The Parish Mission will be held from 7:00pm – 8:30 Sunday night, March 15 to Tuesday night March 17,
Our mission presenter will be Tony Melendez.
It was an unforgettable moment when, on September 15, 1987, he played his guitar for Pope John Paul II in Los Angeles. Born without arms, he performed a touching song entitled Never Be The Same. When the Pope approached him from the stage to kiss him in appreciation, it seemed to reflect the sentiments of the entire country.
Never Be the Same was an appropriate song, for those few moments changed Tony Melendez’s life and brought his unrestrained abilities as a guitarist into national attention. It seems to be a fitting place for a man who has spent his life putting personal confidence above his handicap.
A thalidomide baby, Tony was born without arms because his mother was prescribed thalidomide, a drug used to help calm morning sickness during pregnancy. He was brought to the Los Angeles area from Nicaragua to be fitted with artificial arms. He wore them until he was ten, when he disposed of them. “I didn’t feel comfortable,” he explains, “I could use my feet so much more.”
Tony’s presentation in bilingual word and song will be: The Seven Great Qualities of a New Evangelist . The term “New Evangelization” has been circulating around the church for many years recently. Tony will remind us that a New Evangelist is defined by a deep, personal, and joyful relationship with Jesus Christ, characterized by ardent zeal (new ardor), a firm grounding in Church tradition, and a missionary, outward-focused heart, according to principles often cited from Bishop Robert Barron and Catholic teachings. They are effective agents of change who know their faith, understand modern culture, and foster community connections.