“Blessed Kateri Parish is youthful in enthusiasm, alive with spirituality, and has a diversification of ministry. Personally, Blessed Kateri is a beacon of hope for me, for which I am eternally grateful." - Rev. Monsignor Michael J. Slattery, 2009.
He said those words in celebration of the opening of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha’s new Church structure.
It was completed two years ago. It was built by a dynamic parish with 53 ministries amongst 5,750 families and still growing. Its population is diverse -- Caucasians,Filipinos, Latinos; some he mentioned were Australians, Iranians, Iraqis and Vietnamese.
The church is like a piece of art, with the most beautiful sculptures, tree of life mosaic on its front door, an altar made with Jerusalem stone, life-sized crucifix, bronze gate to the adoration chapel, and stations of the cross that are outside but can be brought indoors during Lenten season. According to Renee Fields in Signal.com, this is “to bring in all the elements of our faith structurally is overwhelming.”
Its mission statement is quite inclusive: "We are a diverse community unified through our Catholic Christina values. As a people of God, we recognize that fellowship is fundamental to building a community of faith. Through fellowship, we will create a place of worship as asource of spiritual enrichment for all."
A church bulletin of April 2011 reported their collections at $117,906.49 for the month, and parishioners contributed $76, 597.85 to the Building Fund. It took approximately $16 million to build the church, according to Msgr. Slattery, half of which was extended as loan from the Archdiocese.
While money is never the measure of what a community of faith-dwellers can do, it is the dynamism of their various ministries that appear impressive.They include: ministries for worship (8), Fellowship and Prayer Ministry (6), Formation and Evangelization ( 15), Religious Education ( 7), Service ( 17 ). These ministries cater to all age groups: teens, children, women, men, elderly, and to all sectors: Spanish, Filipino, Caucasian, businesses, knotty knitters and crazy crocheters, marriage encounters, Mental Health Support group, newcomers and MS Self-Help Group. It is perhaps why Msgr. Slattery referred to his parish as his beacon of hope.
Msgr. Slattery was 23 years when he was ordained. He will celebrate 50 years of priestly service come 2012. He went to St. Agustin’s Catholic School in Waterford, Ireland. He attended St. John’s Seminary for college, in Waterford, Ireland and got ordained by Bishop Cohalan.
Msgr. Slattery has served in seven parishes: St. Rose of Lima in Simi Valley as the associate pastor; Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Newhall; St. Mary’s in Palmdale; St. John Eudes in Chatsworth; St. Euphrasia in Granada Hills; St. John de Baptist La Salle in Granada Hills and now for thirteen years in Blessed Kateri. At a young age of 72 years, Msgr. Slattery spoke of retiring at this church.
But not quite yet, said Vilma San Buenaventura, a coordinator for the Filipino ministry group. Msgr. Slattery declared “ I like Filipinos, they are quite active in their spirituality. They are in prayer groups. They coordinate the simbang gabi celebration that are sometimes spread out in three parishes, including ours."
When I asked him about God’s calling, he said “ I have always felt it,I just like to be a priest and be good."
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