In his homily for the first Sunday of Advent at St. Anthony Church, Father Jose Magana drew the assembly's attention to the sanctuary --- to the altar, ambo and the place where the Advent wreath had traditionally been placed.

This year, St. Anthony's pastor said he placed the wreath in the center of the church with the congregation, "where it needed to be." He invited his people to pray as one community, that "all might have the wisdom to know that God is in our midst already."

Soon, he added, the parish will begin to sing and pray in all the languages of the venerable Long Beach parish, not just in English or Spanish. "Advent is not about who has what gift already," he said. "Advent is all about being joined as one, as one community."

St. Anthony Parish is using its ethnic diversity --- Filipino, Cambodian, Anglo, Latino and more --- as a strength to build a unified community. "We are celebrating as much as possible as one community --- together," says Annabelle Gordon, coordinator of parish RCIA ministry (with 50 adults and youth currently in the process). Bilingual and multilingual prayer is one means to realizing what Gordon calls the parish mantra of "unity in diversity."

For parish business manager Amelia Ramos, such unification efforts make her job all the more special. "Father Jose truly believes that all are welcome here," says Amelia. "'If there is no place for you, we'll make a place for you,' he says. And that's why I am in love with my job."

A parishioner since her pre-teen years, Amelia met her future husband Jorge while in the parish Youth Ministry group. She was volunteer coordinator of parish ministries in the parish before becoming its business manager. Jorge, who teaches second grade in the Long Beach Unified School District, has been involved in Youth Ministry for nearly 20 years and today is the volunteer coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministries.

Amelia says that Jorge was just a bit too "churchy" when she first met him. He always played Jesus when the teens re-enacted the stations and was a teen leader in Youth Ministry. As their relationship grew, so did their love of their parish and its ministries.

"At first I thought, well, George was doing his ministry, and so I would do mine as business manager," says Amelia. "More and more we realize that I have to be involved in his faith formation and that we are a team. We're together. We're a couple and models for the community as a whole, and, with the grace of God, we can still be involved."

In her role as business manager, she has also found that the stories of those who come to the office in need resonate with her and Jorge. "I know about the difficulties of balancing finances," she muses. "We've had four children, a miscarriage … we're all going through this together. It's a blessing that I can draw from my own life, my own struggles, my own need and offer some hope. With God nothing is impossible."

On Friday evenings, Jorge attends Mass with 40 Youth Ministry members and afterwards leads them in preparing sack lunches and "care packages" for about 100 homeless. Those who are able go with him to take the food and socks downtown.

"I'm in love with my parish," says Jorge, who hopes someday to become a deacon --- something he and his wife have discussed, and of which Amelia is very supportive.

"We hope," says Jorge, "that we can be light for our community so that people can see Christ present, that other families can also be centered in Christ, that they might live their faith at home and in the community."