“There are two things I know. One, life is about relationships. Relationships are nourished by storytelling, with feelings. Two, that life is about our own relationship with God. The Holy Trinity is about relationships: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Nourish relationships, …as it shapes your life.” - Fr. Tony Astudillo, 2011
“Give me a lever and place to stand on, and I can move the world,” says Archimedes. Fr. Tony understood his levers, his place to stand on were his relationships with people. He is barely five feet tall, but his giant life speaks loudly. He animates his parish, with the belief that “ the more we become, the more we are the church. Creation is good, but re-creation is even better when we bring our faith home.”
The builders
St. Lorenzo Ruiz Church was built, by Catholics from Southern California, including those who immigrated from the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, India, Mexico, Ireland, Africa, etc. It is a structure that speaks visibly to the magnitude of Asian Pacific Catholics and the multicultural capacities in the archdiocese -- a collective strength which raised $9 million. Yet, Fr. Tony humbly notes “ Sometimes, we act like the prince, sometimes we see ourselves as the woodcarver, sometimes we even evaluate how [much] wood we have carved, but we forget about the tree, the God within, the One who gave us Life. “
Asian Pacifics are 14% of the US population, and Catholics of Asian Pacific descent are largely Filipino, then, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese. The first Filipino bishop, Bishop Oscar Solis, was appointed in 2005, the same year that Fr. Tony Astudillo became the head pastor for St. Lorenzo Ruiz parish in Walnut.
In his first month of appointment, Fr. Tony met with Cardinal Roger Mahony. He shared his doubts, as he had been ministering to the needs of the lower side of town. Now he is assigned to the upper side. Cardinal Mahony assured him that “the upper side of town needs those of us, who come from the lower side of town.”
With that spiritual guidance, Fr. Tony accepted his mission of building a new church. It has the beautiful history of a community becoming one -- with unlikely donors found. During the groundbreaking, there were supposedly 24 donors of lechon, but one donor opted to donate a $100,000 check instead for the parish.
Another generous donor provided $125,000 for the erection of the St. Lorenzo Ruiz statue at the church’s entrance. San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint, was depicted as a peasant with his hands tied -- a fitting description for a man who was tortured and who gave up his life for his faith. The donor had bypass surgery. She received the anointing of the sick from Fr. Tony while she was in the hospital and while she was recovering, Fr. Tony kept her abreast on the progress of the church as it was being built.
57 large donors provided significant contributions, as champions – contributing at a level of $80,000 to $100,000 and elite champions contributing $100,000 plus, leveraged by 837 donors at various levels of giving: sponsors at $5,000 to $10,000, patrons at $20,000 to $30,000, benefactors at $ 40,000 to $60,000 and champions at $80,000 to $100,000. There were various fundraisers, concerts, silent auctions and car raffles held: a BMW car was raffled at $100 per ticket, a Toyota Prius, Yaris and Corolla were also raffled off, a Martin Nievera concert, a Bonaventure dinner dance for Fr. Tony’s 60th birthday -- and all the proceeds went to the church-building fund.
Not all of these donors worship at St. Lorenzo Ruiz, but Fr. Tony’s relationships with non-parishioners are solid. Rose A. remarked: “ He is one of my favorite priests. He influenced me and Ed to focus on our marriage. That made us see God’s plan for our life. “
Sion F. noticed: “ In this church, you feel everyone is equal. All contribute.”
Gail, a parishioner of 10 years at St. Lorenzo described Fr. Tony as understanding and compassionate.
But, there were also those who reminded this writer that Fr. Tony provides clear leadership and will not hesitate to give a stern message to bring one back to the path of service to others.
Others describe a very warm and welcoming church which provide spiritual enrichment.
Lenten season
On the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, youth members of the church burn palm leaves into ashes. Every Friday at Lent, the stations of the cross are done, with Lenten soup served to about 150 to 200 parishioners.
The Lord’s Prayer is broken down into five categories of reflections for each of the Five Fridays of Lent: (a) Our Father, Hallowed be Thy Name – the absolute magnificence of God (b) Thy Will be Done – a total surrender to God’s Will (c) Give us our Daily Bread – our needs on earth to be provided for (d) Forgiveness for us and others’ transgressions – letting go of hurts and frustrations, a clearing of one’s heart to accept the Lord and (e) Lead us not into Temptation – protection from evil is sought.
On Holy Thursday, they do a re-enactment of the Last Supper and the Washing of the Feet. Sacred oils which have been blessed in the Cathedral are brought to St. Lorenzo Ruiz Church. Special blessings are given to the lecterns and eucharistic ministers. There is also a renewal of vows by the priests. On Good Friday, reflections on the 7 Last Words are done at 12 noon, followed by the Stations of the Cross. There is an Easter Vigil where the easter candle is lit and 6 adults and 2 children are baptized. For Easter Sunday, masses are held.
A four-year renewal and formation program was launched, called “Why Catholic? “ It calls for the formation and renewal of one’s faith, a re-imagining of how to bring one’s faith home, based on four pillars of church building: creed, prayers, justice and sacraments.
The church also helps provide for the poor with a food bank in the church’s vestibule. They also have a blood drive. Christmas tree-decorating is done by the youth. Decorated trees are then given to unwed teenage moms.
The church on the hill, with a big Cross can be seen as one turns the corner of Meadow Pass Road. Twelve years ago, they started planning to build a Catholic Church in Walnut. In 1996, St. Lorenzo Ruiz opened its doors. A year later, Fr. Michael Carroll was installed as its pastor.
In 2005, Fr. Tony Astudillo earnestly and vigorously did a capital campaign which reached $ 8.6 million today. In January 2009, the construction of the parking lot was done in five months.
The archdiocese gave its approval for the next building phase. The groundbreaking occurred on Sept. 14, 2009, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
On September 26, 2010, the dedication and blessing of St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church, now a permanent church, became part of the multi-cultural and Asian Pacifics Catholics’ significant collective and unified contribution to Southern California in the United States.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek April 20-22, 2011 MDWK pg.2)
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