Catholic Diocese of El Paso


	Bishop Armando Ochoa's Message ~~____________________________________________~~ September, 2008 Church’s life is complicated, but we are all one family Dear Friends in Christ: As I prepare to celebrate our 2nd Annual Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord Mass, it affords me the opportunity to publicly acknowledge the giftedness that our Diocesan Family employees bring to the workplace. I refer not only to the employees of the Diocesan Pastoral Center but also to those involved in Catholic Education, Mt. Carmel Cemetery, DMRS, and all the supporting staff at each of our Diocesan parishes. There is a saying that I am very fond of: “Church is messy!” In fact, there are scenes from the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” that call to mind many episodes that are constantly being played out. Interactions among employees in parish ministry will always be a bit domestic—with all the good, bad, and indifferent that such a relationship suggest. The Diocese of El Paso is blessed with the gifts and talents of people from many different cultures. These are celebrated every summer in the annual production of “Viva El Paso” which tells the colorful story of our rich history and tradition. There are still other cultures, such as the growing military culture, which is interwoven in the daily life of so many of our parishes. These, and still others that I have not mentioned, are not potential “clients” for which we must do things. They are members of Christ’s faithful who belong to our Diocesan Church. They too contribute their experiences, hopes, and dreams to the life in our Border Region. It is my prayer that we all can continue in the spirit of “Ecclesia in America” to “twin” our parish, vicariate, and diocesan resources so that our time, talent and treasure can be shared across parish boundaries. We have seen creative examples and experiments of this kind with our first “Bi-ritual” Parish, Holy Family/St. Anthony of the Desert and now, San Eli and San Lorenzo sharing one Pastor as well as San Judas with its missions, sharing another Pastor. All of these needs to be couched in between prayer and humility. Without humility, we all can stray. And so that we do not stray, Pope Benedict in his encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, offers us the only antidote: a living relationship with Christ—a relationship that is nourished and strengthened in prayer. Daily prayer offers us serenity—an inner peace if you like. It is in prayer that we learn to trust in the power of God’s Mercy when we are confronted in ministry with the weakness of our frail human nature. All prayer, all forms of prayer, remind us “let go and let God.” The real challenge in all of this is to pray as if everything depended on God—and to work as if everything depended on us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2559) underscores this philosophy when it says that the one who speaks with God, “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart will experience the gift of prayer. St. Paul says it so well: “The love of Christ urges us on”(2 Cor 5:14). What I propose to each of you, whether diocesan employee or not, is to embrace this disposition. If we want to walk along with the Lord, we must do so in the good times as well as in the bad. Without it, we will stray off the beaten path, in one wrong direction or another. top.. Home \| About \| Directory \| Parishes \| Ministries \| Schools \| Calendars Site Map \| Contact \| Staff E-mail

Bishop Armando Ochoa's Message
~~____________________________________________~~
September, 2008

Church’s life is complicated, but we are all one family

Dear Friends in Christ:

As I prepare to celebrate our 2nd Annual Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord Mass, it affords me the opportunity to publicly acknowledge the giftedness that our Diocesan Family employees bring to the workplace. I refer not only to the employees of the Diocesan Pastoral Center but also to those involved in Catholic Education, Mt. Carmel Cemetery, DMRS, and all the supporting staff at each of our Diocesan parishes.

There is a saying that I am very fond of: “Church is messy!” In fact, there are scenes from the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” that call to mind many episodes that are constantly being played out. Interactions among employees in parish ministry will always be a bit domestic—with all the good, bad, and indifferent that such a relationship suggest.

The Diocese of El Paso is blessed with the gifts and talents of people from many different cultures. These are celebrated every summer in the annual production of “Viva El Paso” which tells the colorful story of our rich history and tradition. There are still other cultures, such as the growing military culture, which is interwoven in the daily life of so many of our parishes. These, and still others that I have not mentioned, are not potential “clients” for which we must do things. They are members of Christ’s faithful who belong to our Diocesan Church. They too contribute their experiences, hopes, and dreams to the life in our Border Region. It is my prayer that we all can continue in the spirit of “Ecclesia in America” to “twin” our parish, vicariate, and diocesan resources so that our time, talent and treasure can be shared across parish boundaries. We have seen creative examples and experiments of this kind with our first “Bi-ritual” Parish, Holy Family/St. Anthony of the Desert and now, San Eli and San Lorenzo sharing one Pastor as well as San Judas with its missions, sharing another Pastor.

All of these needs to be couched in between prayer and humility. Without humility, we all can stray. And so that we do not stray, Pope Benedict in his encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, offers us the only antidote: a living relationship with Christ—a relationship that is nourished and strengthened in prayer.

Daily prayer offers us serenity—an inner peace if you like. It is in prayer that we learn to trust in the power of God’s Mercy when we are confronted in ministry with the weakness of our frail human nature. All prayer, all forms of prayer, remind us “let go and let God.” The real challenge in all of this is to pray as if everything depended on God—and to work as if everything depended on us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2559) underscores this philosophy when it says that the one who speaks with God, “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart will experience the gift of prayer.

St. Paul says it so well: “The love of Christ urges us on”(2 Cor 5:14). What I propose to each of you, whether diocesan employee or not, is to embrace this disposition. If we want to walk along with the Lord, we must do so in the good times as well as in the bad. Without it, we will stray off the beaten path, in one wrong direction or another.

top..

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