GUIDING COUNCIL
Santa Ana, Anaheim & Garden Grove, CA US 
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Nuestro Puebloempowering Santa Ana through education & collaboration
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Nor did it stop national, state and county Hispanic leaders from labeling the church closure a "discrimination issue."
"If you don't have the money, they don't have the time to meet with you or hear your story," shouted Letitia Aguilar, spokeswoman for the Hispanic congregation. She took the protest to Los Angeles in the hope that Cardinal Roger Mahoney will use his clout to override the September decision of Bishop Tod D. Brown to shutter the small church on Reagan Street.
Although spokesmen for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Diocese of Orange County told Aguilar and others that Brown's authority is absolute, the parishioners refused to cede their belief that Mahoney "has the power. And if he doesn't do something, we will take the fight all the way to the pope if we have to," said Maria Teresa Dias.
What started as a community issue for St. Isidore parishioners has been adopted by Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, who wants the 77-year-old church declared a historic site, and Mario Obledo, president of the Sacramento-based California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations, who labeled Brown a "racist."
"This is a discrimination issue," said Michael Orosco, a coalition board member who came from Sacramento to deliver Obledo's message. Westminster resident Larry Luera, 60, former state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said he has contacted a civil-rights attorney. "There is a real question about who owns the land St. Isidore's stands on," said Luera.
The land was given by the Bixby family to Mexican workers who labored in the Bixby sugar-beet fields, he said. Those workers used the land as a church site. Brown sparked the protest in September when he ordered St. Isidore closed and told parishioners to join nearby St. Hedwig parish. The larger St. Hedwig has a predominantly white congregation.
The bishop told St. Isidore members that no Spanish-speaking priest was available and that earthquake retrofitting costs for the building exceeded $300,000. When parishioners offered to interpret sermons by English-speaking priests and pay for the retrofitting, Brown told them he wanted to "bring a community together (at St. Hedwig)," said Monsignor Lawrence Baird, spokesman for the Orange County diocese. Baird discounted racism charges against Brown as "totally unwarranted." He also said there is no indication that the bishop will change his mind on the status of St. Isidore.
The chances of Mahoney stepping in are nil, said the Rev. Gregory Corio, spokesman for the Los Angeles Archdiocese. "A public demonstration is not likely to garner the cardinal's support," Corio said. "It seems to us that these people are more interested in media attention than working with the appropriate church authorities."
In 1933, an earthquake knocked down a good portion of the church, closing it.
Again, the community organized and the church was rebuilt. In 1960, the church was closed again,
this time due to internal church disagreements. Again, the community organized, approached the
Cardinal in the city of Los Angeles and, shortly thereafter, the church was reopened.
In September 1999, the church was again closed. St. Isidore was now part of St. Hedwig's, a
new church built around a mile south on Los Alamitos Blvd. Building St. Hedwig's, a much bigger
church, was greatly assisted with money raised by fiestas at St. Isidore.
The reasons given for closing St. Isidore were:
negative cash flow,
the lack of bilingual (Spanish) priests.
"El Comite' de Amor" has had several meetings with church officials, had peaceful demonstrations
at the bishop's residence, had a rally at a park where the surrounding communities and representatives
from various Latino groups responded/showed their support.
It is the feeling of the community that the church officials intend to sell St. Isidore for the money required for church politics.
St. Isidore is a church that was built by the grandfathers & fathers of the community. Their children
were baptized, received first communion, confirmed and married at their church just a short walk away.
WE WANT THE DOORS REOPENED !
We are asking for your help; write to the bishop, write to your local political leaders and tell them to support our effort.
Please direct questions to
Santa Ana, Anaheim & Garden Grove, CA US
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