Eight women and eight men were elected by church leaders from the San Pedro Pastoral Region as lay members to the first Synod-initiated pastoral regional council on June 19 at St. Pancratius Church in Lakewood.

Meanwhile, the election of council representatives for the San Gabriel Region took place the same day at La Salle High School in Pasadena.

In each region, the 16 new members --- representing each deanery --- will serve three-year terms on the council, and will report directly to (in San Pedro) Msgr. Bernard Leheny, Episcopal Vicar, or (in San Gabriel) Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala.

"The council members will be the eyes and ears throughout the deaneries," said Msgr. Leheny. "They will assist on task forces and work in the parishes and help establish a Synod council in each parish."

Before the 50 San Pedro Region parish representatives voted for the council members, they discussed within their deanery groups the practical function of the regional pastoral councils as laid out in the "Charter for the Regional Pastoral Council." Deanery representatives discussed how to avoid taking a legalistic approach to Synod formation, how to be an "ideal" council member and the challenges of the six Synod initiatives.

Attendees cited evangelization, education and young adult outreach as areas of major concern.

"We are losing youth and young adults in the church, and we have to try to get back the ones we have lost," said young adult representative Zandra Martinez of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Los Nietos.

"We need to focus on how to reach out to people who just attend church on Sundays and don't take an active role in the church," said John Honrales of St. Matthias Church in Huntington Park. "The majority of people don't know about the Synod initiatives because information is slow to trickle down."

Some attendees expressed their concerns about the apathy of some church members. They said the key to a successful Synod implementation is to tap people's interests to get them actively involved in their parish.

"Some people seem to be stuck on the myth of 'Religion equals tell me what to do and think, and I'll do it,'" explained Hank Cierpich of St. Cyprian Church in Long Beach. "It's hard to overcome this mindset because tradition plays a big role."

"It's hard but not impossible to break this habit," added Hugo Soriano of St. Athanasius Church in Long Beach.

The San Pedro council members, by deanery:

Deanery 17: Jim Dela Torre, St. Dominic Savio, Bellflower; John Honrales, St. Matthias, Huntington Park; Marisol Meza, Our Lady of the Rosary, Paramount; Patricia Zamora, St. Gertrude, Bell Gardens. Alternate: Ana Maria Rosal, St. Martha, Huntington Park.

Deanery 18: Tom Connolly, St. Paul of the Cross, La Mirada; Kathleen Hamrock, St. Bruno, Whittier; Zandra Martinez, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Los Nietos; Joe Vicente, Holy Family, Artesia. Alternates: Carlos Garcia, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Los Nietos, and Margie Rodriguez, St. Gregory the Great, Whittier.

Deanery 19: Pat Herrera Duran, Holy Trinity, San Pedro; Frances Jonte, St. Joseph, Hawthorne; Rosemarie Kelley, American Martyrs, Manhattan Beach; Robert Lavallee, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Lomita.

Deanery 20: Scott Jenkins, St. Pancratius, Lakewood; David Kennedy, St. Matthew, Long Beach; Earl Lovett, St. Bartholmew, Long Beach; Lilia Refuerzo, Holy Innocents, Long Beach. Alternates: Hank Cierpich, St. Cyprian, Long Beach, and Francisco Gonzalez, St. Lucy, Long Beach.

The San Gabriel council members, by deanery:

Deanery 9: Chris Carpenpeel, St. Camillus, Boyle Heights; Ralph Lopez, Santa Teresita, East Los Angeles; John Muniz, St. Alphonsus, East Los Angeles; Jennifer Ocegueda-Reynosa, St. Lucy, East Los Angeles.

Deanery 10: Jose Luis Elias and Mark Padilla, St. Anthony, San Gabriel; Maria de Jesus Garcia and Al Jones, Sacred Heart, Altadena; Jeff Storey, St. Thomas More, Alhambra.

Deanery 11: Delores Louie, Sacred Heart, Covina; George Rigney, Holy Angels, Arcadia; Fe Varquez, St. Dorothy, Glendora (an additional member will be named).

Deanery 12: Linda De Berry, St. Madeleine, Pomona; Anita Ford, St. John Vianney, Hacienda Heights; Lupita Garza, St. Lorenzo Ruiz, Walnut; John Gately, Our Lady of the Assumption, Claremont.