Prayer

Michele Marr This morning the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council will celebrate the National Day of Prayer by hosting its sixth annual Prayer Breakfast, this year at Sts. Simon and Jude Roman Catholic Church. The theme for the breakfast is "Many Faces, One Family" and as many as 300 residents from throughout the greater Huntington Beach area and many faith traditions are expected to attend. "We are once again blessed with an opportunity to share the word, some music and some brotherhood in celebrating our National Day of Prayer," said the Rev. Bruce Patterson, pastor of St. Bonaventure Roman Catholic Church and president of the Greater Huntington Beach Interfaith Council.

Dave Brooks Consider it a sign from above. A very wet sign. In between a performance of "Distant Land" by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vocal ensemble and a speech by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a small drizzle that had been haunting attendees of this year's Procession of Light turned into a full scale downpour, scattering dozens who had come to watch at the Huntington Beach Pier Plaza on Sunday....

SOUL FOOD For weeks stores have been selling all things green -- shamrocks, leprechaun hats, iced cupcakes and cookies. On Monday, St. Patrick's Day, I'll once again forget to wear green. And if I go out, at least one person will dare to pinch me for it. St. Patrick's Day, it's another saint's day gone the way of a by-and-large secular, Hallmark holiday. Friends and family, Irish, Catholic, Christian or not, exchange St. Patrick's Day cards.

Every Sunday morning about 8 a.m., Steve Acosta gathers with a half-dozen friends in a back alley in Sunset Beach and assembles a church from scratch. The worship leader for Calvary Chapel of the Harbour enters the compact space of the Sunset Beach Women’s Club and sets to work opening folding chairs, lugging picnic tables and assembling a sound system for guitars and bass. When the main room is packed with chairs, Acosta and his helpers create another row in the hall for those who show up late.

Among those supporting the expansion of Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church was a man praying with extreme devotion during the last meeting at Newport Beach City Hall. If you happened to be there, you couldn't have missed him. He isn't the typical Newport Beach guy who likes to stand out. He's a simple man. His material life hasn't changed very much despite living in Newport Beach for many years. But his spiritual life has had a major overhaul. His name is Hector Alfaro.

I love living in a city where pelicans get so much press. This paper did a wonderful job last week covering some recent news (“A long-awaited flight,” Feb. 18), and I had just been to the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center the week before that after learning about the dozens of sick birds. Perhaps it’s because I’m partial to pelicans, but still, any opportunity to watch the volunteers at the center work their magic is always a rewarding experience. The morning I went to hang around and observe, there were but three people there, yet they seemed to be doing the work of at least twice as many, methodically weighing, treating, feeding and tending to literally dozens of brown pelicans in their Pacific Coast Highway facility.

A week after a devastating earthquake in Haiti killed countless people, aid from local Orange County groups is starting to make its way to the island. Huntington Beach will hold a fundraiser lunch at Zach’s at Pier Plaza from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, said Councilman Joe Carchio. Zach’s will serve a pasta lunch and take donations for Haiti. “Hopefully, we’ll raise the funds that we need to help in some small way to alleviate the pain,” Carchio said.

Bryce Alderton The mayor's decision to cut the invocation before City Council meetings has stirred much debate and prompted one longtime Huntington Beach resident to try to reverse the decision. Before the last City Council meeting, Arline Howard collected 300 signatures in support of having a prayer before the meetings begin. She presented her findings to the City Council during the public comment session of the meeting, attempting to sway Mayor Debbie Cook to allow for a moment of prayer.