Two were young Moorpark High graduates, symbols of pride in their families, both attending college with ambitious dreams --- social work for one, fashion designer for the other.

The other was a former Marine from Santa Paula who taught yoga to the blind, who was described by family members as a "wonderful, giving person."

In one horrible moment, all three, and 22 others, were gone, victims of a Sept. 12 train collision near Chatsworth.

Aida Magdaleno of Camarillo, 19; Maria Elena Villalobos of Moorpark, 18; and Manuel Macias Jr. of Santa Paula, 31, were among 24 passengers who died when northbound Metrolink train 111 collided with a southbound Union Pacific freight train on the tracks north of the Chatsworth Metrolink station before 4:30 p.m. The Metrolink engineer was also killed.

The two young college students were both parishioners of Holy Cross Church in Moorpark. Magdaleno attended Cal State Northridge, while Villalobos was enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles. The Macias family attends St. Sebastian Church in Santa Paula, where Manuel had been baptized and made first Communion; his funeral is scheduled Sept. 23.

The crash injured another 135 people, among them the sister of Father John Paul Gonzalez, associate pastor of St. John of God Church in Norwalk. Carmen Ellen Gonzalez, a parishioner of St. Peter Claver Church in Simi Valley and law student at Loyola Law School, was recovering this week in a Simi Valley hospital from multiple injuries; her mother, also named Carmen, is parish secretary at St. Rose of Lima Church in Simi Valley.

"My family joins me in thanksgiving to God for all the prayers and support offered by the clergy, religious, and faithful who reached out to me in my time of need," said Carmen Ellen Gonzalez in a statement. "As we continue to recover, I ask that you to pray for all those whose lives have been affected or lost as a result of the accident, as well as for their families. Thank you and God bless you!"

Last weekend, Cardinal Roger Mahony urged parishes to include in their liturgies "prayers for the families who suffered a death from the crash, and those families who have loved ones undergoing medical treatment, that they may be comforted by Our Risen Lord Jesus, Christ the Healer."

Specific prayers for all first responders and public safety personnel "who have worked so valiantly to rescue people" could also be included, as well as prayers for those who suffered from the effects of Hurricane Ike, he said.

Agony and tragedy
As the death toll mounted Sept. 12, some of the most heart-wrenching scenes were the waits endured by Magdaleno and Villalobos family members as they desperately sought news of what had happened to Aida and Maria Elena. On Sept. 13, their worst fears were realized: both had been confirmed dead.

Last weekend, parishioners joined family members at the Magdaleno and Villalobos homes to offer comfort and prayers, said Msgr. Paul Albee, pastor of Holy Cross. "I knew both young women," he told The Tidings, "and their families are very active in the parish. This has hit us all quite hard."

Msgr. Albee noted that Aida was scheduled to be a godparent at a family baptism on Sept. 13 (the ceremony was postponed), and that associate pastor Father Josph Quan Nguyen had been with the Magdaleno family, while he had spent much of Saturday at the Villalobos home with Maria's parents, Belen and Gonzalo, and other family members.

"We prayed, we talked," he noted. "These are wonderful people with great faith. Gonzalo kept saying how he didn't want to blame anyone; he said, 'I know God loves me.' And our parishioners have been great about stepping up and wanting to help in any way they can."

Manuel Macias had become a certified yoga teacher and worked with students at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles, as well as senior citizens in his native Santa Paula, said his aunt, Linda Dominguez. "He really got into it," said Dominguez, director of St. Sebastian's preschool program. "He was picking up new clients and truly enjoyed his work."

She and Manuel's parents, long active in the parish, have been "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of support and love from fellow Metrolink passengers who knew Manuel, and some who didn't. "He touched so many people's lives," said Dominguez. "And he had on his mind the desire to do his confirmation. It's hard to believe he's gone."

Ministering to the injured
Just a couple miles from the Chatsworth crash site is St. John Eudes Church, where at 5 p.m. Friday Father Kenneth Chukwu, a priest in residence from Okigwe, Nigeria, was just getting home after his duties as priest chaplain at Northridge Hospital. Upon hearing of the train accident, and knowing many injured would be sent to Northridge, he went back to work and spent much of last weekend offering comfort to the injured and their families.

"There were several who offered thanks to God for sparing their lives," Father Chukwu noted. "One injured man, who was Jewish, told me that he felt very lucky to have been saved from death. 'It's made me more aware that death could come at any time,' he said. 'I know now that we should live every day as if it is our last.'"

As is often the case in such tragedies, there were people who asked Father Chukwu why God could allow such an event to take place. "It is not easy to answer," he admitted. "We only know that there are situations over which we have no control, that God gives us free will to make choices. But we also know that God will love us always."

The knowledge and belief that God offers love and strength is what emergency service personnel use to offer strength to others, said L.A. City Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda, a parishioner at St. John Eudes.

"So many people depend on us to be strong," said Ruda, who was on the accident scene most of the weekend as both rescue worker and media spokesman for LAFD. "I think a lot of us who work in this profession have to be men and women of faith, because we need that God-given strength in order to do what we do."

On Sept. 16, about 100 Providence Holy Cross Medical Center staff personnel and family members attended "A Moment to Share Our Hope and Sorrow," a special morning prayer service for all affected by the Metrolink crash, in the lobby of the Mission Hills hospital.

The event was sponsored by the medical center's Spiritual Care Department. Sister of Providence Rose Byrne, representing the Providence corporate office, spoke and prayers were said for victims, their families and staff members.

Providence Holy Cross received the most victims of any hospital: 17. All survived, with nine left at the hospital as of Sept. 16 (four in serious condition; two in fair condition and three in good condition).

"They were amazing," said Patricia Aidem, spokesperson for Providence Medical Center, of the spiritual care department. "The chaplains were outside the hospital holding hands of the injured, comforting them in E.R., and taking care of family members."

Difficult task
A former high school seminarian and now an LAFD station commander in Hollywood, Ruda said his most difficult task on the weekend was not being able to tell family members desperate to locate loved ones if he had seen them trapped in the wreckage, or not.

"It's so hard to look into their faces as they ask 'What's happening, have you seen my husband?' and have to say, 'I'm sorry, I can't discuss that with you now, you need to go to the reunification area[to receive official information]'" he said. "Because God forbid you should give them wrong information."

For the firefighters, Ruda said the Metrolink crash was, "without a doubt," the most horrific accident he and many of his fire department colleagues had dealt with in their long careers.

"When you have a mass casualty evacuation like we had Friday night, your primary job is to get the injured out and transported to the hospitals," he said. "You can't worry about identification --- that comes later. It's all about saving lives. But when you see the carnage that we saw, it takes a toll, absolutely. That's why we have an 'operational work period' in which crews are rotated in and out, so that we have relief, so we can better do our jobs for the benefit of everybody, the injured and their families."

"And that's why having faith is so important. Because when you know that you're not alone, that God is present, you can ask for guidance and strength that you need."

Paula Doyle contributed to this story.