The parish of Our Lady of Lourdes is mirrored by the Haynes family.
Husband Tony, a sergeant with the Sheriff's Department for the last 22 years, chairs the pastoral council, and oversees security during "Family Fun Days" at their Tujunga parish. Wife Chantelle, a medical insurance biller, has been the PTO first vice-president at Our Lady of Lourdes School. Daughter Allison, a sophomore at Immaculate Heart High School, attended Our Lady of Lourdes School and is in second-year confirmation. Son Zach, an 8th grader at OLL School, helps at early childhood Sunday School and works in the religious education office on Tuesdays.
Chantelle and Tony were married in the church, as were Chantelle's parents, Char and Jim Rosauer. Chantelle attended OLL School as did her mother and her sisters. And at the 12:30 Sunday Mass, Chantelle and Tony are Eucharistic ministers, Allison sings in the youth choir, and Zach is an altar server. Asked about his involvement, Zach says simply, it is just "automatic."
"Our parish is very family oriented," adds Tony, noting other families have numerous generations of parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes. "Sunland-Tujunga is a homey town. You just meet people in the parish everywhere."
As pastor, Father Freddie Chua is impressed with the sense of family and community that is special to Our Lady of Lourdes. "It is a close knit family," he says, many of whose parishioners "have been here for generations." One of nine children, he makes family togetherness a priority, with attention to good liturgy and inclusive family participation.
Born in the Philippines to a family that also spoke Fookien, a dialect from South China and the ethnic Chinese of the Philippines, Father Freddie sees a special richness in his parish because of the contributions of its cultural groups, and works to foster a sense that there is but "one parish community." Our Lady of Lourdes' 2,200 families include second and third generation Italian and Irish families praying with relatively recent Hispanic, Filipino, Eastern European, Korean and Vietnamese families.
"We are very blessed," says OLL School principal Kathleen Jones. "Families reach out to others -over and over again. Parishioners help each other as they cross over cultural and language barriers. You are able to see grandparents who do lunch duty and it extends to single parents, too."
"If there is a need you put out the word and it happens and it's across cultural lines, too," adds Jackie Tanker, DRE. The school and religious education teachers and classes work together. Longevity of commitment is a "hallmark of the parish," says Jackie.
Father Freddie, she says, sets the example. "When something needs to be done, he is there." He visits classes, talks with parents, and stays after every event, ready to help --- after the last Thanksgiving Day potluck, "he was scrubbing the floors at the end of the day," says Jackie. "That's the way he is - always willing to go the extra mile. He's a gift to Our Lady of Lourdes." |