"God is asking for the freedom to re-arrange the pieces of our lives," Cardinal Roger Mahony told those gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Sept. 9 for the Mass of Commissioning of Pastoral Associates.

Each of the four commissioned, the cardinal said, have been open to change, to the "interruptions" God has brought to their lives, and has allowed God to "re-arrange their lives" so that they can respond to the call and challenge as pastoral associates.

The four newly commissioned pastoral associates are: Noel Fuentes for St. Raphael Church, Goleta; Claire Henning, St. Paul the Apostle, Westwood; Kathy Russell, St. Brendan, Los Angeles; and Deacon Bob Seidler, St. John Eudes, Chatsworth.

During his homily, Cardinal Mahony spoke from his own personal experience in the seminary and early priesthood. As a young man, though raised in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, he entered St. John's Seminary in Camarillo hoping to be ordained for the Diocese of Monterey. He wanted to work with the Spanish speaking, with migrant workers, but "God interrupted" his life.

As he told those assembled for the commissioning, "our view is limited, but the twists and turns of our lives are always to our benefit." Most importantly, he added, "we must ask ourselves, 'Where am I with God's plans?' For that is the challenge of discipleship. In St. Luke's Gospel [for last Sunday], Jesus asked Peter, James, John and his disciples to interrupt their work, to come follow him."

"God's ways are not our ways," said the cardinal. "He calls us radically to this type of relationship."

Pastoral associates are professional ministers who share with their pastors the overall care of the parish. He or she is a member of the parish staff, usually full-time, and is accountable to the pastor. Called to serve "in the name of the Church," they are commissioned by the archbishop after they are professionally prepared and formed for this service and leadership. (They are not to be confused with Parish Life Directors, who administer parishes which are without resident pastors.)

Each of the newly commissioned has come from a unique background and type of work experience, and each will bring her or his strengths and talents to the work of pastoral associate.

"In the cardinal's homily I felt like it was written for me," said Kathy Russell. "My life has been completely re-arranged. I am a widow now. I was a happy wife and mother of five, and even before my husband was ill, I felt this call to service, and he kept saying, 'Yes, it's who you are, and somehow you will be.' I never imagined it would be in this form, but that's how it all evolved."

With a background in business, Deacon Bob Seidler has been in charge of ministries within his parish and will now assume more duties in the business area. With his commissioning he was especially happy about this further calling to minister in the church.

"As we make this public statement," he said, "it is a message to the people of the Archdiocese: 'Yes, lay people can come forward and do these kinds of jobs in the Church.'"

"It's especially important," he added, "for the three women who were commissioned today. For me it's an affirmation of something I am pretty much already doing. But it's a step in the right direction. For the women it is a public recognition and hopefully they will be able to go back to their own churches and have a similar public recognition in front of their own parishioners. They are filling a new role in the lay leadership in the church. We're all called to ministry. Our baptism sends us in this direction and everyone is called. It's just that not everyone answers that call."

Claire Henning at first felt like the commissioning would be somewhat like graduation - a completion - but as the ceremony approached it became very clear that "I see a beginning and I feel much more empowered. When I looked out there and saw all those people, I said, 'That's God's church - all those people out there.' It's very affirming. It's just a wonderful experience to have all those people come and recognize it, too.

"I have been looking back at how my life has led me to this day and would never have guessed that it was going to be here."

Fuentes, who worked as a technical writer in the high-tech industry for 15 years before becoming involved in parish ministry, said, "This day means that all baptized Catholics have a chance to participate in leadership and ministry --- and they need to step forward now."

The ministry of the pastoral associate is comprehensive, relating to all aspects of parish life, with designated responsibilities dependent upon the needs of the parish and the gifts of the individual pastoral associate. The role of pastoral associate can vary significantly from parish to parish, noted St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Carol Quinlivan, director of the archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Life, which administers the pastoral associate and Parish Life Director formation programs.

"Some pastoral associates are true 'generalists,'" she said, "while others have more focused and specific responsibilities, which can vary widely from one pastoral associate to another. We're looking for people who aren't just good at business or organization, but those who have a spiritual bent so that they can really minister."

The pastoral associate program, available through St. John's Seminary and Loyola Marymount University, is competency based, and can take anywhere from two to three years. Classes are offered in spirituality, collaboration, conflict management, multi-culturality and lay preaching. The group meets twice a month; for information, call (213) 637-7330.

Added Deacon Seidler, "I'd love to see more deacons go into this type of ministry. It's another step along the spiritual journey we're all on until the day we stop breathing. Everything we do along that path helps us move a step closer to God. That's really what our call is. These women are wonderful gifts to their parishes. We all have gifts to share, and the more we all can do that the better."