It's no surprise, really, that Artesia residents Floramae and Nick Gandalfo have been married 52 years, given all the similarities in their lives.
Both are the children of Italian immigrants; Flo was born in Artesia and Nick was two years old when his parents moved to the small farming community, where many Catholic families --- including Italian, Portuguese and Dutch --- lived lives rooted in the earth as either farmers or dairymen. And except for Flo's baptism at St. Bernard Church in Bellflower, both have received all of their sacraments (including matrimony) at Holy Family Church, erected two years after Flo's baptism, and their second home ever since.
"It's my home, my family and I love it," says Flo about her church. "I wouldn't be any other place. I am very much comfortable and at home in my parish."
As young adults Flo and Nick met, fell in love and were married. They had six children and sent each to the parish school, Our Lady of Fatima. Their children went on to St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower, and St. Joseph High School, Lakewood, and they managed to send them to college, too.
Today the Gandalfos are still very much involved in the life of their parish. Nick loves to lector and coordinates the preparation of Christmas food baskets that serve 350 needy families each holiday season. Flo is a member of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women and helps Nick with various parish projects.
Flo and Nick have seen many changes in Artesia, but one thing has been a constant. No matter the cultural group or wave of new parishioners, each group brings its own richness and is integrally part of the whole community --- not an easy task since this parish of over 6,500 registered families has at least ten different cultural groups. But seven of the nine Sunday Masses are in English (one in Spanish and another in Portuguese). Approximately 60 percent of the parishioners are Filipino with 25 percent Anglo; the remainder is a mix of Portuguese, Hispanic and others.
"I know there is no perfect world, but this is close to paradise," says 12-year pastor Msgr. Loreto "Mac" Gonzales. Msgr. Gonzales ministers with the goal of creating one community at Holy Family, ensuring that all work together with common goals. Even with so much diversity in his parish, he believes everyone can have his or her place and still be part of the whole.
One of the best examples of diversity working together in unity is the annual October parish celebration of Mary, Mother of God and Mother of All Peoples. The Portuguese band leads the procession. Some decades of the rosary are prayed in English, some in Spanish.
And each cultural group participates in one way or another, before or after the event. The Spanish language Guadalupanos have their food sales, as do some of the Filipino organizations. All work together as one. This, after all, is their parish family. |