More than 300 Roman Catholics, led by...

More than 300 Roman Catholics, led by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, are expected to march in Downtown Los Angeles today to underscore the importance of families in encouraging their children to become priests, brothers and nuns.

The Los Angeles archdiocese--the nation’s largest--has been able to avoid so-called “priestless parishes” brought about in other jurisdictions by a shortage of priests.

All of the 284 parishes and 11 missions in the area have full-time priests, and the archdiocese reports a gradual upswing in the number of seminary graduates ordained to the priesthood.

Still, church officials said there is a continuing need to promote awareness of the role that parents can play in encouraging their sons to become priests or brothers in religious orders, and their daughters to become sisters in religious orders.

There are 1,300 priests in the Los Angeles archdiocese, 210 brothers and 2,116 sisters, according to Fr. Gregory Coiro, a spokesman for the archdiocese.

The campaign is tied in with the International Year of the Family, proclaimed by the United Nations. “We felt this walk would be a great way to honor the family as the source of church vocations,” said Sister Kathy Bryant, sister vocation director for the archdiocese.

The march will begin at 2 p.m. at St. Vibiana’s Cathedral at 2nd and Main streets in Downtown Los Angeles, and proceed to Our Lady of Guadalupe parish several blocks away. Families are invited to participate.

There will be refreshments and festivities, including mariachis.

RELEASES

* The national Sisters in Song choir has released a holiday recording, “Sisters in Song: Christmas Spirit.” Recorded at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Westwood, the carols, hymns and choral pieces feature 57 voices from more than 30 communities in 21 states.

The project was designed to raise money for the retirement needs of members of religious orders. Proceeds from the sale of the cassette ($9.95) and compact disc ($12.95) will be split between the Tri-Conference Retirement Office and Support Our Aging Religious. Prices do not include shipping and handling fees. For information, call World Library Publications at (800) 621-5197 or Sister Sara Michael King at (213) 737-3408.

* Zona Belzer and Paula Horn Ungar, both of Temple Beth-El in San Pedro, are among the contributors to “Covenant of the Heart,” a new volume of Jewish liturgy written by women for women. Designed to be used in group meetings and gatherings for study and worship, the book contains prayers, poetry, meditations and reflections by members of women’s groups and by women Reform rabbis.

Prayers for life cycle events such as pregnancy, childbirth, old age and mourning are included. The book is available to congregations and individuals by mail order for $14.50, including shipping. Write to: Women of Reform Judaism, 838 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10021.

* The Malibu-based Earth Trust Foundation has issued “The Soul of Nature,” an anthology of writings based on its Spirit and Nature Speakers Program. Edited by Georgianne Cowan and Michael Tobias, the hardcover volume was published by Continuum Publishing Group and is available for $24.95, including shipping. Sales support the group’s environmental programs. For information, phone Earth Trust Foundation at (310) 456-3534.

* A home videotape, “The Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust,” has been released by Rhino Home Video of Santa Monica. The historic April 7 concert was the creation of Pope John Paul II and American conductor Gilbert Levine to mark the Vatican’s official recognition of the state of Israel and acknowledgment of the Holocaust. Levine conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London and the Choir of St. Peter’s Basilica (singing in Hebrew for the first time). Richard Dreyfuss recited “Kaddish,” a Jewish prayer said often in remembrance of the dead.

Besides music, the 90-minute documentary features interviews with performers and Holocaust survivors. A donation of an undisclosed amount on behalf of the project has been made by Rhino Entertainment to the Interfaith Center at Auschwitz, a new education facility located outside the site of the concentration camp in Poland. The tape is on sale in video stores. To order by mail for $22.98, including shipping, phone (800) 432-0020.

* Quartz Hill School of Theology has published the second issue of its semiannual journal of Bible and contemporary Christian theological thought, Quartz Hill Journal of Theology. Its editor, R. P. Nettelhorst, welcomes the submission of articles, sermons, reviews and artwork. For information, contact the journal at 43543 51st St. West, Quartz Hill, Calif., 93536. (805) 943-3484.

GRANTS

* The Urban Leadership Institute at the School of Theology at Claremont has received a $150,000 grant from Southern California Edison. The institute is the only seminary-sponsored, degree-granting program on the West Coast that focuses on the development of religious leaders. The school will receive $25,000 per year for three years and will raise another $75,000, which will be matched by Edison.

* The Ford Foundation has awarded a $10,000 planning and development grant to the Los Angeles Council of Churches, formerly known as the Church Federation of Los Angeles. Current council programs include religious education, a church basketball league and hospital and prison chaplaincy.

* The Fund for a New L.A., a collaborative effort launched in response to the 1992 riots, has received $173,000 from the Jewish Fund for Justice and the Liberty Hill, McKay(and Tidesfoundations. The grantee organizations--10 groups that address issues ranging from citizen participation, illiteracy and job creation to gang violence and youth leadership--each received $15,000 to $20,000. They work throughout the city, in neighborhoods including South-Central and Southeast Los Angeles, Koreatown, Hollywood and Echo Park.

BRIEFLY

* Classes in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults are available at St. Ambrose Parish in West Hollywood for those interested in joining the Catholic Church or learning more about it. (213) 656-4433.

* The Etta Israel Center provides Jewish families with developmentally and learning disabled children with programs and services including counseling and advocacy, socialization, sports programs and Talmud/Torah study classes. Call (213) 651-5122 for information.

* The Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles’ Sunday worship services have been moved to Pio Pico Elementary School Auditorium until further notice. The school is at 1512 S. Arlington Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 930-1600.

* The non-sectarian Family Violence Project of Jewish Family Service offers support and counsel to battered women and children. For information, (818) 908-5007.

* Rabbi Norbert Weinberg teaches a free twice-monthly class Wednesday evenings on the Bible as history, philosophy and mystery at Hollywood Temple Beth El, 1317 N. Crescent Heights, West Hollywood. (213) 656-3150.