The English origin for the word truth is “faithfulness”

Luke 8:17 “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”

When I was a junior in high school, for the first time I experienced bigotry that changed my way of thinking. The instructor was  lecturing when his eye caught the attention of three Mexican boys walking in the hall. The teacher announced, “There they go, they will get their diplomas on a tortilla.” While the rest of the class of mostly white students laughed, I could feel the emotions stirring within me and heat reaching my face to change it to beet red. I got out of my seat and left the classroom, and ran to the office of Mr. Lopez, the guidance counselor. I told him what was said and he agreed how wrong it was. This was not bullying, it was straight out racism. I do not believe that  racist teacher ever suffered any consequences because years later, I would learn that he was promoted to principal at the same high school. This was the world we live in. I never hated the teacher for his ignorance but I understood that I would never make another human being feel inferior.

There was a Jesus movement at the time, and some of the non-Hispanic students from our school were spreading the, “Good News” but we  already had Jesus at Catholic Mass with his Mother Mary and his Stepfather Joseph. I had no understanding of this “new”Jesus but the kids that were involved were loving and seemed genuine, (more about that later).

Protests against the war in Vietnam, the Black Panthers, and the Chicano movement were gaining strength in numbers and our high school was part of this. I got involved in UMAS (United Mexican American Students). We protested about every injustice, had a sit-ins at the school board demanding Chicano Studies. I can honesty say that no textbooks were written about this subject at this time, but somehow we got it into the curriculum. In my senior year I was voted president of MECHA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) a more sophisticated name change for UMAS. We continued to separate ourselves to protect us from those that did not believe as we did. I look back on these years and can see how we were a part of the big picture of what is happening on our college campuses today. All it takes is a strong charismatic leader with good or malevolent intentions to misguide a young mind. Back then, as far as I was concerned, there were changes needed to take place to make teachers and administrators understand that not only one race could succeed.

In college, MECHA rallies were more intense and the organization was to round up as many kids, by the busloads, to spread the blanket of half-truths. Half-truths work in the minds of the youth. Preach how you were mistreated and how you can make the world a better place. With the exception of the racist teacher, our high school had wonderful instructors, but with half-truths they all fell into the bad category. I knew going into this movement that it was radical;  my oldest brother Robert warned me against MECHA, but I was not ready for his wise counsel. At the last rally I attended at Cal State Long Beach, the leaders were wearing brown berets that looked like the one that Che Guevara wore. This scared me because I had recently studied about him. He was the charismatic, Marxist revolutionary with a medical degree. Che Guevara had a strong following from many Latin American countries, and ours.

In college, MECHA sponsored my nomination for homecoming queen. The victory was sweet but short lived because my beliefs had changed and I started dating a white guy. In a undignified way, I was excommunicated from the group because MECHA moved on to bigger fish.  I believe that many of these educated Black Panther and MECHA followers became the new wave of what is happening in campuses today. How did all this liberal movement infiltrate the minds of so many? I used to make homemade bread which needed just the right amount of yeast to make the bread rise. Sadly, social media is the distributor of the tasteless yeast. The truth is second nature, presented in a way of questioning doubt.

All this radical genre has spread like an unquenchable fireball of half-truths. I know this because I fell victim to this movement which started as a good cause but crossed the boundaries of uncharted waters and was no longer working for me.

God had other plans for me and I met Mike, my saving grace and husband of almost 46 years. Mike too was exposed to the radical movement, but he never caved in. He just educated himself by reading and finding his way to through all this purple haze.

Remember the high school Jesus that I placed on hold? Well, He came back to claim me. God created this passion in me for His purpose. My faith is what keeps me balanced and every time I get off track, the Lord gently guides me back to reality.  There is no color distinction with God; no race is greater than another, Jesus is alive today, just as he was when I was in high school. My troubled years had to be a part of the past to make who I am today. He created us equal and I no longer need a special organization to defend against any injustices because Jesus is the defender of all just causes. He stands for what is right and true, and asks us to follow His commandments. The ninth commandment is, “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” which means don’t  lie. When we lie, our heart tells us by a slight irregular beat; that is God reminding you to stop!

One of my favorite scriptures and possibly my personal mission statement is from Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whoever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, wherever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

I met Anthony at Christ In You, a ministry we both attended. Anthony was part of the homeless ministry as well as taking part in most activities with the team. This story is about his calling into to the religious life to the Franciscan Order.

We always had these plays that the ministry would put on, Anthony usually played the part of Jesus. Our hectic schedules did not allow much time for play practice. We had the dress rehearsal just hours before the production and most of us did not know our lines, it was through the grace of God that we survived the plays. Anthony and I would practice our lines in the ministry parking lot and were rarely prepared for what lay ahead. I got to know his commitment to God with our amateur productions.

