Delegates from the four deaneries of the Our Lady of the Angels Region met at St. Jerome Church Sept. 25 for a day of discernment culminating with the selection of lay regional council members.
Each of the five pastoral regions of the archdiocese now have established regional councils in keeping with one of the pastoral strategies for Synod Pastoral Initiative II: Structures for Participation and Accountability. The councils will make concrete the Synod vision of greater collaborative ministry among clergy, religious and laity.
Our Lady of the Angels Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark, in speaking to the parish delegates assembled at St. Jerome's, said that the future of the church will be realized when all the baptized contribute of their talents.
"The church is not fully alive until every person recognizes their gift. Then the church is alive and unstoppable," said the bishop, who enumerated the different abilities among the faithful to teach, listen, care and lead.
Our Lady of the Angels Region --- 1.25 million Catholics strong --- has unique challenges and opportunities in witnessing and evangelizing the Gospel message of Christ, said the bishop. There are 77 parishes and 14 Catholic high schools, making this one region larger than most dioceses in the U.S.
It also is the most ethnically diverse region. The biggest group is Hispanics, particularly Central Americans. The largest Korean community outside of Seoul resides in this region, as does the largest Filipino community outside of Manila.
The region houses numerous ethnic cultural centers and parishes dedicated to particular communities with Masses offered in French, Croatian, Lithuanian, Polish, Italian and many others.
The only way to know the needs of the region is to make time to listen to people from diverse cultures and perspectives, said Bishop Clark. Council members will be charged with the responsibility of "being a voice for all the people," he said.
Following prayer and discussion of various Synod initiatives, each deanery voted for up to four candidates. Selected were 16 lay regional council members --- four from each deanery --- and five alternates. Council members will serve staggered terms of three, four and five years. Priests, deacons and religious representatives will be added to the council.
Council members will assist each regional bishop to encourage collaboration among the parishes to implement Synod initiatives and to set a vision and priorities for the region.
Council member Linda Watts of Holy Spirit Church said she had hope the region would demonstrate that "the people of the church are very united in their faith and are going forth."
She said she drew strength from the experiences of her multi-cultural parish, in which three ministries --- Hispanic, African-American and Filipino --- each send representatives to the parish council. The parish infrastructure was worked out through many meetings with assistance from Building Bridges Black and Brown.
"The hard work is worth it," said Watts. "The biggest difference is the language. Once you get past that, regardless of your culture, you all bleed, you all cry. If something happens to a child, you are there for one another."
Council member Alex Moran of St. Thomas the Apostle Church said he was invigorated by his parish's success in evangelizing the neighborhood. Moran said home visits, small base communities and popular religious festivals honoring the patrons of El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico had drawn many new people to the parish.
"I think the Holy Spirit will guide us to do a good job collaborating with the bishop to give to our communities what they say they need," said Moran in Spanish.
Council member Joy Eliseo, a young adult from St. Kevin Church, said she was pleased to be working with others to envision how parishes can involve and support young people and young adults, and nurture the family in its faith development.
Eliseo said she felt moved to enter into regional leadership after reading St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, Chapter 12 on using one's gifts. Other delegates told her the same.
"It's interesting how the spirit pushes through these words," said Eliseo, a first grade school teacher. "I'm sure it touched the people back then, and it continues to touch the people presently."
Our Lady of the Angels lay council members include:
---Deanery 13: Hortense Bradley, St. Jerome Church; John Fisher, St. Monica Church; Kelly Sellers, St. Anastasia Church; Carolyn Wallace, Our Lady of Malibu Church; and alternate Tanya Gutierrez, Visitation Church.
---Deanery 14: Loraine de Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church; Joy Eliseo, St. Kevin Church; Caitlin Morais, Christ the King Church; Peter Wong, St. Bridget Chinese Church; and alternate Julio Villatoro, Precious Blood Church.
---Deanery 15: Saul Guzman, St. Vincent Church; Mary Kosalka, Our Lady of the Bright Mount Church; Alex Moran, St. Thomas the Apostle Church; Linda Watts, Holy Spirit Church; and alternates Johnnie Raines, Transfiguration Church, and Luis Villa, St. Vincent Church.
---Deanery 16: LaVerne Andrews, St. Michael Church; Berenice Escobedo, St. Columbkille Church; Andrew Knox, St. Brigid Church; Oscar Rodriguez, Ascension Church; and alternate Doris Tims, St. Eugene Church. |