The 23rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme...

The 23rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe vs. Wade to legalize abortion will be marked Sunday and Monday at gatherings of opponents and supporters of the ruling.

The biggest church-sponsored event in Southern California might be the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese’s conference on “A Commitment to Life” Monday in Pasadena.

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony will begin the conference with a noon Mass at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, followed by his keynote address at 2 p.m. at the opening assembly in the Pasadena Conference Center.

Also speaking in that session will be Gianna Jessen, a prominent speaker against abortion rights who survived her mother’s attempt to abort her in 1977. Carol Everett, who once owned and operated abortion clinics in Texas but is now vice president of Life Network, will address the 6:30 p.m. session. Registration is $5; $2.50 for students. Information: (213) 251-2621.

Other events for opponents of abortion include:

* Elizabeth Achtemeier, adjunct professor at Union Theological Seminary, in Richmond, Va., who will speak at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Monday on “Not My Own: Abortion and the Marks of the Church,” which is also the title of a recent book she wrote with an official of Presbyterians Pro-Life.

* Jessica Shaver, author of “Aborted but Lived to Tell About It,” who will speak at 9:30 a.m. Sunday in Bethany Lutheran Church, 4644 Clark Ave., Long Beach.

Meanwhile, the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights’ Southern California chapter will hold its 5th annual Freedom of Religion Awards event Sunday at the United University Church on the USC campus at 817 W. 34th St.

The organization will honor retiring U.S. Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg for their “contributions to reproductive freedom.” The presentation will be preceded by a 4 p.m. concert featuring organ and cello. A candlelight vigil will close the event. A $23 donation is requested. Information: (310) 396-7622.

HINDUISM

A two-day national conference to discuss problems and challenges facing Hinduism in the United States will begin today at Cal State Fullerton. The invitational meeting was organized by the Artesia-based Federation of Hindu Assns., which is headed by Prithvi Raj Singh of Diamond Bar. “Recommendations emerging from five three-hour sessions will be conveyed to U.S. temples and other Hindu associations,” Singh said. Guest speakers will include author and publisher Arvinda Ghosh of Houston and Kurukshetra, a linguist from the University of London.

JUDAISM

The Jewish community’s search for understanding in the wake of the November assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin continues. Seven scholars and religious leaders will take part in a round-table discussion on “Assassination, Fratricide and Messianism” at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the University of Judaism, 15600 Mulholland Drive. Tuition is $30 for the event.

Also, clinical and forensic psychologist Hy Malinek will talk about “The Psychology of an Assassin” at 10 a.m. Sunday at Hollywood Temple Beth El, 1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd., West Hollywood.

EARTHQUAKE REPAIRS

A special collection will be taken at many United Methodist church services in Southern California on Sunday to aid several churches still facing expensive repairs of damage inflicted by the Northridge earthquake two years ago. Some cracks were recently discovered, such as one circling the foundation of the sanctuary of Westwood United Methodist Church, said Marilynn Huntington, director of the Methodists’ Conference Council on Ministries. Much damage at St. John’s United Methodist in Watts has gone unrepaired because the congregation--then without a pastor--did not complete paperwork for financial assistance, Huntington said.

HONORS

* The Ecumenical Council of San Diego will honor Catholic Bishop Robert H. Brom and Episcopal Bishop Gethin Hughes--both of whom signed a covenant of cooperation between the two dioceses in 1994--at the council’s annual tribute dinner Wednesday at the Red Lion Inn in Mission Valley. Also being honored is Lutheran Pastor John George Huber. Information: (619) 296-4557.

* The Los Angeles Council of Churches will announce awards Friday night to outstanding volunteers in its released-time education program and teenage basketball league. The annual awards banquet at 7 p.m. Friday at Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles will feature the Rev. Calvin Pressley, executive director of the Atlanta-based Institute of Church Administration and Management. Information: (213) 733-4527.

* Adele Starr, who 20 years ago founded the nationwide Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and the Rev. Peg Beissert, who directed the Lazarus Project for the last 10 years, will receive the 1996 Lazarus Awards at the organization’s banquet Jan. 27 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. “We are honoring two women who are not lesbian but who have contributed greatly to the goal of reconciliation between persons of various sexual orientations,” said Donn Crail, Lazarus Project executive director. Information: (213) 874-6646.

DATES

* A free, interfaith retreat emphasizing the practices of religions besides one’s own will be held Saturday at the Los Angeles Bahai Center. The seven-hour retreat will be led by psychologist Paula Jakunin Fuld, who teaches beginning meditation at the Los Angeles Zen Center. Assisting are the Rev. Jeffrey Utter of the Congregational Church of Chatsworth and Rabbi Judith HaLevy, founder of Sarah’s Tent on the Westside. Information: (818) 831-1348.

* Catholic Men Fellowships, an organization inspired partly by the all-male Promise Keepers movement, will hold a free “Super Saturday” rally next Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Chapman University’s Memorial Auditorium. Founder Al Hanna said that as many as 900 men from the Orange and Los Angeles archdioceses are likely to attend. The registration deadline is today. Information: (714) 580-1060 or fax (714) 459-1440.

* An array of cantors from synagogues in Western states will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Temple Beth Am, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. Nathan Lam of Stephen S. Wise Temple, Joseph Gole of Congregation Mogen David and Jeremy Lipton of the host synagogue are among the singers. Tickets are $20. Information: (310) 652-7353.

* Sara DiVito Hardman of Tarzana, state director of the Christian Coalition, will talk about 1996 election issues in a speech at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Lake Avenue Congregational Church, 393 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena.

* The Celebrants, a widely traveled group of 13 singers and a nine-piece orchestra, will present a free concert at 6 p.m. today at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 185 St. Thomas Drive, Ojai. The Visalia-based group will also provide the music at the preceding 5 p.m. Mass and at the 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. Masses Sunday.

FINALLY

Favorite films of several area rabbis will be shown at the University of Judaism in an eight-week series that begins Thursday night with the clergy explaining how the movies illuminate or are illuminated by Jewish tradition.

Some choices might not be obvious.

For instance, “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray, was picked for its ideas on repentance, love and renewal by Rabbi Debra Orenstein of the University of Judaism.

Rabbi David Baron of Temple Shalom for the Arts picked “The Frisco Kid” (1970), an offbeat film about a rabbi (Gene Wilder) crossing the United States in 1850. Woody Allen’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” was chosen to explore the themes of guilt, punishment, art and the artist, according to Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben of Kehillath Israel.

Rabbi Mel Gottlieb of USC’s Pacifica Graduate School will discuss “Resurrection,” the 1980 film starring Ellen Burstyn for its depiction of “contact with God, intuition and near-death experience.”

Rabbi Jane Litman of Cal State Northridge chose “Batman Returns” as a vehicle to discuss what she called “anti-Semitic mythology, popular culture and Jewish sensibilities.” Rabbi Ed Feinstein of Encino’s Valley Beth Shalom will begin the series Thursday with Walt Disney Co.’s “The Little Mermaid”--which he considers a starting point for a discussion of “intermarriage and gender politics.”

Information: (310) 476-9777, Ext. 246.