Anthony wanted a career that would enable him to help others. He was almost accepted into the Sheriff’s department, but the day before his physical agility test, Anthony injured his Achilles tendon and was out of commission. In order to become a California Highway Patrol officer, Anthony needed corrective surgery to repair astigmatism, but after six surgical procedures to correct his vision it did not meet the strict standards of the department and he had to leave the program. He tried out for the LAPD, which would allow him to wear contact lenses. However due to the multiple eye surgeries left him with scar tissue that prevented him from wearing the contact lenses. He was accepted to the Los Angeles Fire Academy but was not at peace.  Before all these efforts, however, Anthony had looked into the religious life but was discouraged by the vocation directors.

Anthony remained steadfast and continued to serve God with Christ in You as well as serving as the youth director at his parish. He worked full time at the Sears warehouse, then did ministry after work, but he still believed  that he was not doing enough work for God. The Sheriff’s Department , the California Highway Patrol, and the Los Angeles Police Department all closed the door to a future for him, and though he had a open door to the Los Angeles Fire Academy, there was no peace.  All these trials did not change his spiritual life dedicated to  finding his place in God.

He had watched EWTN  on a regular basis (EWTN is an acronym for Eternal Word Television Network). EWTN was the brainchild of Mother Angelica in Irondale, Alabama, and is the largest global Catholic network in the world. Anthony was always praying about his call, and he decided to contact EWTN because they had a community of Franciscan priests. Much to Anthony’s surprise, within three days, a priest, Father Anthony from EWTN,contacted him and invited Anthony to visit the order. Anthony was subsequently accepted into the religious life.

I still remember the day he left, and though I shared in the joy of his calling, he was greatly missed. I too watch EWTN, and it was a wonderful surprise to see him assisting at daily Mass. It made my heart glad that we could see him daily on television.

Anthony never felt peace with fire department, and all the surgeries to correct his vision for the sheriff’s department only led him to minister to the doctor and his staff. At Sears he was learning managerial skills; at Christ In You he was learning counseling skills and at the parish, he was being trained to work with the youth.

Anthony was 27 years old when he entered the religious life. The first two years are in Franciscan formation, two years of basic studies, two years at the Pontificate University Puerto Rico where he studied philosophy. At St. Mary Seminary, after four years he earned his Masters in Divinity, with a minor in communications.

When Anthony received his diaconate, we were there to support him. When he was ordained a priest, we traveled back to Alabama to witness this incredible young man’s journey into the priesthood. Father Leonard Mary of the Holy Spirit was the name that he chose because there was already a Father Anthony in the small community of Fransicans. Father said he listened to a homily about St. Leonard and loved his charism.

Father Leonard had many mentors along the way, his parents Helen and Peter were his biggest prayer support as well as his older brother Peter. His mother Helen was suffering with terminal cancer, and died eight years before he became a priest. Helen always knew that Anthony would one day become a priest.

When Anthony was a teenager, Father Luke, a Benedictine was always encouraging young Anthony to attend adoration (prayer before the Blessed Sacrament) father told him the importance of reading Scripture. Anthony never forgot the great words of wisdom of Father Luke, who died in 1994. When Father Leonard was assigned to a Benedictine Parish in Baltimore, he met Father Pascal. Father Pascal is a monk from St. Vincent Archabbey Seminary, where Father Luke was assigned a deacon. Father Pascal and Father Luke were friends. This was no coincidence for Father Leonard for he knew that Father Luke was interceding for him in heaven.

Joanne, the leader of Christ In You, also served as a mentor. She knew all along that Father Leonard was called to the priesthood.

Today Father Leonard is the Chaplain of the EWTN employees, and he is head of the media, in charge of the website for the friars, which includes Facebook, Intagram and Twitter. Father Leonard celebrates Masses on a regular basis, and he can be seen on EWTN, Channel 370 DirecTV. He also does retreats and is involved in faith formation of young brothers.

Father Leonard has traveled with us to Israel, Turkey, Spain, France, Greece, Mexico, and Italy. On several occasions, he has carried the Cross on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, portraying Jesus. Expressing the same mantle of Saint Francis by carrying the cross, Father Leonard exemplifies the love for Jesus crucified. In the words, of St. Francis “There is where you find perfect love.”

My prayer

Dear Lord, there are so many you have called, but they have not found their way. Father, I ask that we all search our souls for what you have waiting for us, reveal yourself to those seeking direction and grant them a peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen