Parishes Work Toward Unity

* Agustin Gurza’s column on July 24 [detailed] the heart-wrenching pastoral decisions before the pastor and people of the mission church of St. Isidore in Los Alamitos.

It neglected to mention the many noble and heroic efforts of Catholic communities that within a single generation have created some of the most dynamic multicultural communities to be found anywhere in the county.

Many parishes have become home to a variety of cultures and languages, the Hispanic community being the most prominent in more than 30 of these parishes. This has been achieved through much patience, sweat and tears.

Driven both by the necessity of demographic change and the moral challenge to forge one people of faith, this has been an Exodus story of communities moving beyond fear and mutual suspicion to embrace a renewed call to love one another.

There is a remarkable story to be told in the resilience of long-standing Hispanic neighborhoods in Orange County and the churches that nourished them.

It is a story made richer by the Gospel challenge to move beyond our fears toward becoming the people God has called us to be.

The community of St. Isidore should not be too quick to judge the hearts of their fellow Catholics and neighbors at St. Hedwig.

What has been achieved in parishes throughout the county can happen in Los Alamitos as well. I look forward to hearing from the pastor and people of St. Hedwig and St. Isidore about their mutual future.

It is unwise to invest in a plan that at any cost perpetuates fear, hostility and mistrust. I will not support that because where we are going we must get there together.

MSGR. JAIME SOTO

Orange