Originally published at Orange County Catholic

DAYS AFTER LOSING HIS family’s home in the Pacific Palisades, Pedro Martí knew just what to do.

On Sunday morning, he joined his family and traveled to their second home at St. Monica Catholic Church for Mass. As Bishop Matthew G. Elshoff and Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson presided over the service, Martí and nearly a dozen other victims of the Palisades Fire stood up for a special prayer and blessing from the congregation.

“There are some days where I feel despair, but I’m not losing my hope because I have a second home at St. Monica, and I truly mean that from the bottom of my heart,” Martí shared. “I believe that God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle, and you know that good things can come out of destruction and that’s the
cycle of life.”

On Jan. 7, a fire erupted in the Pacific Palisades burning more than 23,000 acres and destroying nearly 5,000 structures according to CalFire.

ELIZABETH LAMONT SURVEYS THE DAMAGE FROM THE PALISADES FIRE. PHOTO COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM @ SHOPELIZABETHLAMONT

Although Corpus Christi Catholic Church and its accompanying school and rectory were destroyed during the wildfires, one Los Angeles firefighter discovered a big, gold box in

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