Clergy members see their roles as faith leaders evermore intertwined with activism. Some say it is impossible to separate their faith from social justice issues. Many grapple with how to counsel parishioners about today’s troubling events.
The service began with a moment of silence for the victims of mass shootings in El Paso; Dayton, Ohio; and Gilroy, Calif.“We invite the spirits of our brothers and sisters to be here today with us,” the Rev. Richard Estrada said in Spanish under the dark wooden ceiling of the Episcopal church in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights neighborhood.
Her friend, Laura Elena Mendoza, was deeply saddened by the threats and violence aimed at Latinos that she has seen in recent months, she said. But in these moments, she increasingly turns to her faith community.Estrada has been asking himself how he can support the Latino community that is hurting now, he said. In his sermon, he asked parishioners to have faith that change will come.
Faith is a special way of dealing with atrocities such as the shooting in El Paso, said Melvin Valiente, the pastor at First Baptist Church of Maywood, because it provides hope that things can change for the better, that evil need not triumph. His parish pushes community members to speak out against injustice.
For churchgoer Cristina Tanta, this rings true. Every Sunday, she attends Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels in downtown Los Angeles, also known as La Placita, a Catholic church long renowned among L.A. Latinos. On Sunday, she was sitting on a bench in the plaza adjacent to the church waiting for the 3 p.m. service. Around her, families bustled in and out of the church, waited in line for ice cream, and brought roses and daisies to lay in front of the altar of the Virgin Mary.
At the Church of the Epiphany, a history of community activism is evident. The Rev. Tom Carey describes the parish, which was founded in 1887, as a key organizing center during the Chicano movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Pictures and newspaper clippings about Chicano activism and past immigration enforcement actions line the basement church walls. “Wetback Roundup,” one headline reads; “Latinos for peace,” says a sign held up by activists in a photograph.
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