Father Roberto Corral, O.P.

By Carrie McClish
Staff writer

When Dominican Father Roberto Corral assumed his responsibilities this summer as the new pastor at Most Holy Rosary in Antioch, it was more than another pastoral assignment. He described it as “a dream come true.”

He returns to the parish where he spent four years as an associate pastor in the 1990s. “In some ways I grew up here,” he said of his first parish assignment after serving at a Newman Center in Arizona following his 1988 ordination.

It was different from his work with college students, said the priest, “and I ended up liking it,” especially the friendships formed with families, many of whom are still in the parish.

But, he said, “It is a little strange to see this new generation. When I was assigned to the parish previously the kids were in school, now they are married and have kids of their own.”

The parish and school have grown considerably during the years he was away. “It’s like a little city,” he said, pointing out that recent surveys put the number of parishioners at between 3,000 to 4,000 families. Over 3,000 people attend seven weekend Masses, including two Masses in Spanish.

Father Corral, 54, was born in East Los Angeles, the youngest of seven children. He attended local Catholic elementary and high schools where, he said, the seeds of his religious vocation were first planted. Those seeds were later nourished while he was a student at Occidental College, where he majored in mathematics and became involved in charismatic renewal.

A couple of years after college he began to think about “how nice it would be to lead liturgies” and decided to check it out. He left his job and began visiting different seminaries. After reading a book on St. Dominic, he traveled to Oakland to visited St. Albert Priory, where the Dominican Order operates a formation program for future priests and Brothers. Drawn to the Dominicans and their lifestyle, he decided to join the community.

After his ordination and subsequent assignments in Arizona and Antioch, Father Corral served as a pastor at two Dominican parishes before he was elected provincial of the Western Dominican Province in 2003. The province includes some 150 Dominicans who work in the western U.S. and as missionaries in Africa and Latin America.

During his four-year term, he traveled to meet with Dominicans and other Church leaders and gained “a real appreciation for the bigger picture.”

He joined members as they celebrated anniversaries, met those in formation, and received the vows of new Brothers. He also helped those who were struggling through difficult times and attended the funerals and burials of a number of members. “I was able to be a pastor to my own brothers,” he said.

During his tenure as provincial, he also had to contend with the fallout of the sex abuse crisis that rocked the Catholic Church in the U.S. Like the American Church in general, the crisis forced the province into action such as toughening up the process of discernment, becoming more transparent and “more open and responsible for each other,” he said. “There were problems and the need to acknowledge them.”

The crisis left a somber aftermath for the many priests who have never been involved in sexual abuse, he said. “All have to bear the burden, and that is difficult.”

Although he would not want to be provincial again, Father Corral said the role and responsibilities gave him a broader perspective of the Church and made him more aware of the frailties of priests as human beings. “Some carry heavy wounds and struggle with their own upbringing. I hope it made me more compassionate,” he said.

After completing his term of office in 2007, Father Corral made a pilgrimage to Spain and southern France where he and a group of other Dominicans traced the life and ministry of St. Dominic. He returned to Holy Rosary Parish in July, succeeding Dominican Father Jordan Bradshaw as pastor.

He immediately jumped into his new role in a parish that has large Hispanic and Filipino communities as well as a parish school with some 600 students and a religious education program with another 650 students.

With his newly hectic schedule, the priest couldn’t be more pleased. “I am very happy to be back in this warm and vibrant parish and to be back in parish ministry.”

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