What Champions Are Made Of

Brace yourself: it's my third article inspired by opera—this time, Terrance Blanchard's Champion, the true story of a gay boxer in the 1960s, welterweight world champion Emile Griffith, and his fateful fights with rival Benny Paret. In their final fight, Griffith cornered Paret and hit him 17 times. The blows put Paret into a coma, and ten days later, he died. Griffith was haunted by this for the rest of his life.

Watching, I was knocked out (pun intended) by the line, "I killed a man, and the world forgave me, yet I loved a man, and the world has still never forgiven me." The following morning I joined Msgr. Torgerson at the funeral of Thomas Keep, who was one of the founding members of the GLO Ministry here at St. Monica. He died a few weeks ago unexpectedly at the age of 65, having just retired and literally having just accepted the role of President of the Parish Council at St. Mel in Woodland Hills.

There were many from St. Monica at Tom's funeral. And it was a profound reminder that our mission of forming loving disciples who will transform the world is possible. It is happening in our lifetime--and we're not the only ones. In addition to St. Mel and St. Monica, there were parishioners from St. Ambrose and St. Lawrence Martyr—all who have pastors who welcome, regardless of how you find your God or how you find your love.

It's sometimes too easy to measure and share the quantitative impact of your support and generosity. It is incredibly humbling that we have reached $9.88 MM of our goal for the Called to Renew campaign. But people don't give to buildings—people give to people. And we know that Thomas and Emile were able to be champions because of the communities in which they felt welcomed, safe, and loved. That is the qualitative impact of your goodness. Those are the parables of change that Jesus preached to his disciples. Let us continue in gratitude to share the good news and stories of good people like them.