"How many times," Father Tony Astudillo asked his parish assembly at St. Lorenzo Ruiz Church in an Epiphany Sunday homily, "when God has visited us, were we not home?"
"When God touches us, when he unveils himself to us, we will go home by another route," said the parish pastor. "Everything changes when God enters our lives, visits us. The Lord visits us in so many different ways, but we have to be there when he visits us."
The visit of the magi, Father Astudillo continued, shows us that "God visits everyone --- of all colors, races and nationalities --- without distinction."
As pastor of a 2,600-family parish that is more than 70 percent Filipino and one-fourth Anglo, plus small numbers of Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese and Spanish-speaking, Father Astudillo sees both diversity and great unity at St. Lorenzo Ruiz. A native of the Philippines, he enjoys leading a young, growing parish, though the need to provide more space for religious education, meetings and other ministries presents challenges. Father Astudillo would like to develop small group communities within the parish and to emphasize faith formation and whole community catechesis.
About a year and a half ago Kathleen Domingo joined the staff as director of faith formation. "I was encouraged when I first moved into the parish by the sense of community there," says Domingo. "A lot of these families have a strong sense of ownership because they were among the founding families. They will do anything that will enhance the life of the parish."
Domingo is responsible for supervision of RCIA, religious education, sacramental preparation, retreats, missions, workshops, seminars and other spiritual activities. Most weeks, religious education and sacramental preparation classes are held daily, and as many as six to ten different activities can be held on a given afternoon or evening. One meeting room empties, and another group immediately occupies it.
But the desire for spiritual growth means an emphasis on liturgy and deepening the spiritual life --- and that is wholeheartedly embraced at St. Lorenzo. "I am really impressed with Father Tony's emphasis on formation," says Domingo. "He is making every effort to ensure that people are nurtured in their faith." |