Many parishioners at St. Euphrasia Church remember the Sunday in the early 1960s when their pastor at St. John Baptist de La Salle in Granada Hills announced that, as of the next Sunday, those living north of Rinaldi Street would be attending a new parish --- one without a church as yet. So off they went to some new locations for Mass, even at a local golf course, until their church would be built.
As Ben and Jean Pedrick, parishioners since that day, recall, "It was exciting. It was a challenge. It was a privilege. We had a lot of gung-ho people." Add fellow veterans Pat and Joe Petersam: "Even when we were new, the parish started up with a bang. Everyone wanted to get involved."
And it hasn't stopped. "Lay leadership isn't new to this parish," says Ben, who over the years has proudly been supervised the Boy Scouts, served on the parish council and "however needed."
So do, it seems, most everyone else. "We've got more people involved in one ministry or another at this time than we ever even did even from the beginning," says Pat Petersam.
Keeping the spirit of lay leadership in the parish alive is credited to their pastor, Father Mike Wakefield, who "is everywhere and knows almost everyone by name," says Carla Kazimir, chair of SEW (St. Euphrasia Women), which coordinates many outreach efforts. St. Euphrasia's recent Valentine's Day Tea raised money for "Get On the Bus," and their first fashion show will benefit St. Anne's Home.
Each of St. Euphrasia's many ministries reaches out to the larger community. Principal Mary Blair says the parish school has "a tremendous parent volunteer program and I feel the support of Father Mike, the parish and the parents. Our students are involved in numerous stewardship activities: supporting students in Kenya, MEND, Rancho San Antonio, Holy Childhood, our sister school in East LA. We have true global learners in our school."
"It's warm, it's welcoming, it's active and it's intimate," says Torri Winn, DRE, about her parish. "It has a community-based spirituality." Parents of religious education students are required to perform service hours each year; as a result they more involved in the religious life of their children and whole family catechesis is taking root.
Just three years ago 30 teens were involved in Youth Ministry in the parish. Today 100-150 attend meetings and 250 come for quarterly Youth Nights. Youth Minister Carla Nunneri provides topics of interest to the group --- Power of Youth, Domestic Violence, Careers in Faith - and they help with confirmation retreats. "There is lots of support from the parish," says Carla. "We value them. We walk the journey with them."
"I have loved it here," says Father Wakefield. "We worship here together and we work together. We've known loss, grief and some really happy times, too. We're just one, together." |