

In USF Magazine, Pelosi is pictured alongside a beaming Father Stephen Privett, president of USF. The caption that accompanies the picture explains that Pelosi "received special recognition for her record of public service and her efforts on behalf of USF."

Gary McDonald, director of media relations for the university, explained that while Father Privett did indeed present the award, it was bestowed on behalf of the USF Alumni Association. McDonald went on to say that in speaking to the president of the association, David Bonfilio, it was explained that awards were given "primarily to elected officials based on their public service and their support of the University and its mission. The award is not based on the degree to which a candidate is perceived to be Catholic."


SALVATION ARMY SHOWS STIFFER SPINE THAN SF ARCHDIOCESE. Less than two weeks after the western division of the Salvation Army announced plans to offer benefits to domestic partners of employees, the national office over-ruled them. In a November 10 release, the organization announced it had developed a national policy to extend health benefits only to the "spouse and dependant children" of an employee. The Army's national chief secretary admitted the national leadership has reviewed the western policy's decision due to the number of emails and calls received from both members and non-members nationwide.


NORTHERN CALIFORNIA NATIVE WINS POPE'S PRIZE. On November 8, Pope John Paul II awarded the prize of the pontifical academies to former Crescent City resident Doctor Pia de Solenni, 29 "for her work in Thomistic theology." She was awarded for the defense of her doctoral thesis, titled "A Hermeneutic of Aquinas' 'Mens' Through a Sexually Differentiated Epistemology: Towards an Understanding of Woman as 'Imago Dei.'"

At the encouragement of her advisor, de Solenni submitted her thesis and was subsequently chosen from among fifty other applicants. De Solenni was awarded by the pope on behalf of the Coordinating Council of the Pontifical Academies at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome at their annual joint session. There are seven pontifical academies, each devoted to various disciplines such as archaeology, fine arts, and the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. The award is presented to an individual or institution less than 35 years old. It is given for submitting a published work or a substantial body of research that makes a significant contribution to theology.

According to de Solenni, her thesis was an attempt to underline Saint Thomas' concept of "Imago Dei," the teaching of mankind's' creation in God's image and likeness, and to emphasize women's' role in this concept. "To Aquinas, the soul of man and woman are the same; the only real difference is the body," said de Solenni.

Expanding on this, de Solenni continued, "What I was posing ... is that perhaps women have a specific 'way', a specific knowledge insofar as perhaps women sense things differently than men do ... and that the complimentarity between men and women is not just in the biological sense, but that men come to know through women and women come to know through men."

The former Crescent City resident is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and now lives in Washington, D.C. With the nearly $30,000 research grant that accompanies the award, de Solenni has many bold plans for her future. "I'd like to work in developing a new feminism, but I'm also toying with the idea of going into bioethics. I'd really like to be working in the pro life movement," she said.

She explained that one of her goals working for pro-life causes is to "take the abstract and apply it to practical life, making [it] concrete." She said, "We've been preaching to the choir long enough. It's time to put it in the language of the other side so that we can start communicating with them. I want to convert the other side."

She draws her inspiration and direction from the example of the Holy Father himself in the success he has enjoyed in engaging the world from the world's perspective. She points out one of these successes, World Youth Day, as a prime example. "The pope had over two million young people come to him at World Youth Day. No other figure in the world attracts people like that. He's gotten through somewhere, entering their language and dialoguing with them," she explains, "He takes a lot of flak for it, but that's why he's been successful affecting so many different people all over the world, because he takes the time to ask, 'What's important to you?'"


SOME HOME SCHOOLERS STILL STYMIED BY STATE. The Home School Legal Defense Association reported in September that California home schoolers have had difficulty receiving private school affidavits from some county offices of education. California allows private home schooling to operate under the "private school exemption," and requires home schooling families to file affidavits to notify the state that their "private school" is operating and to give the state information on the school. Initially, home schooling families were told there was a shortage of affidavit forms, but, later, the division of the state department of education responsible for distributing affidavits refused to send them to those indicating they were home schooling or who did not indicate the requisite number of students for a private school.

According to Home School Legal Defense, the state department of education seemed to be following the opinion of the department's Deputy General Counsel, Carolyn Pirillo. Pirillo opined that parents may not establish private schools in their homes; that their only legal options were either to enroll their students in public school independent study programs or to obtain a California teacher's credential. Home School Legal Defense disputes Pirillo's opinion.

On October 2, Home School Legal Defense reported that the supervisor of the department handling affidavits had indicated that the affidavit problem had arisen from a misunderstanding among the new staff. The affidavit forms, he said, are now available to those who want them.


CATHOLIC CHARITIES WILL HAVE ITS DAY IN SUPREME COURT. On September 26, the California Supreme Court voted unanimously to grant a review of the case, Catholic Charities of Sacramento, Inc. v. Superior Court in which a lower court decided that Catholic Charities would have to adhere to the Women's Contraceptive Equity Act. The act, passed by the California state legislature in 1999, requires HMO insurance packages to provide coverage of Food and Drug Administration-approved prescription contraceptive methods. Though exempting religious employers, the act so narrowly defines the term "religious employer" as to exclude religious hospitals and universities.

On July 3, 2001, the third district court of appeals upheld the decision of the lower court. The decision of the supreme court, thus, is encouraging to Catholic Charities. Said James Sweeney, attorney for Catholic Charities: "We are obviously pleased that the California Supreme Court, which has a long and distinguished history of broadly protecting freedom rights of Californians under our own state constitution, has agreed to review this important case. We hope that this Court's tradition will be reaffirmed and the rights of people of faith secured from discriminatory treatment of government."


ART IMITATES LIFE WITH CHRIST? For the last two years the University of San Francisco has added displays of art to its grounds. The university allows some local artists to exhibit their artwork for a semester. Predictably, several pieces have surprised the students and faculty. One such exhibit is by local artist Ray Beldner entitled "Fallen". Although Ray has created numerous pieces since 1986, this is his first figurative work. "Fallen" is an ambiguous piece depicting a stark white naked figure laying face down at the bottom of a hole. The intent of Beldner was to place the figure in such a way as to add the ambiguity of the piece. Although at first glance this exhibit does not necessarily strike a religious cord, Beldner says he molded the figure with Christianity in mind. Although there is "no overt statement" which he was hoping to convey, he had hoped that due to the ambiguous open nature of the piece it "would invoke thought." The work is based on the story by Gabriel Marquez entitled "Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," which is a story with no overt statement and yet appeals to many.

Senior Cathy Samson understood the piece as one that "challenges the students to consider the effect of art and the role of art in all facets of life." This is precisely what Beldner had in mind. "I wanted to create a piece that invoked thought." Moreover his piece is one with ambiguous circumstances thereby signifying no overt meaning.

Junior Chandra Contrino thought, "the art in itself is good, I just thought that the timing was inappropriate (in response to the tragedies of September 11th). It is shocking, I just don't understand it."

"This piece came on rather unexpectedly", Beldner stated. "Originally, I wanted to cast the body out of salt, which would erode over time, demonstrating man's nature as it would erode back into the earth." Unfortunately, the campus would not allow him to possibly kill the surrounding plants with the salt deposits, so he cast the figure out of plaster. Local resident Michael Manley understood the piece to be very intuitive, remarking that "the figure seems to denote one of fallen nature like that of man after his banishment from Eden. Furthermore, by placing the figure in a hole, it demonstrates man's helplessness.

"Everyone in some way or another has fallen or experienced a time of fallen nature." Beldner said. It is in this way that hopefully one can relate to the piece and its ambiguity.

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