By Sharon Abercrombie
Staff writer

St. Catherine of Siena parishioners now have an accomplished artist/singer/cook amongst them. He is also a priest with a doctoral degree in pastoral ministry and their new parochial administrator — Father Leo Asuncion.
 

Fr. Leo Asuncion

When Father Asuncion arrived at the Martinez parish in January from St. Bede Parish in Hayward, he brought with him his singing voice, a guitar, a large stack of cookbooks, art supplies plus needles and thread. The needles and thread? He uses them to sew priestly chasubles and liturgical banners.

His artistic talents were cultivated early in life.

His father gave him an appreciation for color. “He was a house painter, but I did not follow his footsteps because instead of painting houses I like to paint on canvas and paper,” said the priest. His landscapes were on exhibit at Mission San Jose in 2003 and 2005 while he was serving as parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Fremont.

He learned culinary skills from his mother. “I came from a large family of seven boys and three girls. Even though we were poor, my parents saw to it that there was always food on the table,” he said. “My mother was very creative in coming up with something that was available whether from our backyard vegetable garden or bought from the market.”

These days, both friends and parishioners have delighted in his gustatory creations.

On one occasion, he trotted out his large collection of French, Asian, Spanish and American cookbooks to create a special dinner for a group of priests during one of their monthly support group meetings. The event included Bishop Emeritus John Cummins. It was “one of my most unforgettable moments,” Father Asuncion said.

On several occasions, his dinners have been auctioned off as part of parish fundraising projects.

This oil painting by Fr. Leo Asuncion depicts an Alaskan landscape. The priest was inspired to recreate its beautiful blues and purples after discovering the scene on a postcard.

Father Asuncion’s musical talents developed while he was studying at Conception School of Theology at Vigan Ilocos Sur in the Philippines.

“There just wasn’t enough money available to finance our ministries, like helping the poor, so I started singing and playing guitar to raise money,” he said. Since there are no St. Vincent de Paul Societies in the Philippines, after his ordination in 1979, the priest kept up his concerts to raise money for needy people in his parish.

Last winter, his concert brought in over $5,000 for diocesan Deacon Stanley Lee’s Filipino mission in Bicol. Whenever possible, Father Asuncion tries to incorporate local parish talent into his concerts to encourage budding musicians.

The latest addition to his artistic portfolio is the design and sewing of chasubles and banners that he learned to create as part of a class in Liturgy and the Arts at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley when he was studying there for his doctor of ministry degree.

Three pastors with whom he’s worked received his creations when they celebrated ordination anniversaries — Father John Maxwell of St. John Parish in El Cerrito, Monsignor Manuel Simas of St. Joseph’s in Fremont and Father Seamus Farrell of St. Bede Parish in Hayward.

While at St. John’s, he designed weekly banners for RENEW groups and on several occasions created banners for major liturgical feasts.

Father Asuncion believes that each of these artistic threads can “nourish souls. Food, music and art are interrelated.”

He explains: “Some people find cooking an ordeal. But if you do enjoy it, you begin to realize that like other artistic expressions, it is an art. Like in painting you combine and mix different colors, hues and shades, so with cooking you mix together different flavors and textures and colors to come up with something pleasing not only to the sense of taste but to the sense of smell and sight.”

There is a symbolic carry-over into liturgical celebrations, he suggests.

“We are fed with the body of Christ, but liturgies should be inviting and interesting because they are celebrations of life. Art and music are just some of the instruments to create a lively liturgy. We do not only need food to nourish our bodies, we also need things to nourish the soul.”

Although the priest has been at St. Catherine for just three months, he’s feeling at home. “At first I was very anxious,” he said. “I wondered if I would be accepted because I am from a different culture, but the people here are very friendly and very concerned about their priest,” he said with gratitude.

Father Ascunsion arrived in the United States in 1991 to study for a degree in religious education at Catholic University of America. He earned a master of theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and then his doctorate in ministry.

He was officially incardinated into the Oakland Diocese in 2004 and received his American citizenship in 2006.

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