Gay and Lesbian Ministry to Mark 15th Anniversary

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will mark the 15th anniversary of its ministry to lesbian and gay Catholics next week.

Leaders of the program--seen as a model for similar programs in other dioceses--have walked a fine line, upholding the church’s teachings against homosexual acts while accepting and reaching out to gay men and lesbians.

The anniversary comes at a time when the ministry’s director, Father Peter Liuzzi, has just published a book on the sensitive issue, “With Listening Hearts: Understanding the Voices of Lesbian and Gay Catholics.”

Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala will preside at the Mass, to be celebrated at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at St. Dominic Church, 2002 Merton Ave., Los Angeles. Free. A wine and cheese reception will follow, with the presentation of Lumen Christi Awards.

EVENTS

“Creation, Constellations and the Cosmos,” an exhibition exploring how artists from Eastern and Western traditions have defined spiritual connections with the cosmos, will open Feb. 4 at the Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. The museum is open every day except Tuesday, from noon to 6 p.m.--9 p.m. Fridays. Members free. All others: $6 adults, $3 seniors. (626) 449-6840.

* “The Human Genome Project: Christian Responses to Genetic Issues,” will be the subject of a talk by James Walter, director of Loyola Marymount University’s Bioethics Institute, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at St. Lawrence Martyr Church’s parish hall, 1900 S. Prospect Ave., Redondo Beach. $5. (310) 338-7772.

* An art exhibit, “Light in the Shadows,” black and white line cut drawings by artist Barbara Milman of five individuals’ stories of the Holocaust, is open through Feb. 16 at the Westside Jewish Community Center, 5870 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles. Free. Hours vary. (323) 938-2531, Ext. 2225.

* “Religious Perspectives on End-of-Life Care” will be discussed by an interfaith panel including Hajim Al Hassani of the Claremont Islamic Center; Rabbi Elliot N. Dorf of the University of Judaism; David Adams, director of the Institute for Ethics and Public Policy at Cal Poly Pomona; Karen J. Stanley, a nursing consultant in palliative care; Marsha Fowler, a professor of the Graduate School of Theology and School of Nursing at Azusa Pacific University; and the Rev. Catharine Greer Carlson of the office of the chaplains at the McAlister Religious Center. The discussion will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at Claremont McKenna College’s McKenna Auditorium, 9th Street and Columbia Avenue on the campus, Claremont. Free. (909) 553-5789.

* How American Jews see their own Judaism is to be the subject of a weekend seminar sponsored by the Lew & Edie Wasserman Scholar-in-Residence Program. Led by Arnold Eisen, professor and head of religious studies at Stanford University, the program will begin at 8 p.m. Friday and continue next Saturday and Feb. 4 at Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. $40. For details and to register, call (310) 476-2861.

* Dagmola Jamyang Sakya, a female Tibetan Buddhist lama who is an elder in Tibet, will teach today at 10 a.m. at 1250 S. Beverly Glen Blvd., Westwood, and on Sunday at 10 a.m. at Yujean Kang’s, 8826 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. Donation Saturday $40, $10 on Sunday. For reservations call Barbara Hodgson, (310) 276-6745.

* A four-lecture series on how the new Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, under construction in downtown Los Angeles, will affect the worship and people of Los Angeles will be held from 9 a.m. to noon today, Feb. 24, March 10 and April 28 at Mount St. Mary’s College Doheny campus, 10 Chester Place, Los Angeles. $35 for the series, $10 apiece for single sessions. Reservations recommended. (213) 477-2640.

* “Religious Pluralism: A Challenge for the Contemporary Church,” is to be the subject of a talk by Richard Rose, an authority on the subject, during the Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Claremont School of Theology’s Kresge Chapel, 1325 N. College Ave., Claremont. Free. (800) 626-7821 or (909) 626-3521, Ext. 1262.

* Teri Reisser, president of the California Pro-Life Council, and Star Parker, president of the Coalition for Urban Renewal, will speak on “Healing From Post-Abortion Trauma” at 6 p.m. Sunday at Rolling Hills Covenant Church, 2222 Palos Verdes Drive North, Rolling Hills Estates. Free. (310) 521-2507.

* A historical analysis of the persecution of Russian and Polish Jews will be presented by Si Frumkin, a veteran activist in the Jewish community, at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the Men’s Club of Temple Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. $5. (818) 887-0246.

MUSIC

The New Hollywood String Quartet will perform Haydn’s Quartet No. 5; Schubert’s Rosamunde Quartet and Tania Gabrielle’s French String Quartet No. 2 at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica. $20 general admission, $10 seniors and students. (310) 451-1303.

* All Saints’ Choir with Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra will present Handel’s oratorio “Joshua” at 4 p.m. Feb. 4. The performance will feature tenor Jonathan Mack as Joshua, and soloists Camille King and Corey Carelton, sopranos; Jason Snyder, countertenor; and William Hanrahan, baritone. At All Saints Episcopal Church, at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Camden Drive, Beverly Hills. $15 donation, $10 students and seniors. (310) 275-2910.

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