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CURRENT ISSUE: July 4, 2005
VOL.
43, NO. 13Oakland,
CA
‘Homies’ find their priest online
They write to El Padrecito with the problems of their
young lives, sending tearful pleas for help into cyberspace. What to do
about an errant boyfriend? An unwanted pregnancy? A father who drinks
too much?
Father Masseo Gonzales, a Conventual Franciscan at St. Paul Parish in
San Pablo, reads their appeals on his website and is touched by their
needs and faith. He, too, was once a young Chicano growing up in the barrio,
and he responds with compassion and in words they understand.
Some of them also know Father Gonzales as the “homie” El Padrecito
in his brother David’s collection of barrio characters, which appear
in books, cartoon strips and packets of figurines and are selling well
among young urban Chicanos. He is the model for the barrio priest, found
among the homeboys, homegirls, lowriders and other denizens of the inner
city.
David’s virtual homie neighborhood was already receiving national
attention when Father Gonzales began to work with him on the character
of El Padrecito. “With input from me, the character was born,”
he said, a caricature of the priest. “He has dark glasses, he’s
short and he has my nose.”
El Padrecito also wears Franciscan robes like Father Gonzales, and he
inspired the website that now helps so many young Chicanos. “With
the advent of the internet,” the priest said, “it made perfect
sense to me to somehow bring the two together. So I figured, why not create
an online ministry via El Padrecito?”
Father Gonzales was ready for this task. He had a degree in Chicano studies,
formal training in computer operations and a master’s in theology
and cross-cultural studies, as well as his own experience growing up in
the barrio of Richmond.
Robert Gonzales (he took Masseo as his religious name) was born in 1961
into a family of five sons and three daughters and attended local Catholic
schools, but he was “a defiant kid” who got in trouble with
the law, dropped out of school and joined the federal Job Corps program
for at-risk youth.
There he breezed through the GED and was learning vocational skills when
he “went out drinking and partying, landed up getting into a large
fight and was struck by an automobile and pinned between two cars.”
He lost the lower portion of his right leg, ending his career with the
Job Corps. It was “somewhat devastating,” Father Gonzales
said, but he had been “raised by my father and mother to be a survivor.
If you get knocked down, you have to find a way to get back up.”
Gonzales began to take classes in computer science and learned enough
to land a job with a banking institution. It was then that “the
inspiration for a vocation somehow got into my head and into my soul,”
he said.
He was attending Mass at St. Paul’s on weekends and came under the
influence of Father Allen Ramirez, the pastor and a Conventual Franciscan.
“He was probably one of the first Mexican American priests I had
known in my life,” Father Gonzales said, and before long he was
following in the priest’s footsteps.
He entered the Conventual Franciscan candidacy program in 1985 and began
to apply himself to studies for the first time in his life, taking classes
at Cal State Poly in Pomona and winning a full scholarship to Pitzer College
in Claremont. In college he found a mentor in Professor Gilbert Cadena
who helped him “bring together sociology and my Catholic faith.”
Gonzales was chosen as principal speaker at the Pitzer graduation and
went on to master’s studies at Washington Theological Union. It
was during his college years that he learned Spanish – in addition
to the Chicano lingo of his youth – beginning in Spain and going
on to Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rico as part of his formation.
He was ordained at St. Paul’s in 1996 by now retired Archbishop
Patricio Flores of San Antonio with all of his family in attendance. There
was folklorico dancing, he said, “a lot of food, a lot of beer.
It was a great celebration.”
His first assignment was teaching in a Torrance high school where most
of the students were upper class and Anglo, but he knew his true mission
was elsewhere. On the eve of his departure for religious life he had already
felt the call to work with inner-city youth.
“I assisted with a boxing program here in Richmond,” Father
Gonzales said. “I remember the night I had to leave, sitting in
my car in front of the teen center and breaking down crying a bit because
I knew there was an interior vocation working with youth.”
In 1999, after working in formation with candidates to his order and in
a Riverside parish, he and his brother developed the character El Padrecito,
and Father Gonzales began his online ministry.
“I created my own website,” he said, “using user friendly
software, and initially I was interacting with the youth through individual
emails. They would write me asking for prayers, asking me for advice,
and I would respond to them.” Many came through his brother’s
homie website, which has a link to elpadrecito.com.
But before long, he had to drop his individual contacts with the youth.
“My time was too consumed with being an associate pastor here at
St. Paul’s,” he said, and there was also the danger that giving
advice one-on-one would cause problems in the climate of suspicion surrounding
the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
Now he uses a “Dear Abby model,” choosing a few requests and
publishing his answers online “where everybody can benefit from
the question.” He manages to answer about three percent of the queries.
The rest are posted in the chat room, where the 8,500 signed members of
the site can exchange advice and comments.
Most of the writers are Latinas and most of their questions concern dating.
They speak of sexual relations, abortion, parent-child communication,
gang life, drugs and more. “It all comes together on my site,”
he said. “It’s a heavy duty site dealing with real life issues,
yet incorporating solid Catholic principles.”
