L.A. Times sings the praises of a young Catholic heroine

But, of course, she's not really all that Catholic, nor all that heroic, despite what a gushing Francisco Vara-Orta writes in a June 9th Los Angeles Times feature titled, "Smart talk from South L.A.'s 'sex ed girl'" (ht: Augustine II):

Andreina Cordova has a 15-minute window to change a life, just a few moments between the dismissal of classes and the beginning of soccer practice.

She wants to speak to anyone who will listen -- about making smart decisions about sex.

She plunges into the throng of students on the sidewalk outside King/Drew Magnet High School of Science and Medicine.

She has memorized pages and pages of information on sex education and sexually transmitted diseases. She's ready to pass out cards from Planned Parenthood, listing services and clinics. She is also armed with condoms.

Readers are informed that this is all taking place despite Andreina's staunch Catholic background. Or, better, because her strict Catholic parents aren't narrow minded and uptight like other Catholics:

Andreina, whom the family calls "Gina," is the youngest of five sisters; four still live with their parents and maternal grandmother, Carmen. All the sisters are in high school or college, and four of them, including Andreina, want to work in healthcare.

Though the sisters regard their parents as traditional, Roman Catholic and strict, both Andres and his wife, Ana Lillian, 49, demur.

The couple dated for a few years and moved in together in 1982, but didn't marry in a civil ceremony until the quinceañeraof their first daughter, Jaime, in 1997. It wasn't until their next daughter, Cynthia, had her quinceañera the next year that the two married in the Catholic Church.

"Our parents wanted us to get married," Ana Lillian said. "We didn't see the need for a little piece of paper." [emphasis added]

Yep, really strict. Really Catholic. Sorry, but actions do mean something. And neither the actions or words indicate the parents have much of a clue about what the Church teaches about marriage and sex, nor do they seem to really care. How, exactly, is that "Roman Catholic and strict"? Is the L.A. Times just playing with stereotypes here? Or simply using this family as a way to disingenuously say, "Hey, you can be 100% Catholic and hand out condoms!"

Now, imagine this: an L.A. Times story about a teenage Catholic girl who tells friends and families about her love for the Eucharist and her devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and who hands out prayer cards. Imagine that her parents were married in the Church at least nine months before their first child was born. Imagine that they say, "We don't practice contraception because we follow the Church's clear teaching about those sort of things."

Let me guess: that would be too Roman Catholic and too strict. Right?

Comments

[Dan]

And imagine this: an L.A. Times story about a teenage Catholic girl who tells friends and families how much abortion horrifies her and has enlisted in the pro-life movement to do something about it. Thanks be to God there are many such teenage girls in Los Angeles even if the LA Times will never bring their stories to its readers' attention.

The story also contains this whopper: "Popular culture works against anyone trying to push safe sex or abstinence." What universe does this journalist live in? You Mr. LA Times ARE the "popular culture" and, as your very article shows, you LOVE and tirelessly promote so- called "safe sex."

[Nick Milne]

Let me guess: that would be too Roman Catholic and too strict. Right?

Why, that would even border on dangerous fundamentalism of the sort even now responsible for all of the misery in the world. Surely we can't be advocating that?

Furthermore, Galileo.

[Augustine II]

The L.A. Times stinks of sulphur. In the hard copy edition, this diabolical article appeared on today's front page, column 1, above the fold.

[Augustine II]

Have a look at the comments on this article. Almost uniformly positive. Sure, they screen the comments, but it's still disturbing.

[Dan Deeny]

Interesting article and great comments. Carl, you need to interview the journalist, the five sisters, and the parents. Willa Cather has a great novel about a priest rebuilding the Church in the Southwest called Death Comes to the Archbishop. Very well written and very moving.