In early May, Raymond Arroyo, host of EWTN’s news show, The World Over, will speak at two Bay Area parishes on “Signs of Hope – Padre Pio, Mother Angelica, John Paul II, and other Modern Day Heroes.”

On  Friday, May 1, At 7:30 p.m. Arroyo will speak at St. Edwards Church in Newark. On Sunday, May 3, at 7:00 p.m., he will speak at Star of the Sea Church in San Francisco.

Best known as an EWTN’s host, Arroyo has spent time with the Associated Press, The New York Observer, and the political columnist team of Evans and Novak. As a columnist, his work has appeared in Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, the Financial Times, and the National Catholic Register. He has interviewed Mother Teresa of Calcutta; tenor Placido Domingo; actors Mel Gibson and Jim Caviezel; and President George Bush. He landed the only English interview ever with Pope Benedict XVI, shortly before the pontiff’s election.

Arroyo’s books, including his biography of EWTN founder Mother Angelica, made the New York Times bestsellers list, as did Of Thee I Zing: America’s Cultural Decline from Muffin Tops to Body Shots, which he co-authored with Laura Ingraham.

Our time is a good one for a discussion of Catholic heroes. So are Arroyo’s chosen venues. Father Joseph Illo, pastor of Star of the Sea faces a coordinated attack because of his decision to allow only boys to serve Mass at the altar. Attackers include school parents at Star of the Sea, who, according to the National Catholic Reporter, have retained public relations hired gun Sam Singer. Of the small group of school parents opposing Illo, an even smaller subset are Catholic. In contrast, as CalCatholic reported on March 30, 2015, Illo, and his parochial vicar, Father Patrick Driscoll, are overwhelmingly supported by Star parishioners.  When petitions of support for Illo and Driscoll were circulated at Star of the Sea they garnered more than 500 signatures in one weekend—more than five times the number of parents, press and others who attended a widely publicized March meeting attacking the two priests.

Father Keyes, pastor of St. Edwards in Newark was the keynoter at San Francisco’s June, 2012 Rally for Religious Liberty. As CalCatholic reported on June 12, 2012, Father Keyes encouraged the crowd to chant St. Gaspar Del Bufalo’s response to the command of the French government that all priests take an oath of allegiance to Napoleon: “I can not. I must not. I will not!” Father Keyes asked the crowd ‘Can the American president define what is religion and how I should minister?’… then ‘The world health organization defines oral contraceptives as a Class 1 carcinogenic — and the president wants us to pay for them?’… then ‘In New Mexico, a photographer was fined because she refused to photograph a same-sex “marriage.” Is the government next going to tell us how to administer our own sacraments?’ To all of Father Keyes’ statements the crowd roared: “I can not! I must not! I will not!”

For more information about Arroyo’s presentations:
St. Edward’s Church, 5788 Thornton Ave., Newark, CA.  510-797-0241.
Star of the Sea Church, 4420 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA. 415-751-0450.