On Saturday, August 15, the French Horns in Christianity made their soft entrance. In Sacramento, 150 people braved 111 degree heat to walk from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament to the California State Capitol, where they prayed a living Rosary and spoke out to resume public worship and Masses, despite Gov. Gavin Newsome’s efforts to shut the faith and the faithful down. This was a project that CORAC – the Corps of Renewal and Charity – collaborated in and supported, along with Fr. Richard Heilman’s US Grace Force. It was the brainchild of Kathy Raymond. Steve Johnston (my brother), the Regional Coordinator for California and Nevada, jumped in after Raymond started it and contacted our friends throughout California to participate and help plan it. Our Sacramento coordinator, Jeanne Condon, jumped right in and helped get people out and organized. By mid-morning Saturday, organizers were fearful that there would be little turnout because of the unprecedented heat wave that had settled on the area. But the people came.

There were no protesters. In fact, the people involved told me that passers-by, when they found out what was up, were giving them high-fives and fist-bumps, jubilantly saying it was about time people started standing up.

I was delighted to see our first CORAC project bring out so many under such adverse conditions. I was also delighted that my brother connected with so many of my dear friends across California. From San Diego, he drove eight hours north to participate – and stayed at the home of a dear friend of mine, Paula Tomei, in Yuba City.

(Stephen & Kathy Raymond)

(Steve Johnston)