Sometimes the language is rough, he said, but he has to accept that. “If
I didn’t allow for certain vulgar language, I would probably have
lost a few souls by now.” And when the writers go too far, the youth
often take care of it themselves.
One writer recently posted inflammatory gang taunts, Father Gonzales said,
and “a young girl who has lost friends to gangs, who has seen a
lot of violence, came straight out and told the guy to stop this talk.”
The website members “know the violence and death and insanity of
what’s going on,” he said, and they also show respect for
the site with its traditional religious imagery as backdrops.
Money from his brother’s Homie Shop has helped keep the site afloat,
and he has plans for expanding his ministry to provide a record label
for young rappers. “I want to start promoting some of our youth
who are gifted with the ability to rap,” he said. He also hopes
to begin a ministry to youth in prisons.
“I’m primarily concerned with the poor urban community,”
Father
Gonzales said, “whether it be poor black or Latino or poor white.”
At the end of August he will leave St. Paul to take up residence somewhere
on the central coast of California, and he said, “If things go according
to plan, I ought to have much more time to invest in El Padrecito ministries.”
To Father Gonzales, this work is “like a dream come true. I’m
like a little child, I absolutely love it,” and although the mail
he receives may move him to tears, he has “no doubt miracles are
happening, blessings are happening. I have no doubt.”
EL PADRECITO’S COLUMNS
Where Can I Take My Father?
Dear Padrecito:
“There is never a day that goes by when my father isn’t drinking.
He has already had a bad accident which almost took his life. I’m
really afraid for him. Even my mother who is separated from him is afraid
for him. My brothers are also worried. Is there anywhere I can take my
dad for help?”
La Guerita
Dear Guerita:
“Sorry to hear you’re going through this drama Guerita. I’m
sure there are a lot of homegirls who can identify with your pain.
As much as you love your father, Mija, you cannot FIX him. Your padre
está enfermo y alcoholismo es una enfermedad. Tampoco no tienes
la abilidad a curarlo. (Your father is sick and alcoholism is a sickness.
Nor do you have the ability to cure him.) Until your father is willing
to accept help you are limited as to what you can do.
But there is something you can do for yourself. Al-Anon is an EXCELLENT
resource (you should be able to find a meeting close to your home by visiting
their website.) You’ll learn at Al-Anon how to not lose your own
sanity and peace of mind while living with an alcoholic. And the amazing
thing is the more YOU take care of YOURSELF the better the chances
of your father getting better!
We are all sorry your padre is out of control Guerita. And I’m sure
you are hurting right now. But please realize that you are as powerless
over your father as he is over that drink. The one thing you are not powerless
over, however, is your own peace of mind.”
Al rato,
El Padrecito
My Sixth-Grade Dream
Dear Padrecito:
“Shit, estoy embarazada otraz vez. (I am pregnant again.)
The first time I got pregnant I was only eighteen-years-old. My boyfriend
told me ‘you can’t get pregnant the first time’. Well,
it wasn’t true. Out came Isaac on April 27th, 2004.
Anywayz, I had been saving my money up since 6th grade so I could go visit
my ‘G’ (friend) in Korea. I have always dreamed of traveling
the world. I was even willing to join the army just so I could visit other
countries.
So after investing all my savings on raising Isaac, and having sex with
my new boyfriend, I get pregnant again. (The father of my first child
eventually went to jail for murder. I caught the second boyfriend having
another girl on the side and so I dropped him.)
So no traveling the world, no boyfriend, no father to my children, and
got two kids. Now what Padrecito?!”
Flaquita
Dear Flaquita:
“Dang girl.... this story almost made me want to cry!
It’s going to be okay mija. You know that little girl in the sixth
grade, who was courageous enough to dream of traveling the world, and
thrifty enough to start saving her money since sixth grade? Well
she’s still within you!
First thing to do, take care of those two children. If you follow the
ways of God, these two children will bring more joy to you than visiting
any country in the world! (Have you baptized your child? And if not, why
not? It’s easy, just visit your local Catholic church and follow
directions. This will also get your more involved in your faith.)
Second thing you can do, start reaching out for some love (and not to
another young vato!). Involve yourself in a bible study, prayer group
at church, something to stimulate your soul and bring some positive fellowship
in your life.
Third, start budgeting your money again and get focused back on that dream
you had! As I indicated, you still have that little girl within
you, so let her shine! There’s no reason why you can’t
be a good mother and still fulfill your dreams of traveling. As a matter
of fact - you can now share the joy of traveling with your children! Con
la ayuda de Dios, de su propia fuerza, y de la ayuda de los demas, ¿porqué
no se puede realizar sus sueños todavía? ¡Todavía
eres joven!” (With the help of God, your own strength and
the help of others, why can’t you still realize your dreams? You
are still young!)
Al rato,
El Padrecito
Father Masseo
Gonzales of St. Paul Parish in San Pablo uses his brother’s “homie”
character El Padrecito as the backdrop for his online ministry to troubled
Latino youth.GREG TARCZYSNKI PHOTO
El Padrecito
Homies creator David Gonzales autographs posters during a festival at
St. Paul Parish in San Pablo. GREG TARCZYNSKI
PHOTO
